Hello, readers! I am not representing the views of the LDS church or the most accurate desciption of portions of the Book of Mormon, I am merely taking the story of Enos from the Book of Mormon and dramatizing it up, so, enjoy!

A Prayer Unto the Lord: The Story of Enos

I awoke early in the morning, and my father, Jacob, had already prepared a meal. "Good morning, my son." he said, "Many days I have found truth in the teachings of eternal life. It is by this that the saints have their joy, it is by this that many repent. The blessing of eternal life is a masterpiece and a wonder."

Honestly, I have to admit, I had heard my father bear the truth of this many times before, and it got old, fast. "That's great, dad." I said, with little enthusiasm.

Apparently, my father saw I was uninterested, and spoke, "Son, your uncle, Nephi, my brother, when he was younger, he told me this story. His father told the family that they had to leave all their posessions and flee into the wilderness, which eventually led them to the land of promise in which we live today; with food aplenty and a prospering life. Despite his father's constant assuring that everything would work out, Nephi still held frustration, and a little anger within him, but, instead of rebelling like unto his brethren, he sought the Lord's guidance, and the Lord removed his doubt and strengthened him."

The speech he gave was pretty impressive, but nonetheless, I was still doubting.

My father still saw through my emotions, and suggested, "Go out and hunt, Enos. Clear your mind and catch some deer, whatever it takes, my son. But when you come home, I want to see you in a better mood."

Annoyed at this "time-out" I had to follow through with, I dropped my plate in the water basin with a splash, and grabbed by bow, walking out the door before father could get mad at me for throwing his plate.

I walked through the woods, dragging my feet in the creek near our house as I walked across it, and eventually found a good place to begin the hunt. I pulled back my bow, wrenching the cord til it almost snapped, and then shot the arrow. Having pulled back too far, the arrow went way off target and lodged itself in the upper branches of the trees.

"Great." I muttered. That was one of my best crafted arrows.

Obviously, I realized, that loss was my fault, and I scolded myself for doing it. It didn't help the situation any further.

I walked over to the tree it was stuck in, and shook the trunk, hoping by some miracle that it would release my arrow. My intentions were in vain. I began climbing up the trunk, grabbing branch after branch, each branch seeming further and further from the next. Soon, despite my bad luck, I reached the place where my arrow was.

Stretching my arm as far as I could reach, I swatted at it, trying to loosen it, but I was just too far. I leaned a little more, almost reaching far enough, when I lost my balance and fell, with a jarring thud, on the forest floor.

I rolled my eyes as I looked up at the arrow, which seemed to be mocking me for firing too hard. It was there on that dirt ground that I wondered if I could ever be as happy as my father and the other saints were, maybe even be as happy as uncle Nephi himself.

I remembered my father's words of wisdom on prayer, and I grudgingly sat up, folded my arms, and bowed my head, kneeling before the Lord. As soon as I began the prayer, the words my father spake concerning eternal life and the joy of the saints sunk deep into my heart, hitting me like a wave of water; powerful, yet refreshing.

I remembered my behavior early in the morning, and felt guilt for acting that way, and for caring so much for my stupid arrow. I prayed, wanting forgiveness for my unkindness, and a voice came to me, saying, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed."

I knew God couldn't lie, and I really did feel forgiven, so my sins vanished at that point, swept away by the waves of spirit flowing through me. I marvelled at how quickly I was forgiven, and asked, "Lord, how is it done?"

The Lord spoke to me, stating an amazing truth, "Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole."

After Heavenly Father told me this, I felt a strong sense of compassion towards my brothers, sisters, and neighbors; the Nephites. I let out all my desires, hopes, and worries, pouring out my soul to God.

As I prayed for them the Lord said to me, "I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their heads."

After I heard this, my faith became unshaken, unmoved, and firm. Like a wall of strength surrounding me, keeping away the fiery darts of Satan. Thinking on the temptations and wickedness of Satan, I prayed for the Lamanites, who were still, indeed, my brethren.

After i had prayed so deeply that I felt my whole soul had emptied itself before the Lord, he said to me, "I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith." my desire, which I had prayed for, was that if the Nephites fell to wickedness, that our record would be preserved, and perhaps bring the Lamanites unto repentance.

The Lamanites had already sworn that they would kill us, and destroy the records, at all costs, despite our constant attempts to steer them back to righteousness. Seeing the great odds against us, I prayed ever harder and deeper, raising my voice to the heavens, trying as hard as I could to insure that the records were not lost. I did this, because I remembered the Lord's promise, that if I asked in faith, I would recieve.

God promised me, that in his own due time he would bring the records to the Lamanites, and help bring them to righteousness. After the Lord had promised this, I was relieved, knowing that he would keep his promise.

The Lord said unto me, "Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine."

At this phrase spoken, I knew of a surety that the Lord had a plan for me, and still does. He watches over us, and he believed in my faith and in me, even when I didn't.

Back to my hunting trip...

After the prayer was finished, night had fallen, and I didn't see any animals to hunt. Despite my father using hunting as an excuse to get me out of the house, we did need more food, and I wasn't sure if I could find any.

Suddenly, a sharp thud was heard next to me, and I saw my arrow; which had apparently loosened itself while I prayed. I picked it up, grateful for the second chance I had been given, both with hunting, and with my life. I pulled my bow back, this time not so harshly, and looked around for anything to shoot.

In the pale moonlight of the evening, I saw a deer, which, instead of sleeping, had gone to the creek to drink from it. I snuck out from the forest, and drew my bow; with my favorite arrow ready. The deer didn't even suspect it til it was too late. I shot him down, and then went to the stream; hefting him up onto my shoulders.

I walked across the creek, now with a little more spring in my step; despite the weight on my back. I walked in the front door of the house, and shut the door behind me as I came in. My father's loving smile warmed my heart as we talked about my prayer, and the delicious deer warmed my belly as we spoke.

Don't stop reading now! There's still more, either coming soon, or already here, so don't assume this is the end!