Isaiah's Premortal Calling/Covenant People/Gratitude

1. We often cite Jeremiah as evidence of our pre-mortal existence (before thou wast in the womb, I knew thee). Isaiah was called while in the womb, so obviously the same would apply with him.

2. He is concerned that not much progress is being made. The Lord sees a much broader vision, for these people are not his only people. Many more will come into this world and those will be the real recipients of Isaiah's writings, prophecies and personal sacrifices. In my mind the promises in this chapter are not strictly to Israel, but to all His covenant people. Perhaps, that is why those who enter into temple covenants are called "Israel."

3. Isaiah prophesies that the great and powerful people of the earth will hear the Gospel and embrace it. The Gentiles will embrace the covenant people and succor them (something we see throughout the history of Israel and even in the time of the early history of the Church). The Lord will protect and defend his covenant people even when they don't recognize it. A woman, he says, may forget her own offspring, but the Lord will not forget his covenant people.

4. Ingratitude causes us to lose sight of the blessings we have received and even those we are receiving. To me this sin is among the greatest because it is the mother of so many other sins. When we take so much for granted, we assume that those whose lifestyles are different, more worldly wise, have the same blessings as we, but have found the key to some sort of success. We then embrace a lifestyle that includes breaking covenants and commandments; something we are able to justify in our own minds by that point. Gratitude recognizes that all we have and all we are come from a heavenly source. When we learn that truth, it allows us to tap into a source of wealth we had no idea was even available to us. This wealth is deeper and more satisfying than any we can gain on our own, because it is the wealth that comes from knowing our lives are lived in accordance with the will of God. Everyone, in the end, wants to know that his or her life counted for something - this is the only real method of accomplishing that innate desire. It is people like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nephi, Lehi, Joseph Smith and others who were willing to sacrifice all hope of peace and worldly wealth to allow us, their heirs, to be the recipients of such blessings. That, in itself is something for which we ought to be grateful, but usually take for granted.