Sounds like you are as stubborn as I am.

I’ve found that I rarely get answers to my prayers while I’m on my knees, or even sometime relatively close to that time. It’s usually on another day in a different place when it hits me, but when I look back in time it’s obvious that I needed to put more pieces of the puzzle into place before my “answer” fit.

Once I had an amazing spiritual experience that didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time, but I knew it was sacred, and I treasured it. Years later, in the middle of a painful trial, it all suddenly fell into place and I realized that the Lord had blessed me with my “answer” years before my heart would form the question.

I have had an experience somewhat like this. I received an answer to sincere prayers I offered regarding a particular phrase in my patriarchal blessing (not the Book of Mormon), but it didn’t come in a form I expected and so I more or less ignored it. This ‘answer’ often popped up in the back of my mind as I continued to pray about the matter. Nevertheless, I grew frustrated and frequently felt discouraged about the matter.

Part of the difficulty for me was that the answer came as a simple (but very specific) thought. It was easy to ignore or dismiss as my own thought. For a long time I didn’t even seriously consider that it might be my answer. In the end, it took me nearly seven years to have enough faith to accept the answer as coming from God, but once I did my life was filled with peace.

This parable, as with all parables, is subject to a wide range of interpretations regarding the details.

The main point of the parable is the oil, having it or not at the coming of the bride groom. The oil represents the Holy Ghost. And as you point out, that could mean the unwise virgins had the HG at one time, but then at the critical time were without it. This brings up the subject of enduring to the end in righteousness. But that is another topic.

I don’t know that I’d agree totally that the “unwise” virgins “haven’t received the gift of the Holy Ghost”…per se. They had lamps, and there was oil in their lamps in the beginning. But the bridegroom tarried longer than they had anticipated, and their oil ran out.

The brother in the quote above doesn’t say he’s never felt the Spirit, nor does he seems to lack faith sufficient to keep him attending Church and fulfilling callings etc. In fact, if it was me and I felt that I had done all that was in power and STILL had not obtained an answer to that specific question, I’m not sure I’d still be plugging along. My testimony, and the spiritual witnesses that I have been blessed with have often been the very things that have KEPT me active in the Church. Without more of the story of this particular brother, I am prone to see him as valiantly pushing forward when I might be tempted not to. If that makes sense…

It’s always a pleasure to know you’ve been by. Thanks for leaving a comment about gratitude. That sums it up.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I’m also grateful to have Bro Ludlow’s quote to read and ponder.

The fact that there are members who say that they struggle to obtain answers to prayer regarding the Book of Mormon is an enigma wrapped in a mystery for me. I’ve softened my attitude, but I admit that I struggle with the image of the parable of the ten virgins when I contemplate their words. The parable of the virgins depicts ten outwardly worthy members, but points out with awful arithmetic that fully half haven’t acquired the gift of the Holy Ghost. Why, the parable appears to teach that their drawn to the church and its culture, but not to the Father and His only begotten Son.

I also agree with your point that some know it’s true by default but just don’t realize it a some level.

I think this is a subject that needs to be explored more fully in the ‘nacle.

He basically establishes that most members think Moroni’s promise exists in verse 4, and often do not take the surrounding verses into consideration as PART of “the promise”. Then he goes over subtle details in verses 1-5.

Regarding Verse 3 he says:
“Ponder” the dealings of God with men as recorded in the Book of Mormon, and then compare them with the dealings of God with men as recorded in the Bible. Although the word Bible is not found in this verse, Moroni indicates that the person should “remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things” (emphasis added). The Bible provides a story of the Creation and the history of events from that time forward. However, the account of the Creation and subsequent happenings are not contained in the Book of Mormon. In fact, Moroni had earlier acknowledged that the Book of Mormon would not include this information. In explaining his abridgement of the book of Ether, Moroni wrote:

“And now I, Moroni . . . take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called the Book of Ether. And as I suppose that the first part of this record, which speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower, and whatsoever things transpired among the children of men until that time, is had among the Jews—therefore I do not write those things which transpired from the days of Adam until that time” (Ether 1:1-4; emphasis added).

Thus, if a sincere person hasn’t gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon after reading it, he should—as Moroni seems to suggest here—read the Bible as well, pondering in his heart both scriptural accounts of God’s dealings with his children.”

Verse 4:
“Note that the word read is not even included in this verse; rather, the verb is receive. In other words, after the person has (1) read the Book of Mormon and (2) pondered the dealings of God with the peoples of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, he must then put himself in a frame of mind where he would be willing to “receive” or “accept” all these things. Then he must ask “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.” Sincere pondering of the scriptures helps put a person into an appropriate frame of mind to ask for—and receive—divine guidance.”

He then covers asking “with real intent” etc.

I think there is a significant key in reading “all” of God’s word-which includes the Bible-and in pondering on “how merciful the Lord has been” to mankind, from Adam until now. When these people pray have they fully comprehended how merciful and loving God is? Do they “believe” in a loving, merciful, gracious, ready to bless Father?

Second, being “willing” to “receive”. To me this is not an attitude of “Well Lord, is it true?” or “I’ll believe it when YOU tell me it’s true”…which indicate a sort of arms folded “prove it” mentality. To me it is an arms open, humble submissive attitude-readiness to accept a gift-a bestowal of knowledge. I believe that if God knows that there is even the slightest chance that we might not accept it, or may later reject it-He determines that we aren’t “ready”, and as much as He loves us, He withholds blessings that might later turn into cursings against us.

I would love to ask the brother you quoted-”Why have you spent 40+ years serving, obeying, working in the Church, and teaching it’s precepts to your family?” I wonder if he might not say “Because it (meaning the Church) is true”. In which case, the BOM would be “true” by default and he’s known it all along. Some people expect a brilliant fire of testimony to suddenly burst forth to “prove” the BOM is true, when a warm coal of truth has been glowing continually in them for a long time and they just have never realized what it is.