Here are a few thoughts on one of my favorite scriptures. :)
An all time favorite scripture that
has buoyed my husband and I up during unexpected trials and helped us increase
our faith is 1 Nephi 3:7. This is
Nephi accepting Lehi’s, and truly Heavenly Father’s commandment to go back to
Jerusalem and retrieve the records from Laban. Even after his brothers murmur
at the idea of retrieving the plates, Nephi proclaims “I will go and do the
things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no
commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them
that they may accomplish the thing which he commmandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) I’ve always admired
Nephi’s unwavering faith, he did not know how he would accomplish this
commandment, but Nephi knew the Lord commanded it, and so he knew they needed
the plates before they could continue on with their journey to the promised
land.
There have been times in my life
when the future was uncertain for my family and myself, change was inevitable,
but security was missing within my life. Last summer my husband told me that he
had been prompted multiple times over the past few weeks that I should apply to
BYU. This act was hard for me because we
were settled in Logan; both students at USU and Brandon had a stable job that
was able to support our family so I could stay home with our sons. The wait to
hear back from BYU of my acceptance was excruciating. Brandon and I tried
multiple times to find housing in Utah County as well as find employment for
him so he could continue to support our family but things never worked out. Just
like when Laban first tried to persuade Laban to give him the plates, he was
denied what was commanded of him. (1
Nephi 3:11-13) As well as when Nephi convinced his brothers to go back into
the city to offer up their inheritance they had left behind to Laban to
purchase the plates. They were again rejected and fled for their lives. (1 Nephi 3:22-25) It was then that I
looked upon this scripture and dived into the footnotes. One of the footnotes
leads to the comforting voice of our Heavenly Father saying “…Stop, and stand
still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest
accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee.” (D&C 5:34) It is only when we stop, and are patient with the
Lord, that we are lead in the direction he needs us to go to follow through
with keeping his commandments. It wasn’t until Nephi truly paused for a moment
as he went into the city alone, unknowing of what was about to happen that he
was “led by the Spirit.” (1 Nephi 4:6) It
was in those quiet moments when Nephi was patient and awaiting the direction of
the Lord, that he was then guided to Laban. Just like Nephi, my husband and I
needed to be patient with the Lord. It wasn’t until my husband and I were
still, and quiet within the holy walls of the temple, that we were finally
calm. We knew that things would work out in the end, and that our Father in
heaven was guiding us to where he needed us most.
