Overcome and Carried Away

And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open.... (1 Nephi 1: 7-8)

Have you considered what it means to be "overcome with the Spirit?" Notice the language here. Father Lehi was "overcome" and "carried away." This spiritual experience had a powerful affect upon his physical body and his self control.

In verse 5, Nephi explains that this powerful spiritual experience began as Lehi "went forth." This phrase suggests that Lehi was on his way to some destination. He was not coming home; rather he was going forth, and he prayed as he went.

But after entertaining the presence of the pillar of fire and seeing marvelous things, Lehi was overcome with the Spirit. He felt physically drained, similar to Joseph Smith after his First Vision; similar to Moses when he saw the Lord. Both of these men lay upon the ground, resting to recover their natural strength after the Spirit of the Lord withdrew.

Lehi's experience, however, was not yet complete. Being overcome with the Spirit, Lehi abandons his planned excursion and "returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed." And once there, the visions continued.

Then the phrase, describing Lehi as being "carried away" in spiritual visions. Is this similar to the state in which one finds himself as he dreams a vivid dream? Lehi is no longer in complete control of his thoughts because information and images are being supplied from without, even by the Spirit.

How frequently do we hear of these kinds of experiences today? If you were aware of the possibility of being overcome and carried away, would you give in to the experience? I believe we have a choice.

I experienced something similar but I chose not to give in to the experience. It was years ago and I did not understanding what was happening. I was also self-conscious because of other people that were present.

Even so, it was a powerful and memorable experience. I often wonder what might have happened if I had simply relaxed and let myself be "overcome" and "carried away."