A Holy Invitation: Awake Unto God...

By: Sarah Langford
The glorious rays of sunshine invite the quiet dawn to wake the sleeping world. As the sunrise passes along day to night, the moonbeam invites the world to slow down and return to rest. The falling autumn leaves invite the chill of winter to cover the world. Yet the promised season of spring invites the frost to melt and life to continue to grow. The glorious gift of change constantly surrounds us. The great philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus discovered the teaching that “The only constant is change”. Seasons come and go, people come and go, and hours come and go each day. These constant changes within the natural world remind us of this truth and invite us to accept the reality of the inevitable concept of change.

In addition to changes within the natural realm of life, there are also important changes within the spiritual realm of life. As the natural sun changes the darkness of night to day, so too does the literal Son of God, invite man to change out of darkness into light. This change does not involve the phases of the moon, the seasons, or even friends that come and go. This change is solely for one’s heart. It is strictly personal, confidential, and private. “No one is more anxious to see us change our lives than the Father and the Savior. In the book of Revelation is a powerful and profound invitation from the Savior. He says, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him” (1). He does not say, “I stand at the door and wait for you to knock.” He is calling, beckoning, asking that we simply open our hearts and let Him in (2).

A change of heart means to have a reversal of one’s opinion, attitude, or feelings (3). The word change itself comes from the Latin word cambiare meaning to exchange. Change has several different synonyms such as transform, switch, modify, become different, replace and reverse. With the Latin meaning of exchange, how can we open our hearts and exchange our old ways of the world with the spiritual desire to let the Savior in? How can we experience this change of heart? The Book of Mormon contains a wonderful example in better understanding this necessary moment. In the book of Alma, a holy invitation is given to all to have this spiritual experience. “Being pure in testimony, the holy prophet Alma posed over forty crucial questions regarding the commitment to the Savior to the people of Zarahemla” (4). The people at this time were not living inline with the teachings of the Savior. Amongst these forty questions, he offered three holy invitations to improve the quality of life and help souls become closer to the Lord. “I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” (5).

Alma’s piercing inquiries are valid for each of us to ask ourselves repeatedly throughout life. To be born again spiritually, to have the Lord’s image in our countenance, and have this mighty change of heart, we have to get rid of any trace of the natural man, repent of our old ways, and exchange them for a heart devoted to the righteous ways of the Lord. Like Alma we have to be “… changed from [our] carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters” (6). This is the invitation to exchange unrighteousness for righteousness. With a commitment to righteousness, a change of heart is a change in a person’s entire life. Thoughts, feelings, desires, actions, and everything that the heart represents are exchanged, reversed, modified, transformed or switched for the better. This change is what the Lord was speaking of when he commanded “See that ye serve [the Lord] with all your heart, might, mind and strength” (7). Once we give our might, mind and strength to the Lord, our hearts will come out of darkness into the light of the Savior.

Enduring through the various changes in this life, a change of heart is one of the most important experiences for spiritual progression. “We all must at some point experience that change of heart and that rebirth of the Spirit as we continue in the process of conversion. The process of rebirth and change of heart is intended to be comprehensive, available to all nations, and, hence, each individual.”(8). This change of heart is completely individual. Alma, at one point an enemy of God, changed his nature, his will, and his heart, to become an advocate for the Lord and a Christian example to the world. We each can have this individual transformation. I personally lived eighteen years of my life with the shadow of worldly darkness over my head. I did not fully have my eye single to the Lord’s glory. I was happy and enjoyed life, but did not have the greater joy and happiness found in a life in line with the will of the Lord. Once I decided for myself to change, to pray more earnestly, ponder more sincerely, and speak much kinder, something happened. A desire to be better, to serve more, dress more modestly, and live true to my religion, swelled inside of my heart. I gave myself to the Lord, and in doing so found out who I really am at heart. My entire nature changed and all because I committed myself to the Lord. “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums” (8). The Lord helps us make this important transformation. He is there, willing, and wanting to help bring us closer to Him. He is the light, shining through the clouds of darkness, hoping we will look and seek after His goodness. It is a choice we must make individually. “You do change human nature, your own human nature, if you surrender it to Christ” (8). Since I have surrendered my heart to Christ, my heartbeats are happier, the Spirit speaks deeper to my soul, and my life is pleasantly clearer. My heart has often felt like singing the song of redeeming love and continues to sing out with joy with every sunrise (9). All because of my permanent, real change of heart.
This beautifully sincere and holy invitation summons mankind to reflect upon our souls and contemplate the nature of our hearts. If it seems as if our lives are in the midst of darkness, or we are lost in a deep sleep, let the power and love of the Lord work upon you and confer a mighty change of heart within you. He can change you. “Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God” (10). This is the Lord’s holy invitation: a call to awake unto God.
A holy invitation is, Offered to all mankind, to come
Unto the true loving Savior, With true change in heart, soul, and mind.
A change that only brings blessings, From the heavenly hosts above,
A change that brings true happiness, and wraps your soul in God’s sweet love.

Just as the sunshine softly and gently invites us to awake from the world of darkness, our Savior and Light of the World invites us to arise and awake unto the happiness found in the Lord. With each sunrise, arise, and awake unto God.

Sources

1) Rev. 3:20.
2) Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2.
3) "Change of heart." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 23 Nov. 2008.
4) Keith K. Hilbig, “Experiencing a Change of Heart,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 29–33
5) Alma 5:14
6) Mosiah 27:25
7) D&C 4:2
8) First Presidency Message. “Born of God”. By: President Ezra Taft Benson.
9) Alma 5:26
10) Alma:5:7