I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God

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I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before
God

• www.kevinhinckley.com

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The Wisdom of Hollywood

• So, wheres the Cannes Film festival
  being held this year?
• I get to go to lots of overseas placeslike
  Canada.
• I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother
  and father.
• Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving
  kids all over the world, I cant help but cry. I
  mean Id like to be skinny like that but not with
  all those flies and death and stuff
• Smoking kills. And if youre killed, youve lost
  a very important part of your life.
• I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I
  think it was deep in a way that it was very
  light. I think lightness has to come from a very
  deep place if its the true lightness

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If you feel a little weary
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Eternal Pattern
Serve and Endure to the End
Endowed with Love and Charity
Become a New Creature
With more knowledge A Spiritual Awaking
Strive to keep commandments
Taught the Gospel
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Son of Jacob

• I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi,
  prophesying of things to come, and testifying of
  the things which I had heard and seen
• I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my
  brethren (Nephites and Lamanites)
• And there came a voice unto me, saying Enos, thy
  sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be
  blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not
  lie wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
• I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before
  God, before I received a remission of my sinsAnd
  my soul hungered
• and the words which I had often heard my father
  speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the
  saints, sunk deep into my heart.
• my fatherwas a just manfor he taught me in his
  language, and also in the nurture and admonition
  of the Lord

Serve and Endure to the End
Endowed with Love and Charity
Become a New Creature
With more knowledge A Spiritual Awaking
Strive to keep commandments
Taught the Gospel
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President Benson

• Enos was spiritually healed. Through his mighty
  supplications to God, he experienced what the
  faithful of any dispensation can experience, do
  experience, and must experience if they are to
  see God and be filled with His Spirit.
• We should become acquainted with Enos and the
  entire Book of Mormon, the greatest book in the
  worlda new witness for Christ. (Come unto
  Christ, 90)

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Bible Dictionary

• As soon as we learn the true relationship
  in which we stand toward God (namely,
  God is our Father, and we are his
  children), then at once prayer becomes
  natural and instinctive on our part.
• Many of the so called difficulties about prayer
  arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer
  is the act by which the will of the Father and
  the will of the child are brought into
  correspondence with each other.
• The object of prayer is not to change the will of
  God, but to secure for ourselves and for others
  blessings that God is already willing to grant,
  but are made conditional on our asking for them.
• Blessings require some work or effort on our part
  before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of
  work and is the appointed means for obtaining the
  highest of all blessings.

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The words Enos used

• I will tell you of the wrestle which I had
  before God . . . (Enos 12)
• . I cried unto him in mighty prayer and
  supplication (Enos 14)
• All the day long did I cry unto him (Enos 14)
• I did pour out my whole soul unto God. . .
  (Enos 19)
• while I was thus struggling in the spirit . . .
  (Enos 110)
• I prayed unto him with many long strugglings . .
  . (Enos 111)
• After I had prayed and labored with all
  diligence, the Lord said . . .(Enos 112)
• I cried unto him continually . . . (Enos 115)

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Esau Moments

• And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and
  God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst
  unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy
  kindred, and I will deal well with thee
• I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,
  and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto
  thy servant
• Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my
  brother, from the hand of Esau for I fear him,
  lest he will come and smite me, and the mother
  with the children.
• And he rose up that night, and took his two
  wives, and sent them over the brook...
• And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a
  man with him until the breaking of the day..
• And the man said, Let me go, for the day
  breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go,
  except thou bless me.
• And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he
  said, Jacob.
• And he said, Thy name shall be called no more
  Jacob, but Israel for as a prince hast thou
  power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
• And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel
  for I have seen God face to face, and my life is
  preserved.

Question Why was Jacob worried about going home?
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The Result?

• And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and,
  behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men
• And he bowed himself to the ground seven times,
  until he came near to his brother.
• And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and
  fell on his neck, and kissed him and they wept.

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Elder Groberg

• A young man in Tonga by the name of Finau had
  heard the missionaries and believed their message
  and wanted to get baptized. He had a concern,
  however, as his father was adamantly opposed to
  his "becoming a Mormon." Since he was past
  "legal age" he did not need his father's
  permission to get baptized, but he loved his
  father and wanted to show respect for him.
• Unfortunately, every time he talked to his father
  about getting baptized his father beat him.
  After several months it became evident that his
  father would not give his permission, so Finau
  felt he had no alternative but to get baptized
  without his father's blessing
• There was still some fear and trepidation on the
  part of the missionaries, as they knew of his
  father's anger, but as per prior arrangement they
  met Finau late one Friday evening on a secluded
  section of beach. They were all dressed in white
  and together waded out into the ocean to get to a
  spot deep enough to perform the sacred ordinance
  of baptism.
• Even though others were not told of the time or
  place, in some way the word had gotten to Finau's
  father several hours before, and in anger or
  desperation or both, he told his oldest son to
  "teach Finau a lesson." Encouraged by his father
  and drunken with anger, Finau's older brother got
  a large stick and headed for the beach.
• He arrived at the beach just as the baptism was
  finished and Finau and the two elders were wading
  back to shore. In an anger-emboldened rage he
  uttered a blood-curdling scream and headed
  straight toward the threesome,..
• The two elders heard the scream, looked up, saw
  the stick and the charging brother, and quickly
  ran away. They yelled at Finau to follow them,
  but he quietly shook his head and simply stood
  there, his eyes full of peace. He raised his head
  and looked straight at his brother.
• When the brother saw that Finau would not run but
  waited calmly for him with a look of perfect
  serenity, he hesitated for a moment-but only a
  moment. Then with a curse of anger he took the
  last couple of splashing steps, lifted his large
  stick, and sent it crashing across Finau's back.
  Finau still did not move. Again and again the
  stick smashed into Finau's back, . At last an
  extra heavy blow crumpled Finau to his knees,
  then anotherleft him sprawled face down in the
  water.
• An exultant cry rent the air, and a man drunken
  from anger staggered to shore and disappeared
  uncertainly down the trail. He had "taught his
  brother a lesson" and left a seemingly lifeless
  form floating partially submerged in the ocean.
• The two elders who witnessed all this came from
  their hiding places and, somewhat embarrassed and
  very concerned, ran quickly to where Finau lay in
  the ocean, barely moving. They were grateful to
  see he was still breathing. They lifted him from
  the water and were sickened by what they saw.

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Elder Groberg Continues

• Finau could hardly move, so they each took an arm
  and lifted him up and dragged him stumblingly to
  shore. As they got well onto land, Finau spoke
  for the first time and asked where they were
  going.
• "To the hospital, of course," they replied
• "No," said Finau. "Not yet. I have only been
  baptized. I have not received the gift of the
  Holy Ghost nor been confirmed a member of The
  Church See that log over there? Take me to it,
  sit me down, confer upon me the gift of the Holy
  Ghost, and confirm me a member of the Church. I
  want to be part of God's kingdom now."
• "We'll do that tomorrow. You need to get some
  medical treatment now."
• "No," Finau replied firmly. "Do it now. Who
  knows, you may be right, there may be serious
  physical problems. I may not even make it to the
  hospital or I may not be alive tomorrow. Of
  course, I am in pain, but mostly I just feel
  numb. I am, however, in full control of my
  feelings and I want to become a member of God's
  kingdom now-please."
• The two elders looked around, sensing possible
  danger. They saw no one else, however, so they
  looked at each other, then at Finau, who was
  patiently waiting. They saw such a fire of faith
  and determination coming from his eyes that they
  sat him down on the log, laid their hands on his
  head, and by the power and authority of the
  priesthood of God gave him the gift of the Holy
  Ghost, confirmed him a member of The Church of
  Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and under the
  inspiration of God gave him a special blessing
  that no permanent physical damage from the
  beating would afflict his body.
• As they took their hands from his head there was
  calmness in their eyes-no more furtive glances at
  the surrounding bushes, only tears of gratitude
  for the faith of a committed Tongan Saint in
  these latter days. Finally they got him to the
  hospital, where he was checked, given some care,
  and released with the admonition "You were lucky
  this time. You have no life-threatening injuries
  or broken bones, but don't get into a fight like
  that again." (The doctors and nurses were, of
  course, not aware of the details.)
• Finau stayed with the elders that night, but the
  next day he wanted to return to his home. They
  went with him and found his father, who, still
  filled with bitterness and anger, commanded him
  to leave home and never return. Finau's brother
  was nowhere to be found. The missionaries made
  arrangements for Finau to live with a member
  family.
• Many things happened subsequently, but in
  summary Finau was eventually reconciled with his
  father and his family, many of whom (including
  both his father and his brother) later joined the
  Church. He married, raised a wonderful family,
  held many positions of responsibility in the
  Church, and proved to be a blessing to thousands
  of people over decades of time.