Friday, March 23, 2018

1 Nephi 11:1 -- On Believing and Asking

"For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot."
1 Nephi 11:1


In this verse, Nephi desires to see what his father saw, and as he is pondering, his vision begins.  The contrast with his brothers here is stark.  After seeing what God has to show him, he encounters his brothers who are arguing about their father's vision, and he asks them if they have asked the Lord about all of this and they say "We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us" (1 Nephi 15:9).  Many people with the same question, but very different approaches to their lack of knowledge.

I think it is easy to assume that God won't show us visions or explain himself.  That's what we are taught by the world around us, and it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If we think that God won't speak to us, then we don't have the faith for it to actually happen.  On the other hand, in a world filled with doubt, we *have* seen miracles, and we have felt the hand of God in our lives, otherwise why are we here reading these words right now?

Today, let's not allow the world to crawl into our minds and start doubting all the good that God grants us.  Let's have hope and faith and go to God in prayer when we have questions, trusting that he *will* answer us and help us and guide our lives, rather than assuming that he has nothing to say to us. :)  As we do, we will gain answers and see miraculous things.

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