For Whom the Lord Loveth He Chasteneth

The first time I remember reading that the brother of Jared was chastened by the Lord- for THREE hours- I was like, wait, wait, back up the trolley, what?! The brother of Jared? The guy known for the stones of light, the guy who saw the finger of God, and ultimately, God? The guy to whom the Lord said, “Never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast” (Ether 3:9)? The man who “could not be kept from within the veil” (3:20)? 

My mind was blown. You mean, like, the brother of Jared wasn’t PERFECT? He “remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord” (2:14), he forgot to... pray? It was like I’d never read that part of scripture before.

For 4 years the journey halted at the seashore. For 4 years their progression ceased. For 4 years they didn’t think to call upon God.

I have so many questions about those years. What were they doing??

All we know is it at the end of those 4 years, the Lord came down to chasten the brother of Jared. 

And he immediately repented. (2:15)

And the Lord forgave. (15)

God told him, “Go to work” (16)

And he “did go to work” (16)

And the journey continued to the promised land.

And the brother of Jared proceeded to have the most INCREDIBLE spiritual experience, one I can only dream of. 

I don’t think it’s coincidence this was right after he was chastened➡️then repentant➡️then obedient. 

Isn’t this life? We make mistakes. Or get too comfy. We stop progressing. We forget God! Then through His grace, we are brought back into remembrance. Sometimes it’s painful! But we have a choice! Heed the correction, or be offended? Be willing to change, or justify ourselves? One way leads to growth & happiness, the other does not.

This story touches my heart & reassures my poor weak soul! I can get so down on myself! But if the brother of Jared needed chastening, we all do. If he can get back on track, we can. If he’s able to have spiritual experiences again, we can.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Heb. 12:6)

“Divine chastening has at least 3 purposes: to persuade us to repent, to refine & sanctify us, and at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path.” -Elder Christofferson