1 Nephi 4:31 He Will Bless Us With Additional Strength

"And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord, therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee."

Although Nephi calls himself a man in this scripture, he is a young man, having been blessed with a large stature.  He is still under the care of his parents, so we know he is not a mature adult.  In this part of the story, Nephi had disguised himself as Laban, had Laban's servant bring him the plates of brass, then asked the servant of Laban to go with him to the outer city wall, where Nephi's brothers were hiding.  The scripture above follows when Laban's servant finally discovers Nephi's true identity and turns to flee.  Nephi received "much strength from the Lord."   
I have had many experiences where I've felt the Lord strengthening me.  I spent a lot of years trying to carry all my burdens alone, trying to be independent.  It wasn't until I gained a greater knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I learned that I didn't have to go through this mortal experience alone and burdened.  Running track in school exhausted me, studying to keep straight A's exhausted me, working at a tree farm as a youth exhausted me, being married to a narcissist exhausted me, and feeling like a single parent, even though married, exhausted me.  We all have those "things" that exhaust us and zap our energy and sometimes even our will to keep going.  I have had several experiences where I've been in sacred places and was able to hear words of wisdom that buoyed me up to keep going another day.  Sometimes it was something I read, sometimes it was something in a piece of music I listened to.  I do not believe in coincidences -- so I don't believe that I "coincidentally" heard those things that helped so much.  The God I worship knows how to strengthen me in very personal ways, and I have a testimony that He is our best Supporter and Protector.  He truly is our Father in Heaven, a perfect Father who knows what my needs are.  

1 Nephi 4:7-8 He Will Deliver Us From Our Enemies

"Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.   And when I came to him I found that it was Laban."

As we continue the story of Nephi, he let himself be led by the Spirit of God into the city Jerusalem and found Laban, drunk, passed out and all alone.  Laban was the man who had tried to kill Nephi and his brothers twice, had stolen many riches and treasure from them, and refused to give them the plates of brass.  As we can see from these verses, God had delivered Laban into Nephi's hands, and Nephi was able to obtain the plates of brass and return with his brothers to his family.  

I had never had an enemy in my life until I filed for divorce.  I had hoped it would have been civil, but it was anything but.  It was disheartening in a way because it was like the previous 30 years had never happened.  What it did was show the true colors of my husband, and even though I had always suspected his duplicity, I hoped that I had been wrong.  I wasn't.  From the beginning of the filing he began to steal things from the home while I was away at work. In general, husbands leave the home during a divorce, especially when there are still children living there, but my husband was anything but the general kind.  He refused to leave, although he had choices available to him.  Many people reached out and offered, but No.    He got a storage unit outside our city and just started carting things off, thinking I didn't notice.  Unbeknownst to him, I had taken pictures of our entire home and its contents before I told him I filed.  He was also threatening me with a prolonged divorce, which promise he made good on.  He also stopped contributing to the family checking account and laid all the home's expenses and taxes and all insurances on my shoulders.   My youngest son still lived with us and it wasn't like I could let the electricity lapse.  The final straw for me, though, was that he started coming into my personal space and stealing personal items of mine.  I had my Dad come into our home and put a keyed lock on my bedroom door so I could leave home in peace, and not spend the day wondering what he'd take next.  One time I was in the kitchen when he came in and took the food I was preparing right out of my hands.  I couldn't live like this any longer.  I wasn't making an income sufficient to rent an apartment, so that wasn't an option for me.  For personal reasons, I couldn't move back in with my parents.  

And then a way opened -- two very good friends of mine opened their home to me.  By this time my son had moved in with his sister in their own apartment, so it was just me.  This family gave me a spacious room and more than that . . . . a spacious place of rest that was filled with peace and love and lots of caring.  The constant buffetings of my husband had worn me out, and these two precious souls bolstered, loved, supported, and gave me everything I needed at this time.   It was a joy to spend time with them in their home, and when all was said and done, and I was ready to move back into my own home that was awarded to me in the divorce, it was hard to leave.  They had become an integral part of my daily existence.   To me, this couple opening up their home to me was my being rescued from my enemy.  The God I worship prepares a way for our deliverance, and can even inspire the best people to reach out and save.

1 Nephi 4:6 He will Lead by the Spirit

"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."

Nephi had faith that the way would be prepared for him to accomplish God's task.  He and his brothers had tried twice to get the plates of Laban, and twice they were rejected and threatened with death.  But Nephi's faith was unwavering and he tried yet a third time to get the plates.  He did not know what to do differently than what they did the first two times, so He put it into God's hands and let the Spirit guide him.  And he was successful.

For me, I like to have everything planned and ready for any journey or task that I'm setting out to do.  It's comfortable, it's safe.  But there have been times when my carefully orchestrated plans have been turned upside down and shaken a little, falling to pieces on the floor and so disorganized that I didn't know what to do or how to accomplish something.  It's not very hard in our day and age to become super-human multi-taskers and overwhelmed by everything when one thing goes out of whack.   A supernal gift of God is that of the Holy Ghost to guide us.  The Holy Ghost is commissioned from Heaven, and what better guide can you have than one that's divine?  His ways will always be better than my own.  Yes, we have to learn how to listen.  Yes, we have to learn how to recognize His Voice, but I know it's possible.  I know we can have undeniable communication with Him.  The God I worship has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost to help guide us when we are lacking.

1 Nephi 4:1 Mightier than All the Earth

"And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and 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?"

At this point in the story, Nephi and his brothers had failed twice in their attempt to get valuable written records from an important man, trying to obey a commandment from God.  Twice that man attempted to take their lives, but they escaped.  Nephi's brothers are afraid because this man, Laban, can command 50 soldiers in a moment and they do not want to go back and try again.  I love Nephi's comment "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth..."   There are times when we come in contact with someone who holds quite a bit of influence and power, and doesn't quite use it for good.  He can be  manipulative, conniving, cheat and perhaps is used to bullying to get his way.  But when you pit this man against God and His Son, Jesus Christ, the Creators of everything that is, our enemies really come off lacking.  They are nothing.  God created the elements of the weapons that men use.  God engineered the design of the tongue and throat of which men use to threaten. He designed the brain that men use to think and reason.  He holds the power of the elements in His hands -- water, wind, fire, earth -- and uses them to chasten mortals.  How puny is man when you think of God in this way?  The God I worship is all-powerful, mightier than ALL men and "mightier than all the earth".

Don't forget the story in 2nd Kings of Elisha, when he asks the Lord to open his servant's eyes that he might see that the hills are filled with chariots of fire on their behalf, that God smote the opposing army with blindness.  These are not just stories -- these were real events.  When we stand on the Lord's side of the line, there is always more power held by those who stand with us, than those who don't.

Enemies might hedge our way at times -- and sometimes they may seem to always win.
But when I remember who God is and what He's capable of doing, then it's easier to exercise the faith necessary to believe that He will help us in our endeavors, He will make a pathway through. We can have our own hills surrounded by chariots of fire, ready and waiting to come forth to rescue us.  When we are on the Lord's errand, we can always have faith that "for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2nd Kings 6:16)  Strive to live in a way that your eyes may always be opened to this vision and peace.  

1 Nephi 3:29 Why Didn't God Intervene? PART III

(continued from previous post)

For our good:  There is an age-old question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  Recently I attended an event where a quadriplegic woman spoke.  She was absolutely amazing and motivating to listen to for the hour we had.  Her take-home message was "I love my life!"   This shocked me.

It seemed unbelievable when you think of all the things that she COULD NOT DO.  But she was sincere and honest and straightforward.  She had come to a point in her life where she could find humor in places where she might have wanted to cry. She shared a dream she had one night, which touched me deeply.  She was sitting in heaven with another person in a pre-mortal setting, going through a book that showcased her life.  It showed her that she would be a quadriplegic, and she was EXCITED.  She was overjoyed to learn what her challenges would be and her opportunity to overcome them.  

Her perspective helped me greatly.  What if my challenges in this life were tailored to fit my exact needs?  What if my struggles were the only things that challenged me to grow, stretch, develop to a higher plane?  

What if I experienced what my neighbor experienced and I breezed through the test?  How much growth would happen?  None.  

I collect nuggets of truth -- and listening to that quadriplegic woman added another nugget of truth to my life.  We are given what we need.  As unpleasant as things can be, as heart-rending, as painful, as soul-searching . . . . we are given what we need.  We don't always understand the Why's, but when you come to get a small glimpse of the God who loves us, we begin to trust Him that He knows the Why.  He does.  He knows us that intimately.

1 Nephi 3:29 Why Didn't God Intervene? PART II

(continued from last post)

Consequences:  But at the same time, I think we can abuse the privileges of this life.  We can willfully be reckless, ingest harmful substances that disorient us and take away our freedom, do stupid things.  I think we have a responsibility to choose wisely with the knowledge and information we have been given.  

I don't believe God will take away the consequences of my willful choices -- he's not going to magically erase the effects of too many trips to McDonald's and the laziness that keeps me from the morning jog.  I know how to take care of my body, and if I end up with heart disease or diabetes, I know whose fault it will be.  If I choose to drive with a heavy foot, I then choose the possibility of an ugly accident or a speeding ticket.  If I choose mind-altering drugs, then I also choose the possibility of having someone take advantage of me or act in some way that will harm others.  If I choose to treat someone with ugliness, then I also choose the quality of that relationship, if there's one left.  One of God's greatest gifts to us was our having the ability to choose, and He's not going to interfere with the consequences of those choices.  Some of us have to learn by the School of Hard Knocks, and life is a wonderful teacher.  God will not take those teaching moments away, no matter how difficult.

The God I worship respects my choices and let's me live with the consequences-- not as a punishment, but as a learning tool.

1 Nephi 3:29 Why Didn't God Intervene? PART I

1 Nephi 3:29   "And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands."

(PART 1) The God I worship intervenes and protects, when it's in our best interest.  In this part of Nephi's story, his older brothers were very angry with him, frustrated at their failed attempts to get important writings from Laban, and took their frustrations out on their younger brothers by beating them with a rod.  In a nutshell, an angel was sent to intervene, the beating stopped and Nephi was successful at getting the important writings.  

So tonight, as I'm pondering this verse for the umpteenth time, my statement seems to beg the question, "Well, what about when He doesn't intervene?"  

I think sometimes people think God is a puppeteer, that we are all attached with strings and He can make things happen, or not happen, down here on earth.  If He can send an angel for Nephi, why didn't he send an angel to me when I needed one?  If he can intervene, why doesn't He intervene all the time and protect innocents?  Why doesn't he stop the freak accidents or man's inhumanity to man?  

I have a few thoughts about this, and I'll share what I feel, but it will have to be over a couple blog posts.

Interference:  We live in a fallen, mortal world.  Accidents happen and we make mistakes because of our weaknesses.  Sometimes we are afflicted because of other people's weaknesses or errors or mistakes or ignorance.  I believe God can intervene and protect us.  I know there have been multiple times driving when I've barely avoided an accident, either by my own negligence or others' negligence.  I believe there's help on the other side of the veil that tries to guide us, whisper warnings or impressions or conjure up miracles.  I firmly believe that we all have an allotted time here, and if we don't abuse it, we can be protected by the follies we experience. I don't see this scenario as God patiently standing by, waiting for something awful to happen, and then swooping in to save the day.  No.  I believe He knows mankind so well that he knows what kinds of decisions will be made and what repercussions will come from those decisions.  I think he can inspire people to be instruments in His hands to help others.  I think He can prepare and direct angels, seen and unseen,  to help us when needed.