Help me clarify Matthew 21:22


jdf135
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Just re-listened to Elder Renlund's talk "Abound With Blessings."  I still don't get it.  If all of these things are necessary before a blessing can be received, why didn't Jesus say this?  Matthew 21:22 and multiple other scriptures seem to make is seem much more simple.  Ask and you will receive!  Have mustard-seed faith and move a mountain!

Edited by jdf135
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@jdf135, from how I understand your question, I think what you're missing is the "Thy will be done." part of blessings.  It is never what we will, but what God wills for us.  Therefore, we can ask and ask and ask but Matthew 21:22 will never be fulfilled unless what we ask for aligns with the will of the Father and that we put our faith and believe in it.  If it is God's will, then blessing will pour from the heavens when we exercise our faith.

So Elder Redlund's talk basically sets up the foundation by which we align our will to the Father's.

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19 hours ago, anatess2 said:

@jdf135, from how I understand your question, I think what you're missing is the "Thy will be done." part of blessings.  It is never what we will, but what God wills for us.  Therefore, we can ask and ask and ask but Matthew 21:22 will never be fulfilled unless what we ask for aligns with the will of the Father and that we put our faith and believe in it.  If it is God's will, then blessing will pour from the heavens when we exercise our faith.

So Elder Redlund's talk basically sets up the foundation by which we align our will to the Father's.

I suppose I am just discouraged that I don't see desired blessings "pouring" from heaven.  My wife says I'm not looking.  Anyway...

It just seems a preponderance of scriptures, most notably those spoken by the Saviour, suggest if you have faith, all you have do is ask and it'll happen.  In contrast, modern prophets explain there are many conditions for receiving blessings among which are: sufficiency of faith, timing, patience, worthiness, a possible lost opportunity to learn from trials and other conditions we do not have the capacity to understand.   It seems these many conditions are more likely than not to preclude you from receiving the divine interventions you desire.  Therefore, why even bother asking or expecting anything (except that we're commanded to do so)?  In my demented way of thinking, if I don't ask for anything, I'm less likely to be discouraged because I don't really have any expectations.  

(Side note: Buddhists teach that part of the path to enlightenment is to stop wanting/expecting anything)

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1 hour ago, jdf135 said:

It just seems a preponderance of scriptures, most notably those spoken by the Saviour, suggest if you have faith, all you have do is ask and it'll happen.  In contrast, modern prophets explain there are many conditions for receiving blessings among which are: sufficiency of faith, timing, patience, worthiness, a possible lost opportunity to learn from trials and other conditions we do not have the capacity to understand.   It seems these many conditions are more likely than not to preclude you from receiving the divine interventions you desire.  Therefore, why even bother asking or expecting anything (except that we're commanded to do so)?  In my demented way of thinking, if I don't ask for anything, I'm less likely to be discouraged because I don't really have any expectations.

It's instructive to look at the Savior's words to Oliver Cowdery. Oliver wanted to have the gift of translation of ancient records so that he could participate as a translator in the production of the Book of Mormon, an endeavor in which he was already faithfully serving as the scribe. Joseph Smith took Oliver's request before the Lord, and the Lord responded:

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And, behold, I grant unto you a gift, if you desire of me, to translate, even as my servant Joseph. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that there are records which
contain much of my gospel, which have been kept back because of the wickedness of the people; and now I command you, that if you have good desires—a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven—then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity.

Subsequently, the Lord even specified to Oliver how this was to work:

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Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records,
which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit.

Success! Oliver Cowdery gets to help translate the Book of Mormon and/or other records! All Oliver had to do was to "ask in faith, with an honest heart", and with that belief would come revelation! That was the pattern Joseph used, and it worked great! This was Oliver's big moment!

Except that's not how it worked out. Oliver failed to translate a single word of scripture. Later, the Lord explained what had happened:

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Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him...

It is because that you did not continue as you commenced, when you began to translate, that I have taken away this privilege from you...Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not
right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that
which is sacred save it be given you from me. Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now.

To "ask in faith" means much more than simply speaking the words. As the Lord said, not everyone who saith "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. When the Lord says to "ask in faith", that means more than just saying the magic words. Because there are no magic words; there is only the power of God, which is not magic and which depends on the exercise of faith. And faith goes much deeper than mere hope or belief, although these things are a first step.

tl;dr: Jesus DID say it. His encouragement to "ask, and ye shall receive" presupposes more than merely mouthing the words.

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Guest Mores
On 5/25/2019 at 10:26 AM, Vort said:

It's instructive to look at the Savior's words to Oliver Cowdery. Oliver wanted to have the gift of translation of ancient records so that he could participate as a translator in the production of the Book of Mormon, an endeavor in which he was already faithfully serving as the scribe. Joseph Smith took Oliver's request before the Lord, and the Lord responded:

Subsequently, the Lord even specified to Oliver how this was to work:

Success! Oliver Cowdery gets to help translate the Book of Mormon and/or other records! All Oliver had to do was to "ask in faith, with an honest heart", and with that belief would come revelation! That was the pattern Joseph used, and it worked great! This was Oliver's big moment!

Except that's not how it worked out. Oliver failed to translate a single word of scripture. Later, the Lord explained what had happened:

To "ask in faith" means much more than simply speaking the words. As the Lord said, not everyone who saith "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. When the Lord says to "ask in faith", that means more than just saying the magic words. Because there are no magic words; there is only the power of God, which is not magic and which depends on the exercise of faith. And faith goes much deeper than mere hope or belief, although these things are a first step.

tl;dr: Jesus DID say it. His encouragement to "ask, and ye shall receive" presupposes more than merely mouthing the words.

To clarify Vort's well documented thesis here, I'll add some personal insight.  

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20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

D&C 130:20-21

The Lord did indeed say "ask and ye shall receive".  But simple statements are not all encompassing insights on a given topic.  We can only ask for that which is available to receive, base on related eternal principles.  The Lord also gave the explanation:

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If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luke 11:11

What I get from this analogy is that if we want to understand the receipt of blessings from the Lord, we should try to imagine a good father giving gifts to his children.  One very important rule is to avoid spoiling our children.  They'd never learn how to do things that way.

When one of my children come to me and ask me for something, there are some things that I'm already willing to give them simply because they are good kids.  I give them some things simply because they've done their chores and completed their homework.

But when they ask for something really big, then I decide whether they really need it.  Otherwise, it is turning the analogy on its head.  They're asking for a serpent, and I'm thinking they should probably have a fish.

The next thing I do is determine if there is a way they can get it themselves, but it will require some work or effort on their part.  This teaches them creativity, determination, work ethic, etc...  My giving it to them consists of opening up the world to them.  I train them and teach them as I can, or I send them to the appropriate places to look for learning resources so they can learn on their own.  And if they go through this process, they are enriched spiritually, mentally, emotionally, etc.

There are always conditions.  As children, we may not understand the Lord's reasoning.  But sometimes, He does say "no".

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Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

In my honest opinion, read this scripture from the mind of Christ. As an individual who had a "perfect brightness of faith/hope" and one who did not have any doubt in his Father, the scripture is actually true. Whatever Christ asked the Father (his Father) for he did receive. Some things to consider then that are highlighted in other scriptures that intertwine this truth for us:

1) Christ had the mind, will, and voice of his Father. He would not have asked anything contrary to the will of the Father. Let's review a Book of Mormon passage regarding Nephi, "And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will." (emphasis mine)

2) In relation to #1, Christ would have always asked in Spirit (or with the Spirit of truth), "He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh."

3) Christ only asked for those things which the Father was already willing to give, particularly the Bible Dictionary quote here, "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 (Matt. 7:7–11). 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 that 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 an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." (emphasis mine)

So for Christ, I think the statement is in totality accurate. For us though, who are seeking the mind, will, and voice the Lord -- it is a work in progress. I think that is why this is more confusing and not so straight forward. The words are straight forward, but our limited knowledge, understanding, and our desires for our "own" will cause a simple task to be much more daunting.

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