Lehi lived his whole life in Jerusalem. Most of his friends and family had lived there all their lives too. I can imagine, when the reign of Zedekiah began and many prophets were saying Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, that a believing Lehi was worried. His hometown, where he experienced life, was on the brink of destruction.
In Verse 5 Lehi went somewhere and prayed. It wasn't just a prayer to be able to put a check mark on his daily task list (Yep, I prayed, I'm being good). Sometimes we treat prayers that way. Lehi's prayer was much deeper. He prayed, "even with all his heart." It was not a half hearted prayer. He poured everything his heart had into his prayer. Our heart is often thought of as the place of love and sincerity. The scriptures teach of receiving answers to prayers in our minds and in our hearts. The mind is where logic seems to rule. Our heart is where feelings rule. Lehi prayed will all of the feeling he had. He prayed with love and sincerity. He was praying in behalf of people he loved: the people of Jerusalem.
Lehi's prayer resulted in a vision in which "he saw and heard much." The only detail about what he saw is a "pillar of fire" that came and dwelt before him. There are some other noteworthy prophets who had similar words to describe visions that they had. The Lord appeared to Moses "in a flame of fire" (Exodus 3:2) I wonder if the lost manuscript of Lehi's writings would let us know what he saw and heard. Nephi tells us in verse 16 that he wasn't making a full account of his father's writings, but that Lehi wrote "many things which he saw in visions and in dreams." I would think that some of those writings would include some details about this particular vision as well. Whatever he saw, it caused him to "quake and tremble exceedingly." Was he afraid? overcome? The footnote references Isaiah's feelings after seeing a vision of the Lord (Isaiah 6:5). It must have been a very powerful experience.
In verse 7 we see the effects of this experience as Lehi is overcome and "he cast himself upon his bed." The intensity of praying with "all his heart" and the resulting vision was overwhelming. I would think that he was so exhausted after this all happened, that he just went home and slept. Being overcome with the spirit is another interesting topic that the footnotes help us with, but that will be analyzed later.
This whole account seems to be a pattern. It parallels Joseph Smith's first vision as well as Moses. I want to highlight some similarities with Joseph Smith. Joseph also went somewhere to pray, and prayed with all sincerity of heart. "I retired to the woods" (Joseph Smith - History 1:14) "I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God" (JS-H 1:15) What Lehi described as a pillar of fire, Joseph calls, "a pillar of light" (JS-h 1:16) Lehi was affected in such a way that he cast himself upon his bed. Joseph wrote, "when the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, Mother inquired what the matter was."
What may be most helpful in our personal lives, is the pattern set by these prophets. It shows us that praying with all our hearts in full sincerity helps prepare us to receive revelation. Don't just say your prayers, mean them! Pour your heart into your prayers. Go somewhere where you can be alone and quiet, to receive the answer to your prayer. The exhaustion these prophets felt can give us an idea about the intense effort they put into this. If we put forth a puny effort, why would we expect a powerful response. Even with our maximum effort, visions like this seem rare throughout the history of humankind, so be content with a revelation that is just right for you in your situation. Don't try to dictate to the Lord what he is to do. Let him lead you, and follow the revelations that you receive. Lehi, Moses, and Joseph all had to take on some major, life-changing assignments from the Lord following their revelations. We may have to do the same, but within our own scope of life. Accept the Lord's will for you and you will be more able to receive it.
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