“In Behalf of His People”

Jana Reiss

Lehi, who has presumably heard some of the prophets’ predictions of gloom and doom, decides to pray to the Lord on the people’s behalf. The sequence is a reliable pattern throughout the Book of Mormon: a person receives revelation only after prayer and earnest inquiry. God in the Book of Mormon doesn’t typically impart visions or insights out of the blue; he responds to their heartfelt prayers. Here, Lehi prays and has a vision that confirms the fate of Jerusalem should people fail to repent.

The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained

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