And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him. And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.
Unless we are careful, we will hurry past this verse and miss its tremendous implications. Various hints are scattered throughout 1st Nephi that Lehi and his family were persons of wealth and prominence. It is likely that the house he left behind was quite comfortable for that time and place. The family probably had servants and enjoyed significant worldly benefits in Jerusalem. But at the Lord's command to depart, Lehi had the tremendous faith to leave that all behind -- and we must not underestimate that sacrifice.
Life for Lehi and his family would never be the same. Instead of a comfortable house, they would dwell in tents in an unforgiving wilderness. Instead of a society in which they enjoyed some prominence, they would be "strangers in a strange land." Instead of being served by others, they would have to work hard merely to carve out an existence. There is no evidence in the Book of Mormon account that, at this point, Lehi knew that they were being led to a land of promise. All he knew was that the Lord had told him to depart into the wilderness and so he departed, leaving behind all he had known and enjoyed. He truly went to the edge of the light and took that great step of faith into the darkness of the unknown future.
What an amazing faith! Lehi literally entirely placed his whole life into the Lord's hands. Moreover, he must have thought about the sacrifice that he was asking of his wife and children in doing so. It is one thing to make a decision to sacrifice your all at the Lord's bidding; it is an entirely different thing to ask those you love to make a similar sacrifice. Did he anticipate that Laman and Lemuel might ultimately fail the test? Was he confident that his wife, Nephi and Sam would remain faithful? Did he ever wonder, years later, if he should have allowed Laman and Lemuel to remain in Jerusalem so their sins might not have been as grievous? We can never know for certain. If Lehi had questions or misgivings at this early point, the record does not mention them. It also appears that whatever fears Lehi may have had did not delay him. Although the text does not expressly say so, it appears that Lehi's obedience was immediate.
Hardly any of us will be called upon to sacrifice as did Lehi and his family. But we must not minimize what the Lord demands of those who would be His faithful people. We must be willing to sacrifice whatever He requires. That demand should give us pause -- it should frighten us. Because only if it does so, have we really understood Christ's call to follow Him. And only if it does so, will we turn to Him with the desire and urgency we need to seek the gift of a faith like that of Lehi. Through the Spirit, He can implant such faith in our hearts if we seek it and allow Him to do so. When Jesus sent away the rich young man, who was sorrowing because he could not bring himself to give his all to the poor, the disciples "were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt. 19:25-26)
The well-known 19th century hymn writer, Frances Havergal, penned the following lines -- which we can echo if we allow the Spirit to increase our faith.
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
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