Mighty Unto the Power of Deliverance -- 1 Nephi 1:20

But behold, 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.

Having described the mortal danger into which Lehi had placed himself by preaching the message of warning to his people, Nephi transitions into the next phase of his narrative with this verse. What a beautiful assurance and what a call to reality!

Nephi explains that the Lord's mercies are over all He has chosen. And they are not just mercies -- they are tender mercies. It is a sweet thing for the Lord to wipe the tears from our eyes -- it is a much sweeter thing for Him to do so with gentle kindness.

These mercies are over "all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith. . ." We can understand this sentence in two ways. One is that those with great faith are chosen, and to all of them the Lord gives His tender mercies. The other view is that among the chosen, all those with great faith experience His tender mercies. In either case, it is faith that calls forth the Lord's tender mercies. The Book of Mormon prophets speak at length about how to develop such faith. It is essential if we are to enjoy the peace and comfort of the Lord in this life and the eternal blessings of the Lord in the life to come.

Nephi also calls us to be realistic and pragmatic in recognizing the fruits of faith. He does not say that the Lord simply delivers the faithful. He says the Lord makes them mighty so that they have the power to find deliverance. The Lord delivered Lehi and his family from the dangers (both physical and spiritual) they found in Jerusalem. He did not simply "beam" them over to the land of promise. He led them into the desert. He showed them the way to travel through barren wastes and directed them where to find the provisions they needed. Eventually, He brought them to the land Bountiful. They found no ship waiting there. But the Lord led them to a place with forests to be felled and ore to be mined so that they could make a ship. All that was within their human capacity they were required to do. And His tender mercies supplied the rest.

We must not be surprised when it is so with us. The Lord expects us to do all we can to accomplish what is asked of us. Whatever is needed in addition, He supplies. The faith that He will do so is the faith that calls forth His tender mercies.

Years ago, I lay in bed at home, recovering from surgery. We had a young family and a new house and work demanded so much. The last thing I needed to be doing was staying in bed and recuperating. In great frustration, I thought, "Lord I do not have time for this!" Almost instantly, the thought came into my mind, "Whatever the Lord wants you to do now, His grace will give you the strength to do." And if He does not want you to do a certain thing now, the means will not be provided. How often that lesson has been repeated in my life! We must search and learn and do all we can to accomplish what we have been asked. And then we must stand still with faith that the Lord will mercifully bring forth the results He wants in His time.

Shall Never Perish -- 1 Nephi 1:14

Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!

This doxology by Lehi includes a marvelous promise to all those who will come unto the Lord: they shall not be allowed to perish. It is a promise that the Savior Himself uttered repeatedly during his mortal ministry. To the Jewish leaders who questioned His authority, He declared, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand." (John 10:27-29) And to the sorrowing sisters of His friend Lazarus came the Lord's words of deep comfort, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

Plainly, these promises do not assure the faithful of endless mortal life. Death comes upon all, believers and nonbelievers. These scriptural promises do contain three aspects, however, that bring tremendous comfort to all who understand the Lord's great Plan of Salvation.

First, the faithful have the assurance that mortal death will have no sting. The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph: "Thou shalt alive together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them; And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter. And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed." (D&C 42:45-48)

Second, the faithful who abide in the Lord have the promise that mortal death does not come before its time. The revelation just quoted refers to those who are or are not "appointed unto death." We also read: "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?" (Job 7:1) Many passages of scripture make it clear that the faithful are, as one wise man wrote, "immortal until their work is done."

Finally, those who come to the Lord and stay with Him, as shown by their faith and obedience, need not fear the second death. Their eventual resurrection to the fullness of eternal life is assured.

"Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:17-20)

Lehi's brief hymn of praise also points out the basis upon which the faithful may trust in these amazing promises. The promises are founded upon the power, goodness and mercy of God. Because the Lord is all powerful, He can bring about what is best for His children; because He is good, He knows and desires what is best for His children; and because He is merciful, He will do all within His infinite power to see that His best will be given to all who are willing to receive it.

Favored Though Afflicted -- 1 Nephi 1:1

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.

In the very first verse of the Book of Mormon, Nephi gives us a key insight into his faith. He had "seen many afflictions in the course of [his] days." Despite those afflictions, however, Nephi viewed himself as "having been highly favored of the Lord in all [his] days." Even on those many days when he was afflicted, he still understood that he was favored of the Lord. Indeed, he might have understood that those afflictions were themselves blessings and signs of the Lord's favor. He understood well what would be written centuries later and on the other side of the world, in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" (Heb. 12:5-7).

It is the best block in the quarry that the great sculptor chooses to be chiseled and hammered into his masterpiece. It is the most valuable rough stone that the jeweler selects to be ground and polished into a priceless gem. And it is the most beautiful rose bush that the gardener prunes and trims to produce the prize blossom. Even so, it was one of the most noble souls, Nephi, that the Lord molded through affliction into a great prophet, one with "a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." A knowledge that surely would not have come without Nephi's enduring well the afflictions that came to him.

So when we are dealing with the afflictions of life, let us trust that we, too, are being favored of the Lord and being polished to become the eternal masterpiece that He knows we can become.

John Newton, who was the captain of a slave ship before he converted to Christianity and became a minister in England, gave us the famous hymns, "Amazing Grace" and "Lead Kindly Light." He also authored the following verses:

Afflictions do not come alone,
A voice attends the rod;
By both He to His saints is known,
A Father and a God!

Let not My children slight the stroke
I for chastisement send;
Nor faint beneath My kind rebuke,
For still I am their Friend.

The wicked I perhaps may leave
Awhile, and not reprove;
But all the children I receive
I scourge, because I love.

If therefore you were left without
This needful discipline;
You might, with cause, admit a doubt,
If you, indeed, were Mine.

Shall earthly parents then expect
Their children to submit?
And wilt not you, when I correct,
Be humbled at My feet?

To please themselves they oft chastise,
And put their sons to pain;
But you are precious in My eyes,
And shall not smart in vain.

I see your hearts, at present, filled
With grief, and deep distress;
But soon these bitter seeds shall yield
The fruits of righteousness.

Break through the clouds, dear Lord, and shine!
Let us perceive Thee nigh!
And to each mourning child of Thine
These gracious words apply.

-- From Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­i­ver, 1779), num­ber 135.

(You can listen to the tune by clicking here: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/f/f/afflictions.htm.)

Purpose of this Blog

This blog is intended for Latter-day Saints and those familiar with LDS teachings. Its purpose is to increase readers' faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as He is made known in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, revealed through the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith. In particular, it will highlight and comment upon passages in those scriptures that encourage us to entrust our lives entirely to God.

The name of the blog is from the last verse of the hymn, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go," which reads:

There’s surely somewhere a lowly place
In earth’s harvest fields so wide
Where I may labor through life’s short day
For Jesus, the Crucified.
So trusting my all to thy tender care,
And knowing thou lovest me,
I’ll do thy will with a heart sincere:
I’ll be what you want me to be.

I am not a spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the thoughts expressed in this blog are not official Church doctrine. They are my opinions and thoughts, for which I am entirely responsible.