Love the reminder that Nephi strugfled with dealings of worthiness. It is scriptural proof to me my feeling of unworthiness are normal and probably healthy even healthy because they increasemy dependence Him. My GA origin
I love the phrase, I know in whom I have trusted.' I also love that this.reading.vows.into the next chapter because it shows.things got harder.after Nephi prayed. Even though they eventually split.with his brothers soon after the finality of their loss must have been shattering. I have thought a lot.about it and recently decided I would not continue to use my circumstances as a judge of whether I am on the right path or not.
I know I am trying and that is most important. I have a temple commend and it is worth more to me than all the money, husbands, and children life can offer. In fact it if I believe my Heavenly Father it is His promise I will recurve those things...still skeptical...go do a session or sealings. If you have never been then you should know it is totally worth.it.
YES. You still have today your part and use the recommend. YEs there are.those who have one and shouldn't, but for those doing there all and.still wondering it is.good comfort. Sorry for typos and multiple posts. Phone posts are hard.
I love Nephi's 100% reliance on the Lord. It's a good lesson to us, that if a prophet NEEDS the Lord so badly, and relies on Him so heavily, then who do I think I am to try to do it alone.
It reminds me of a letter I got from my Dad while I was on my mission. I was just made senior companion and was terrified because I hadn't been out very long, and didn't know the language. He told me how he had a similar experience on his mission. He found that as he prayed hard, (actually he said it was more like begging), he could feel the Lord lifting his burden. The more he prayed, the lighter the burden got. One thing he said has stuck with me my entire life. He said, “Maury, you could probably do this on your own, but why even try? It is so much easier with a little divine help.”
This advice shifted my perspective that it was not just me teaching the gospel in a crazy language, it was the Lord's work and He was ready and willing to help. I think sometimes I forget to lean on Him and try to do things on my own. While we obviously have to do our part, we'd be smart to follow Nephi's example and rely on His infinite power to help us.
I like Nephi's prayer because it shows his strengths and his imperfections. He is on a higher plane than I will ever reach, but still he never stops on his journey to becoming better to take a rest. He had to make another hard choice in leaving his oldest brothers, he knew they would seek his life whether he stayed or left. This was also the pivotal fork in the road for the creation of the two great nations. It is clear that the Lord allowed this to happen so that He could use them to create an opposition in all things, for both nations.
I love to see that Nephi is human. We so often see his strength and faith and here we see not only his struggles and imperfections, but that he takes those to the Lord to try to improve--and is humble enough to recognize them. I sometimes feel repetitive in my prayers because my weaknesses are so hard to overcome and I mess up everyday. But God wants to not only hear our struggles but He wants us to give our struggles and weaknesses to the Him so they aren't ours alone to carry.
Nephi's prayer is so powerful and sincere! It is poetry. Don't you just relate and feel for Nephi when you read these verses? Nephi uses phrases about his heart 8 times. (My heart exclaimeth, my heart sorroweth, my heart groaneth, heart weeps, the evil one have place in my heart, heart is broken, rejoice O my heart) I learn from Nephi that prayer is a matter of the heart. It requires thought, sincerity, humility, a recognition of our total dependency on God and our absolute need of the enabling power of the atonement to turn our heart, will, and efforts toward the Savior. Nephi recalls and expresses gratitude for the Savior's intervention in his life and that recognition is ultimately what moves his heart from sorrow to faith. I also learn the importance of expressing gratitude, remembering past help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and what to ask for in prayer. (Aide to resist temptation, act in righteousness, overcome personal weakness, greater faith to rely on God and not man, and to ask for those things not contrary to His will.) I really like this definition of prayer found in the bible dictionary. "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."
In 2 Nephi 4:17 Nephi first acknowledges the great goodness of the Lord and follows with a lament that after all that God has done for him, he still yields to sins and gives way to temptations and gets angry. He acknowledges the goodness of God but then proceeds to dwell on his own short comings and weaknesses. Nephi’s focus at this time is on himself. I think it is amazing as his focus changes from himself to the Lord how you can feel Nephi’s words become more hopeful….”O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea my soul will rejoice in thee, my God….” and in vs. 34 “O Lord I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever.” Nephi also says “I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.” Rock of my righteousness. Nephi reminds himself (and us) that it is through God’s mercy that he is able to overcome the natural man. When we are focused on ourselves, it is depressing and discouraging because we inevitably and continually fall short...When we turn the focus from ourselves to God and Jesus Christ we find true hope as we remember their great goodness. After reading this passage, when I feel myself slipping into “lament mode” I will repeat this phrase “Forget yourself. Remember Christ.”
Love the reminder that Nephi strugfled with dealings of worthiness. It is scriptural proof to me my feeling of unworthiness are normal and probably
ReplyDeletehealthy even healthy because they increasemy dependence Him. My GA origin
I love the phrase, I know in whom I have trusted.' I also love that this.reading.vows.into the next chapter because it shows.things got harder.after Nephi prayed. Even though they eventually split.with his brothers soon after the finality of their loss must have been shattering. I have thought a lot.about it and recently decided I would not continue to use my circumstances as a judge of whether I am on the right path or not.
ReplyDeleteI know I am trying and that is most important. I have a temple commend and it is worth more to me than all the money, husbands, and children life can offer. In fact it if I believe my Heavenly Father it is His promise I will recurve those things...still skeptical...go do a session or sealings. If you have never been then you should know it is totally worth.it.
ReplyDeleteYES. You still have today your part and use the recommend. YEs there are.those who have one and shouldn't, but for those doing there all and.still wondering it is.good comfort. Sorry for typos and multiple posts. Phone posts are hard.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI love Nephi's 100% reliance on the Lord. It's a good lesson to us, that if a prophet NEEDS the Lord so badly, and relies on Him so heavily, then who do I think I am to try to do it alone.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a letter I got from my Dad while I was on my mission. I was just made senior companion and was terrified because I hadn't been out very long, and didn't know the language. He told me how he had a similar experience on his mission. He found that as he prayed hard, (actually he said it was more like begging), he could feel the Lord lifting his burden. The more he prayed, the lighter the burden got.
One thing he said has stuck with me my entire life. He said, “Maury, you could probably do this on your own, but why even try? It is so much easier with a little divine help.”
This advice shifted my perspective that it was not just me teaching the gospel in a crazy language, it was the Lord's work and He was ready and willing to help. I think sometimes I forget to lean on Him and try to do things on my own. While we obviously have to do our part, we'd be smart to follow Nephi's example and rely on His infinite power to help us.
Great story. I especially appreciate the note about begging.
DeleteI like Nephi's prayer because it shows his strengths and his imperfections. He is on a higher plane than I will ever reach, but still he never stops on his journey to becoming better to take a rest. He had to make another hard choice in leaving his oldest brothers, he knew they would seek his life whether he stayed or left. This was also the pivotal fork in the road for the creation of the two great nations. It is clear that the Lord allowed this to happen so that He could use them to create an opposition in all things, for both nations.
ReplyDeleteI love to see that Nephi is human. We so often see his strength and faith and here we see not only his struggles and imperfections, but that he takes those to the Lord to try to improve--and is humble enough to recognize them. I sometimes feel repetitive in my prayers because my weaknesses are so hard to overcome and I mess up everyday. But God wants to not only hear our struggles but He wants us to give our struggles and weaknesses to the Him so they aren't ours alone to carry.
ReplyDeleteNephi's prayer is so powerful and sincere! It is poetry. Don't you just relate and feel for Nephi when you read these verses? Nephi uses phrases about his heart 8 times. (My heart exclaimeth, my heart sorroweth, my heart groaneth, heart weeps, the evil one have place in my heart, heart is broken, rejoice O my heart) I learn from Nephi that prayer is a matter of the heart. It requires thought, sincerity, humility, a recognition of our total dependency on God and our absolute need of the enabling power of the atonement to turn our heart, will, and efforts toward the Savior. Nephi recalls and expresses gratitude for the Savior's intervention in his life and that recognition is ultimately what moves his heart from sorrow to faith. I also learn the importance of expressing gratitude, remembering past help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and what to ask for in prayer. (Aide to resist temptation, act in righteousness, overcome personal weakness, greater faith to rely on God and not man, and to ask for those things not contrary to His will.) I really like this definition of prayer found in the bible dictionary. "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."
ReplyDeleteI love this comment. I remember reading the definition on prayer in my institute class, it has always been a favorite of mine.
DeleteIn 2 Nephi 4:17 Nephi first acknowledges the great goodness of the Lord and follows with a lament that after all that God has done for him, he still yields to sins and gives way to temptations and gets angry. He acknowledges the goodness of God but then proceeds to dwell on his own short comings and weaknesses. Nephi’s focus at this time is on himself. I think it is amazing as his focus changes from himself to the Lord how you can feel Nephi’s words become more hopeful….”O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea my soul will rejoice in thee, my God….” and in vs. 34 “O Lord I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever.” Nephi also says “I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.” Rock of my righteousness. Nephi reminds himself (and us) that it is through God’s mercy that he is able to overcome the natural man. When we are focused on ourselves, it is depressing and discouraging because we inevitably and continually fall short...When we turn the focus from ourselves to God and Jesus Christ we find true hope as we remember their great goodness. After reading this passage, when I feel myself slipping into “lament mode” I will repeat this phrase “Forget yourself. Remember Christ.”
ReplyDeleteSo true! Thank you.
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ReplyDelete