Do you know that the Lord prepares a way for us to keep His commandments?
My brother Donovan Bushman shared ways Nephi testified that the Lord prepared and then enabled his family to keep His commandments as they traveled in the wilderness.
These thoughts provide a great reminder that the Lord is mightier than all of our challenges and weaknesses and through Him, we can accomplish all the things He’s asked us to do.
From Donovan Bushman
I really enjoy starting the Book of Mormon from the beginning again. As we’re all reading along with this year’s “Come, Follow Me,” we may have all just read 1 Nephi together. It’s a book full of hope and excitement in going to a new land.
Nephi recognized all of God’s blessings to his family in their journey. In 1 Nephi 17:2-6, Nephi summarized their journey to this point. It had been full of hardships, yet he says, “So great were the blessings of the Lord upon us.”
His brothers failed to see the blessings they were receiving and instead just complained about their difficulties.
This is a great microcosm that can embody us in our lives. Are we still full of hope and excitement about returning to our Heavenly Father amidst our constant trials and suffering?
Nephi also shares what I see as a theme for his book, if not the whole Book of Mormon, in 1 Nephi 1:20.
I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (emphasis added).
I know a lot of us have seen the tender mercies of the Lord evident in our own lives as we try to follow the Lord.
Nephi has an incredible testimony that God will make it possible for us to keep His commandments. We know of 1 Nephi 3:7 where Nephi tells his father that he knows
that the Lord giveth no commandments unto [us,] save he shall prepare a way for [us] to accomplish the thing which he commandeth (emphasis added).
He restates this testimony over and over. We see it in several places in 1 Nephi.
Preparing the Way to Keep His Commandments
… let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? (emphasis added).
And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them; (emphasis added).
And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness (emphasis added).
And I said unto them: God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done (emphasis added).
And I will also be your in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the ; and ye shall that it is by me that ye are led (emphasis added).
And the Lord will surely a way for his people… (emphasis added).
We can really feel from and learn from Nephi’s testimony. He saw great blessings of deliverance and sustenance and knowledge from the Lord in his journey towards the Promised Land even though he continually saw troubles and affliction.
Are we worthy of and do we recognize these same blessings in our lives?
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