After traveling nearly 60 miles, perhaps completely on foot, Jesus arrived at Bethabara to be baptized by John (Matt 3:13, John 1:28). Once He received the approbation and confirmation of the Father and the Holy Ghost, Jesus followed the Spirit to the wilderness to commune with His Heavenly Father in fasting and prayer. After 40 days and nights, the adversary tempted Him three times (Matt. 4:2). Satan tailored each temptation to sow doubt in the Son about His divinity as the Only Begotten of the Father with the hope He would sin and fail in His mission. Fortunately for us, the Master did not heed the adversary.

As I thought about the temptations that the Savior faced from Satan, I noticed something peculiar, something you’ve probably noticed as well when you read about them. The temptations were not anything like what you and I normally experience. In the Book of Hebrews, we learn that Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are” (Heb 4:15). That said, the specific temptations we read about in the Gospels don’t reflect those that we see in the world. What are the temptations that we normally see?

During His mortal ministry, the Master taught His disciples that out of the hearts of the people in the world “proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, [and] blasphemies” (Matt 15:19). When He came to the Nephites after His resurrection, He reminded those present, who were spared from destruction because they were “more righteous,” that “there shall be no disputations among” them and that they should do away with anger (3 Ne 9:13, 11:22, 28-30). Later, when He concluded warning them again against anger and now against lust, He commanded them to “suffer none of these things to enter into your heart” and to “deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross” (3 Ne 12:21-30). 

None of the temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness reflected what He warned others about. What is interesting about the difference between the Master’s temptations and ours is that His were all about His relationship with His Heavenly Father. Many of our temptations are about our relationships with one another. The Ten Commandments that the Lord gave Israel also reflect this. The first five deal with our relationship with God and the final five deal with our relationship with others.

Why didn’t Satan attack the Savior in His greatest moment of physical, emotional, and perhaps even spiritual weakness, in His relationships with others as he so skillfully does you and me? I believe the reason the adversary avoided tempting Jesus in those points is that after 30 years of trying, he knew it was futile going there. He couldn’t get Jesus for a nanosecond to feel angry, annoyed, envious, irritated, or lustful toward anyone. It was a hopeless endeavor for even the father of hopelessness. In the end, the devil decided that a desperate, all-out, ill-fated, and ill-conceived blitz while the Savior was in the victory formation, before commencing His mission, could force a fumble. His efforts failed. The tempter was forced to leave “for a season” (Luke 4:13).

What allowed the Master to have power over him and over things that you and I may struggle with? When the Pharisee lawyer asked the Savior, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:36-40)

His love for His Father and His love for us are what empowered Him to deflect the devil’s mighty winds, shafts in the whirlwind, hail, and mighty storms (Hel 5:12). How was He able to maintain that love for those who He came to save but who, “because of their iniquity, [would] judge him to be a thing of naught,” would scourge him, would smite him, would spit upon him, and eventually would crucify him (1 Ne. 19:9-10)?

In the same revelation where the Lord, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, reminds us that “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them,” He warns us—

[T]here is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God;

Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation;

Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also. (D&C 20:22, 32-34)

After administering the sacrament and commanding the Nephites to always remember Him, He commanded His chosen Twelve disciples to “watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.” (3 Ne. 18:15) He then faced the people and gave them a similar admonition–

Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name (v. 18-19).

Because they remembered to always remember Him by always praying to the Father in His name, they were blessed. (4 Ne 1:12)

The scriptures tell us—

There were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.

And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

It came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings. (4 Ne 1:2-3, 13, 15-18)

I believe the Lord inspired the prophet Mormon to include this Nephite experience to teach us that their happiness is within our reach. Through the prophet Nephi, the Lord tells us of the eventuality of His people overpowering the evil one—

For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men… And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth (1 Ne 22:15, 26).

It’s interesting that after the conversions of Alma the Younger, the sons of Mosiah, and the Apostle Paul, who were each one foot away from being cast off by God forever because of their sins, taught others the necessity of praying always. I believe it’s because it is what helped them stay true to the Lord for the remainder of their lives.

Alma the Younger told the people of Ammonihah that they should—

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest (Al. 13:28-29).

Ammon witnessed to his brothers what allowed them, as the Lord’s servants, to effectively minister to others—

He that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance (Al. 26:22).

The Apostle Paul shared with the Thessalonian church members—

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father (1 Thes 1:2-3)

He later counseled them to “pray without ceasing” and “[i]n every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thes 5:17-18)

How does praying always help us to be happy and to stay true to the Lord? Satan is after our hearts. Through the things we see, read, and listen to, he is constantly flooding us with messages that will lead us to focus more upon ourselves rather than our relationships with God, His Son, and His children. The more he can distract us from remembering the importance of those relationships, the easier it is for him to draw us away from them and to lead us to do things that compromise them. The Savior never allowed that to happen to Him because He was constantly communicating with His Father. What was He praying about?

When He sensed that the adversary was bent on breaking Simon Peter’s faith, the Savior told him—

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31-32)

Before the excruciating moments in Gethsemane and Golgotha, He prayed for His Apostles and those who would believe in Him through them—

I pray for them…[and] for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one (John 17:9, 20-22).

While suffering on the cross and waiting for His life to end, Jesus cried out to the Father on behalf of the Roman soldiers who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

After His resurrection, He knelt with the Nephites and prayed for them as He had with His Apostles-

Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.

Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them (3 Ne. 19:28-29).

In addition to those scriptural accounts, I believe that as He ministered to others, the Savior walked and talked with His Father about them. Throughout the day, I believe that He was often praying to Heavenly Father for blessings for those around Him. This included not only those who accepted Him, but also those who ignored, hated, or rejected Him. Throughout the day, I believe that He often thanked Heavenly Father for the blessings that He bestowed upon those He loved. Throughout the day, I believe that He often asked for guidance to know what the Father would want Him to do to bless the lives of others. Throughout the day, I imagine that when a thought to be envious, to get angry, or to lust after someone entered His mind, the Master immediately prayed to Heavenly Father to not only bless that person, but also to receive guidance on how He could help.

What would have happened if King David, after finding his glance turned into a stare at a bathing Bathsheba, immediately prayed to the Lord to repent and to ask Him to bless her?

What would have happened if Judas Iscariot, after finding he was tempted to steal from the disciples’ funds, immediately went to the Lord to repent and to ask Him to find ways to bless his brethren (John 12:6)?

What would have happened if Laman and Lemuel, after finding they were tempted to hate and harm Nephi, their brother, immediately prayed to the Lord to repent and to ask Him to bless him?

What would have happened if the Nephites and Jaredites, after finding they were tempted to seek vengeance, immediately prayed to the Lord to repent and to ask Him to bless their enemies?

Let’s now consider what would happen to us and to the world we live in if everyone followed the Savior’s example of watching and praying always today.

What would happen if we would always pray to repent of sin, when we may be tempted in the moment to justify and forget it?

What would happen if we would always pray to thank Heavenly Father for something good that happens to us, when we may be tempted in the moment to believe it happened completely because of our own efforts?

What would happen if we would always pray for those we learn are suffering, when we may be tempted in the moment to ignore the news and go on with our lives?

What would happen if we would always pray for the frustrating drivers are on the roads, when we may be tempted in the moment to get angry, annoyed or irritated at their driving?

What would happen if we would always pray for those different from us, when we may be tempted in the moment to think that they are beneath us because of their physical appearance, social standing, church standing, or financial situation?

What would happen if we would always pray for family members and friends, when we may be tempted in the moment to be upset over what they have done?

What would happen if we would always pray for the Lord’s prophets, Apostles, and local leaders, when we may be tempted in the moment to criticize them about their teachings, policies, shortcomings and weaknesses?

What would happen if we would always pray for those who we may be tempted in the moment to look at their sexually explicit images or videos?

What would happen if we would always pray for those who we may be tempted in the moment to abuse emotionally, verbally, physically, or sexually?

It is very difficult and nearly impossible to have negative, unholy, and unworthy feelings about anyone we sincerely and unselfishly seek the Lord’s blessings for. Our concern becomes less about ourselves and more about how Heavenly Father and the Savior can help us to bless them. We seek to not only pray for those around us, but also to do good to them (see Acts 10:38, Al 34:27-29).

President M Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve stated—

I invite you to pray always. Pray for your family. Pray for the leaders of nations. Pray for the courageous people who are on the front lines in the current battles against social, environmental, political, and biological plagues that impact all people throughout the world: the rich and the poor, the young and the old.

The Savior taught us to not limit who we pray for…Sincerely praying for those who may be considered our enemies demonstrates our belief that God can change our hearts and the hearts of others. Such prayers should strengthen our resolve to make whatever changes are necessary in our own lives, families, and communities (M. Russell Ballard, Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always, Sunday Morning Session, October 2020 General Conference).

In speaking about how we should approach Heavenly Father in prayer, President Russell M Nelson instructed us—

We need to pray from our hearts. Polite recitations of past and upcoming activities, punctuated with some requests for blessings, cannot constitute the kind of communing with God that brings enduring power. Are you willing to pray to know how to pray for more power? The Lord will teach you (Russell M Nelson, The Price of Priesthood Power, General Priesthood Session, April 2016 General Conference)

As we pray for others and serve them from our hearts, as the Savior does, He fills our hearts, through the Holy Ghost, with His love for them. This is called charity. Moroni taught us–

Wherefore, my beloved brethren [and sisters], pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons [and daughters] of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moro 7:48)

As we love others as the Father and the Son do, we become like Them. We will then be one with Them, walk with Them, and bless the lives of others through Them. We will one day live with Them and those we have lovingly prayed for and served in a “state of never-ending happiness” (Msh 2:41).

Of that moment, the Lord told Enoch who helped build Zion, a city of saints who were of “one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18)—

[W]e will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion (v. 63-64).

Concerning those who will abide in this future Zion, the Revelator shared—

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Rev 7:13-17).

Of that wonderful reunion, I humbly testify, hope and pray for you and me.