Here is what I admire
the most about Nephi. Cast your mind on the journey to America when his
brothers bound him with bands that caused terrible swelling of joints and
caused Nephi unbearable pain (1 Nephi 18:12-15) . I am sure most of us would at
this point wonder why God was not protecting us from our adversaries if we were
obeying all of His commands. But not Nephi. He knew God had a purpose (1 Nephi
18:11) so there was only one solution to this in his mind and that was to
praise God. And not just once. He records that he praised God all day
long, despite the pain which would have had the power to discourage the
strongest among us (1 Nephi 18:16).
Praising God in the
midst of one’s pain and suffering would have to be the next level of gratitude,
and the next level of acceptance, and the next level of endurance. Nephi rose
to the challenge well and showed just how strong was his commitment to God and
his conviction that the life he was pursuing was aligned with His will. According
to Joseph Smith, this is called true faith in God (Lecture 3, Lectures on Faith).
And who can better testify to this fact than Joseph Smith??? Well, there is one
person….and we all know who that is. Had the Saviour not been willing to live His
life in alignment with the Father’s will, all would now be lost. I do not see
anywhere in the scriptures that there were more than two volunteers to bring us
back….the other one does not bear thinking.
One interesting point
about this alignment….it comes with an attachment called ‘opposition’. Nephi’s
brothers opposed him at every turn to the point where they sought his life.
Joseph endured persecution from the time Moroni visited him at age 14 until he
was killed. And what of Christ? For the three years of His ministry, the Jewish
Council was calling for His blood until in the end they succeeded.
The sincere followers
of truth who are seeking to align themselves with God’s will in every possible
way will have the jaws of hell at their heels. Like Nephi, we have bands that
bind us today. They are threatening our way of life and our happiness. Not
until the Millennial peace, will this life ever be without its' opposing
threats to our spiritual and physical well-being. What would happen if instead
of whining and constant demands we are making to God, we just praised Him
during prayer? Would we come to the point where like Nephi, we could praise Him
all day long? Would hopelessness not lose its' grip on us as our thoughts are
continually focused on the Prince of Peace rather than the turmoil that
surrounds us?
When you have nothing
to say to God, praise instead. When your heart is heavy, praise. When you are
doubting, praise. When you cannot see clearly, praise. When you don’t
understand, praise. When you are hurting, praise. When you are waiting, praise.
When your cup is full, praise. When gratitude overwhelms you, praise. When in
mercy you see His hand, praise. Practice, for one day you surely will kneel at
His feet and the words of praise will spill from your tongue like a holy flame.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Peace Is Coming by Jon McNaughton)
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