Shattering Triangles

One principle that’s been reiterated to me in recent months is humility’s role in unlocking the heavens. Consider Jacob’s words on this: “And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them. But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints” (2 Nephi 9:42-43).

The problem so often is that when we pray for answers, or for guidance, or for knowledge, we approach God with more pride than we realize. We generally, and especially today with the wealth we have, don’t have a proper sense for our standing in the universe. By default (like children), we don’t see or comprehend the many sacrifices that went into giving us all that we enjoy. It’s actually sort of an illusion to us. And the more we have, the less we tend realize what things cost. This leads to a whole host of other problems, but we’ll stay on topic here for the time being.

As a consequence of our wealth, we have more of a sense of entitlement. We can pick up fast food in the drive thru, or heat it up in the microwave in less than a minute, or get same-day Amazon shipping, or get dopamine hits from 30 second reels, or expect Tweets in 280 characters or less, or yadda yadda yadda.

Jacob sees a connection between “wise,” “learned,” and “rich.” He notes that, “the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth.” None of this helps our case, as we seem to have more of these things than any prior generation.

“I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not,” Moroni says, “But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts” (Mormon 8:35-36). Joseph Smith also noted that “God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the Church” (TPJS p. 9).

“At times when Brother Joseph would attempt to translate he would look into the hat in which the stone was placed, he found he was spiritually blind and could not translate. He told us that his mind dwelt too much on earthly things, and various causes would make him incapable of proceeding with the translation. When in this condition he would go out and pray, and when he became sufficiently humble before God, he could then proceed with the translation. Now we see how very strict the Lord is, and how he requires the heart of man to be just right in his sight before he can receive revelation from him” (David Whitmer, Address to All Believers in Christ).

The problem with riches is that they make us selfish, and blind us to the reality of God’s love. We fail to see our utter reliance on Him, and all others who have made lesser orders of sacrifices that contribute to every good thing we have. And when we’re blind to those things—blind to the fact that all reality is upheld by the love and sacrifice of others—how can we be filled with the Spirit of Truth? How can we have greater views into “things as they really are”?

“And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual” (D&C 67:10).

Consider, by contrast, the brother of Jared’s attitude in approaching the Lord (whose faith rent the veil): “O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock. And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea. Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men” (Ether 3:2-5).

When the Lord withdrew from Moses for the first time, his first recorded observation was, “I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed” (Moses 1:10). This is the attitude and spirit to which we must attune ourselves if we hope to pierce the veil in any degree.

In my own experience, my most focused, powerful, and efficacious prayers have come as I’ve humbled myself to the dust of the earth, acknowledging “the goodness of God,” and my own “nothingness” (Mosiah 4:5).

If you need a place to start, I think Psalm 100 holds a great key for those with ears to hear: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4). Begin by counting your blessings. Name them one by one. Thank the Lord for all you have. Praise him for his mercy, long-suffering, patience, and wisdom. Consider the prices paid by all others who have contributed to your blessings. Turn your hearts towards them. This will begin to properly orient you in relation to God and all others truthfully, and when you begin to see things the way God sees them, your vision will expand to all creation.