Words of Mormon 1:7 And I do this for a awise bpurpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord cknoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he dworketh in me to do according to his ewill.
In reading this section, the words resounded with me: I do not know all things. Actually, this a gross understatement, not for Mormon, but for me. I know so much less than all things. But hopefully, that won't stop the Lord. He knows all things, and if I am worthy and humble and teachable and sensitive to His Spirit, He can work with me to do things that are according to His will. He will whisper, and I need to learn to recognize the "workings of the Spirit" that can be in me.
Mormon didn't know the reason for putting the small plates of Nephi where he put them, any more than Nephi knew why he was commanded to create two sets of plates. But they were both obedient to the workings of the Spirit, and we know that, according to the history of the Church, this peculiar combination of commandments blessed Joseph Smith after the manuscript was lost.
The Lord may ask me to do things which I do not understand, which make no sense. I just hope that I can listen and trust and "lean not to my own understanding" and allow Him to work through me.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Why Isn't This Working?
I've observed that sometimes we receive our errand from the Lord and attempt to carry it out, only to be thwarted and frustrated in our attempts. Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem to get the plates of Laban, but their first two tries were not unsuccessful, but resulted in their being pursued by Laban's servants. They wondered, if they were commanded to do something, why the Lord wasn't making it easier for them to do it?
I think that happens so often in our lives. We know we had inspiration when we started out to do this thing, or maybe the Lord has given us a new calling. If it's His will, why are things so difficult?
I can think of two possibilities. One is that the Lord is testing us, trying our determination, making sure we really want to do this thing. He is teaching us patience and perseverance in the face of trials. He wants to know if we really want this thing, and allows us to prove to Him as well as ourselves that we are willing to do whatever it takes.
The other possibility is that sometimes we attempt to do the Lord's will in our own way, rather than in His way. The first two attempts made by the brothers to get the plates were not the results of consulting with the Lord on the matter, but consulting with one another, using their own ideas. Only when Nephi went into the city by himself did he allow himself to be led by the Lord. In a contest between our own brilliant and well thought-out plans and the Lord's direction, our plans will always come up short, and yet we persist in trying those first rather than relying on the Lord. Sometimes He wants us to use our ideas and our initiative as He did with the brother of Jared, but I think He will tell us when it's one of those times.
I think that happens so often in our lives. We know we had inspiration when we started out to do this thing, or maybe the Lord has given us a new calling. If it's His will, why are things so difficult?
I can think of two possibilities. One is that the Lord is testing us, trying our determination, making sure we really want to do this thing. He is teaching us patience and perseverance in the face of trials. He wants to know if we really want this thing, and allows us to prove to Him as well as ourselves that we are willing to do whatever it takes.
The other possibility is that sometimes we attempt to do the Lord's will in our own way, rather than in His way. The first two attempts made by the brothers to get the plates were not the results of consulting with the Lord on the matter, but consulting with one another, using their own ideas. Only when Nephi went into the city by himself did he allow himself to be led by the Lord. In a contest between our own brilliant and well thought-out plans and the Lord's direction, our plans will always come up short, and yet we persist in trying those first rather than relying on the Lord. Sometimes He wants us to use our ideas and our initiative as He did with the brother of Jared, but I think He will tell us when it's one of those times.
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