Saturday, March 28, 2020

1 Nephi 15:2-3 -- On Inquiring of the Lord

"And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.
For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought."
1 Nephi 15:2-3


This verse seemed interesting to me today because of the idea of us learning and experiencing things that are "hard to be understood."  I think that happens a lot, and we all have times when we struggle to understand God's will.

The answer now, as it was then, is to "inquire of the Lord."  As we do, God will bless us.  I don't think it will always be in the immediate and clear way that Nephi was blessed however.  Maybe part of that is our level of faith, but even with amazing faith, we aren't always going to get the answer we want.  One example of this is Joseph Smith praying to know the time of the Second Coming.  He had amazing faith, but was given an unclear answer (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:14-16).  God knows better than we do what should be explained and when we are ready to hear it.

That said though, we should never just assume that God isn't going to answer us and refuse to ask, as Nephi's brothers did (1 Nephi 15:9).  God answered Joseph Smith, and he will answer us... we just have to understand that answers are on his terms and in his time, not ours.

In our times of anxiety and uncertainty, let's turn to God and ask him our questions.  Even if we don't get the exact answers we seek, the process of communicating with God will help us learn more about God's will in our lives and help us recognize the spirit in our lives.  Today, let's be faithful and inquire of the Lord.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Total Pageviews