The Book of Mormon 21 Day Challenge: Exploring Enos 1:1-12 — Does God Answer Prayers?

Understanding Prayer and Divine Response

Scripture Focus: Enos 1:1-12

LDS Quote: "Heavenly Father has a glorified body of flesh and bones and is the Father of your spirit. Because Heavenly Father has all power and knows all things, He can see all His children and can hear and answer every prayer. You can come to know for yourself that He is there and that He loves you." - Susan H. Porter – Pray, He is There, April 2024

Enos 1:1-12: A Narrative of Faith and Forgiveness

Enos shares that he was raised by his father Jacob, who taught him about God. He understood the concept of eternal life. He knew that joy and happiness come from knowing God. Despite this knowledge, Enos felt a deep unrest in his conscience. This inner turmoil drove him to wrestle in prayer for his soul.

He prayed with intensity, spending hours crying out to God. In response, a voice assured him that his sins were forgiven due to his faith in Christ, even before Christ's earthly ministry began. Enos had not seen Christ or heard Him preach, yet he received forgiveness based on his faith in the coming Messiah.

Following this, Enos interceded for the Nephites. The Lord responded again, promising blessings for obedience and consequences for rebellion. Enos declared that his faith remained unshaken. He then prayed for the Lamanites, and the Lord promised to grant Enos' desires because of his faith.

On the surface, this narrative illustrates the power of repentance and the reality of answered prayer. A man cries out, and God responds. Christians universally affirm that God hears prayers, and this is not in dispute. However, the question runs deeper.

Observations on Faith and Divine Response

Enos already possessed knowledge of God and eternal life. Yet, when forgiveness was declared, he asked, “How is it done?” The answer was clear: because of his faith in Christ. Christians believe that Christ’s atoning work spans all of history. However, Scripture shows that those who lived before the incarnation trusted in God's promises. They rejoiced in what was to come, even without a complete understanding of the atonement's name, timing, or mechanism. Their faith in God was counted as righteousness.

This passage also highlights the immediate divine response to persistent prayer. Enos wrestled with God and heard a response. He pleaded and received a voice. Here, we must ask a pastoral question: Is prayer validated by immediate response? Does faith depend on inward impressions or audible assurances? Or can faith endure even when heaven appears silent?

This question becomes particularly relevant when we consider modern LDS teachings on prayer.

Who is God? Understanding His Nature

Before exploring how God answers prayer, we must first understand who God is. President Susan H. Porter describes Heavenly Father as a glorified being of flesh and bones. This aligns with broader LDS teachings rooted in Joseph Smith’s King Follett discourse and clarified in Doctrine and Covenants 130:22, which asserts that the Father possesses a tangible body.

Latter-day Saints often point out that when Scripture speaks of God hearing or seeing, it supports the idea of embodiment. They also reference Numbers 23:19, which states, “God is not a man,” to emphasize moral reliability rather than deny God's exalted, perfected nature.

However, the biblical testimony goes further. Numbers 23:19 does not merely contrast God with sinful men; it categorically distinguishes Him. Malachi 3:6 declares, “For I am the Lord, I change not.” God is not a being who progressed into deity; He is eternally God.

John 4:24 states plainly: “God is Spirit.” This is not metaphorical language, unlike Psalm 91:4, where God is described as having feathers. Nor is it similar to Christ calling Himself bread (John 6), a door (John 10), or a vine (John 15). These are figures of speech conveying spiritual truths.

When Scripture defines God as Spirit—unchanging and eternal—it describes His nature, not offering poetic imagery. Even the Book of Mormon states in Moroni 8:18 that God is “not a changeable being.” This is where the tension lies. If God was once a man who progressed to exaltation, that implies change.

If He possesses a body of flesh and bones by nature, then He is embodied matter. The God revealed in Scripture, however, is eternal Spirit—uncreated, unchanging, and not progressing into deity. So when Enos claims that God answered him, the question shifts from whether an answer occurred to the identity of God.

Are we speaking of the eternal, uncreated Creator, or of an exalted, embodied being? This distinction is crucial.

A Faithful Prayer: Trusting Beyond Sensation

In 2024, President Russell M. Nelson posed a profound question: “How can you know that Heavenly Father is really there, even when you can’t see Him?” He encouraged believers to pour out their hearts and listen to what they feel in their hearts and the thoughts that come to their minds. This instruction places significant weight on inward impressions, reflecting the long-standing LDS teaching of spiritual confirmation—often described as a burning in the bosom.

However, biblical faith is not grounded in emotional sensations. Prayer can sometimes feel powerful. There are moments when one feels overwhelmed by God's presence. Yet, there are also long seasons of silence.

I have experienced those seasons. Tears pooled on the floor as I cried out to God, asking to hear His voice—only to hear nothing in return. If faith rests solely on feeling, then silence breeds doubt. However, the prayer of the righteous does not rely on sensation but on truth.

True faith asserts: whether I feel warmth or isolation, whether I sense closeness or distance, He is there. Not because my heart burns, but because He has revealed Himself.

A powerful scene in the film His Only Son depicts Abraham before he enters Moriah. He pleads with God to take his life instead of Isaac’s but receives no response. The silence is painful. Yet, as the camera pulls back, the Angel of the Lord stands within sight—silent, yet present. Listening. Watching. Purposeful.

Abraham did not receive immediate reassurance, but God was there, and He had a plan. The plan was not Abraham’s understanding; it was Christ. Real prayer of faith does not trust in feelings but in the God who has revealed Himself—even when heaven seems silent.

Conclusion: The Nature of Divine Communication

So we return to the question: Does God answer prayer? Christians affirm that He does. However, before asking whether God answers, we must first consider: Who is the God who answers—and upon what is our faith truly resting?

In this exploration, we find that understanding the nature of God is essential. It shapes our expectations and experiences in prayer. As we navigate our spiritual journeys, may we seek to know Him more deeply, trusting in His character and promises, even amid silence.