1 Nephi 2:19 God Speaks to Us

1 Nephi 2:19. "And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart."

I believe God speaks to us. It may take time to understand how He speaks, and it may take practice to understand the various ways and means, but I firmly believe He does.  I know that we can come to a place in our spiritual development where we can have this undeniable communication.  

For me there are times when words that aren't my own come into my mind.  There are times when scriptures LEAP off the pages and get my attention.  There are also other people's words that penetrate and sink so deep that I know they are being instruments in God's hands.  He can also speak peace and comfort.  I remember kneeling in prayer one day and physically feeling a cocoon of love and warmth and peace envelop me.   The God I worship speaks to us if we seek Him.

1 Nephi 2:16 Answers to Questions

1 Nephi 2:16. "And it came to pass that I, Nephi...having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers."

I have a testimony that our prayers and desires are heard on high.  Whenever and whatever we question can be given us if it's for our good.  Sometimes "tradition" and rebelliousness can harden our hearts, and I believe that at times it's only the power of God that can help us get to a place where we can have a soft, believing heart.  Our understanding and perspective is not God's perspective, and it may take a very long time to get a glimpse of His perspective.  We strive to have full faith in Him, but it takes line upon line to build that relationship.  Until then, we sometimes succumb to relying on our own power and our own knowledge.  This sometimes puts us in a position contrary to the will of God.   

I remember having a question for God where I wouldn't get the answer for 10+ years.  It wasn't troubling me every day, but I was confused and sometimes let it bother me.  Looking back, now that I have the answer, I think God was waiting for me to accept that there will be questions in this life that won't get answered.  There are times when we aren't "ready" for the answer to come.  Luckily for me, I was sitting in church one day listening to a 14-year-old give a talk about temples.  In ONE sentence he answered my 10-year-old question.  He said, "If you are not worthy to go to the temple, and go anyway, you WILL NOT bring home the blessings."  All of a sudden for me all the puzzle pieces fell into place.  My understanding broadened and things started to make sense in my personal life. God "visited" me by answering my question that day.  Maybe I needed that long of a time to have a soft enough heart that was ready to hear the answer.  The God I worship hears me and answers me in His perfect timing.

1 Nephi 1:6. Speaking with God

1 Nephi 1:6.  "...as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much..."

This is an extreme example when God manifests himself by a pillar of fire, but the take-home point I learned was that I worship a God who answers.  And not only answers, but answers "much".   Lehi had a different role than I do in this life, and my pleas in the past haven't required "much" -- but this I know....God is not a respecter of persons and if I need 'much' He will give it to me.  Lehi was being asked to leave his profession and become a prophet to warn the people of Jerusalem -- quite a task.  I'm sure God had much to say to him, and much to show unto him in the proceeding vision.  The God I worship answers our prayers and gives us what we need.