Third Time's the Charm....or Maybe the 50th

Today I was reading the good old story of Nephi, my homeboy. In today's episode, Nephi, Lemuel, Sam, and Laman are attempting to get the brass plates from Laban. They were instructed by a prophet of God, Lehi (who also happens to be their dad), to return to the city they'd just escaped. Kind of seems like a contradicting order, doesn't it? God says to them, take your family out of Jerusalem or you will be destroyed, and not too much later, He tells them to go back and get a set of plates. I'd probably be pretty confused if I were that band of brothers.

What's the difference between Nephi and the older brothers? Nephi, earlier in the story, gets on his knees and goes straight to God. He wants to know if it really is God's will to leave Jerusalem. After taking the effort to ask with his heart, Nephi is given an answer from God- now he knows for himself! With that answer, Nephi trusts his father's words and departs in the wilderness with the fam. Laman and Lemuel? Didn't bother to pray, but went. Nephi: 1, L&L: 0.
Once commanded to go back to Jerusalem, Nephi and crew scheme up a way to get the plates- they just send Laman to ask for them. Fail. Laban tries to bump him off and Laman returns to the brothers. Round 2- Nephi thinks- oh, we left our stuff behind, this is what we need to use it for, we'll bribe Laban into giving us the plates! And again......nope.

Frustrated that they keep failing over and over, Laman and Lemuel take out their anger on the younger brothers. An angel appears to intervene and gives further instructions, "...Behold, ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands."
After receiving that revelation from God (a PROMISE that the lord will deliver Laban to them) Nephi finally gets it. What had they been missing in every experience beforehand? God. They were relying on themselves to get the plates- they didn't pray about the decisions they'd made, they didn't check in with God at all. But Nephi takes this experience to heart. He recalls a scripture story- the Isrealites crossing the Red Sea, to illustrate that the impossible can happen with the Lord's help, "Therefore, let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the red sea and they divided thither...Now behold, ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken it unto you, wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up, the Lord is able to deliver us.."
Armed with the knowledge of the scriptures, and personal past experiences, Nephi decides to put his faith in the Lord and makes his way to the plates, stating, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."

I cannot tell you how many times I have felt this way- like I am groping in the dark and just taking it one clueless step at a time. Why does God do this? Give us commandments that seem so impossible and that don't seem to make any sense? And then appears to leave us in the dark (seemingly forever!)?
All I can say is He is teaching us. He is allowing us to learn and internalize truth for ourselves. He could have just as easily told Lehi and Nehi everything on the plates and had them write up a new set. He could have had them grab the plates before leaving Jerusalem the first time. But He didn't. Why not? He wanted Nephi to exercise his faith. Nephi had only just gained a testimony of prayer, and he needed to expand on that before really setting out on their journey. Why? Because God can see the whole picture- He knows what lies ahead for Nephi and family. God knows they will hit some hard times in the wilderness, and that they'll need help building a boat, getting food, sailing across the ocean, etc. Prayer connects us to God. We show our humility to Him, admitting we cannot make it through this life without Him. We show Him our love and dedication when we make plans and choose to counsel with Him through prayer. And ultimately, we show our trust in Him as we let go of what we know (or don't know) and move forward with faith.

So in an nutshell, what I learned from this story:

• Prayer=shows trust in God more than self, connects us with His will, not ours
• Scripture Study= Power to overcome discouragement, provides inspiration, comfort
• Obedience= grows faith, brings knowledge and understanding, qualifies for spiritual guidance 

Every time we turn to God and pray, every time we open the scriptures and read, we are preparing for an experience to learn truth. Who knows what it will be that we learn and when we will need the truths we are receiving, well, acually God knows, but the thing is, we don't. But as we put our trust in God and in Jesus Christ, we will better understand why things are unfolding the way they are, and our role to play. We might not know what is coming next, but we can trust that God will provide His spirit to take us one step at a time:

"I will not leave you comfortless...but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost...shall teach you all things and bring all things to your rememberance...Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid." John 14: 26, 27

I know God is guiding your steps, and that He has it all mapped out. Just take it one step at a time.

Much love,
Emily