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TODAY'S THEME
The Brother of Jared Seeing The Finger of the Pre-mortal Lord Jesus Christ -by Arnold Friberg
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The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ: Ether 12:12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.
The Lord works miracles only through our genuine faith. An example of this was the miracle wrought by the power of the Pre-mortal Lord Jesus Christ as pictured above because of the great faith of the Brother of Jared who lived during and after the time of the Tower of Babel and who migrated along with others of his people to Ancient America!
I now provide you with the very special opportunity of viewing a Mormon Messages video in which a humble young Filipino girl, from the Philippines Cebu Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking in English with her beautiful Filipino accent, tells of her remarkable experience in having the power of faith help her and her family in a miraculous way!
Pure and Simple Faith
Once again I give you the opportunity to read an example of how a modern day miracle was wrought through an ordinary member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who is me, the author of this blog, J. Neil Birch.
I relate this experience of mine to help each of you Readers of my Book of Mormon Blog know that miracles continue to happen in our day and time on earth and certainly in the special Murray Fourth Branch to which I have been called by my LDS Stake President to serve. Besides facilitating an important Priesthood function, this miracle strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and may also strengthen the faith of each of you.
On the second Sunday of this March, 2012 about five minutes early, I entered a large Hospital Room (of a very large general purpose hospital) in which our LDS Church Branch (where I have been assigned to work (without pay) holds an LDS Sacrament Meeting each Sunday morning before visiting LDS patients in their hospital rooms. Just after sitting down somewhere near the front of the room as I usually do, Brother Al McBride of the branch presidency began walking toward me. I quickly realized that he most likely was just about to ask me to help with the Sacrament. That turned out be his intention, but instead of asking me to pass the Sacrament which I had been asked to do a good number of times, he instead asked me to bless the Sacrament. He asked me if it would be difficult for me to kneel (knowing I had had knee problems ). I replied: "no."
I had never been asked to bless the Sacrament before in one of our branch Sacrament meetings during the two and a half years I had served in the branch, along with my wife, Melva, (for part of the time until her medical problems prevented her from continuing); and I never really expected to be asked to do so because when we were first assigned to serve in the branch we were asked whether there was anything that would be too difficult for either of us to do that is usually done in the branch. As I recall, I most likely told that member of the presidency that it would be difficult for me to bless the Sacrament because my voice had become somewhat raspy. I might also have mentioned that I had two knees which had been implanted surgically.
Anyway, as I was seating myself next to the right of the other man who would be reading one of the two Sacrament prayers, Brother McBride walked over and told both of us"Priests" that we would have to read the set prayers loudly and clearly that morning because the Branch's Sacrament microphone was not functioning and wasn't even there.
I then silently and urgently asked the Lord to bless me that when I would soon be reading the Sacrament Prayer on the Bread my voice would be sufficiently loud and clear so all in attendance could hear the sacred words of the prayer very clearly and feel their meaning!
Soon the Sacrament song had been sung and while kneeling down on the little stool Brother McBride had provided me, I began reading the Prayer on the Bread.
Kneeling was not a problem at all, but I quickly recalled that I wouldn't have the help of the Sacrament microphone which was usually there, and that I had asked the Lord for His help in reading the Sacrament Prayer sufficiently loud and clearly so all could hear those very sacred words. I didn't doubt He would help me!
The Book of Mormon, Moroni 4:3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
Immediately I realized that my prayer, despite the absence of a microphone, was very loud and had been somehow magnified and was being very clearly heard throughout that good sized room with the usual large number of branch members present along with a number of Latter-Day-Saint patients and hospital workers in attendance also.
I even felt impelled to tone down the loudness of that prayer, but instantly I knew intuitively that was something I should not do. My voice was not raspy! It was my voice I was hearing, but it was an amazingly clear voice and was being greatly magnified! I sensed right then that I was experiencing a miracle!
When it was time for the Water to be blessed, my "Priest" partner had difficulty praying loud enough to be heard as clearly as I realized mine had been.
The Book of Mormon, Moroni 5:2 O God the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this water to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
He mentioned to me just after we had finished the Sacrament service that my prayer had been sufficiently loud but his hadn't. I didn't attempt to explain to him what I knew had happened during the prayer I had offered.
No one else that day mentioned anything about the loudness and clarity of my reading of the Sacrament prayer. Most likely most of those in attendance didn't notice that the microphone was not on the table (it is pretty difficult for those in the audience to see the mike when it actually is there.) I silently thanked the Lord for having blessed me!
Those in the audience perhaps just thought when they couldn't hear the prayer on the water very well that the man blessing the water was not speaking directly into the microphone, or that he may have accidentally turned it off.
After Sacrament meeting, while standing each time in various patients' rooms up somewhere in the very large hospital, I experienced my usual raspy voice, (which isn't a great impediment at close quarters) while taking turns reading each of the Sacrament prayers a good number of times while serving with three other branch members, one male and two females.
Two Sundays later I told Brother Al McBride who had assigned me to bless the Sacrament on that second Sunday of March (2012), about how the Lord had magnified my voice that Sunday two weeks earlier when the Sacrament table microphone wasn't working . He then told me:
"That microphone wasn't working and wasn't even there on the Sacrament table, but we heard you loudly and clearly!"
I told him that although it was my voice that was heard reading the sacrament prayer on the bread, I knew I was doing it with special assistance from the Lord! He looked right at me and smiled and then nodded.
Later on that same Sunday after finishing my assignment upstairs in the Hospital with the group to which I had been assigned that day, I ran into the other counselor in the branch presidency, Brother John Riches. I mentioned to him the experience I had earlier in the month when the Good Lord had magnified my voice when it needed to be magnified.
John told me he realized that was happening when it happened because he knew the Sacrament table microphone wasn't working and wasn't even there at all. He then told me:
"That was just a very good example of the miracles that take place all the time in this hospital branch in which we have been assigned to work by the Lord!"
I believe one reason why that special reading of that holy Sacrament prayer occurred can be explained by something that President Thomas S. Monson, (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) said during his closing remarks in the April (2012) General Conference Priesthood meeting:
"Do your duty that is best, and then leave unto the Lord the rest."
Respectfully and Gratefully Submitted, J. Neil Birch
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.
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TO OPEN NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Desire To Access): After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up and Click on The Following: Miracles Can Occur As We Exercise Our Faith in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. -Post 45m. When The Picture of Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.
If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.
J. Neil Birch
