7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
In this frequently-quoted passage, Nephi expresses his willingness to accept a difficult assignment from the Lord. In doing so, he demonstrates the relationship between obedience, knowledge, and faith:
- He knows that the Lord will prepare a way for us to fulfill all of His commandments. Because Nephi has a knowledge of this doctrine, he is able to apply it to the situation at hand.
- He trusts that his father really has received this commandment from the Lord. He is therefore willing to accept this assignment as a commandment from God, not simply a request from Lehi (see 1 Nephi 3:5).
- Nephi’s understanding of doctrine, together with his acceptance of his father as God’s representative, enables him to exercise faith in the specific assignment he has received.
- Because of his faith, Nephi declares his intention to obey. He doesn’t yet know how to do it, and in fact he will have to try a couple of approaches before he finds one that works, but he has already decided that he will fulfill this commandment. This gives him the determination to keep going through the discouraging experiences along the way when his brothers want to give up (see 1 Nephi 3:15).
I’m grateful for Nephi’s example of faith, testimony, and obedience. Today, I will strive to follow his example by acting on the assignments I have received from the Lord with faith that I will ultimately be successful in fulfilling those assignments. I can obey because of what I know and because of my willingness to have confidence in the Lord.
Have you read the short book “The Present” yet? It’s available free here. Just go to the website: Global Truth Project and click on the entry called “The Present.” The book is about the ultimate truth of life and it shows the full picture of life for the first time. What it says will turn this world around if it reaches enough people.
Have you read the book “The Present with Religion” yet? It’s available free here. Just go to the website: Global Truth Project and click on the entry called “The Present with Religion.” The short book “The Present” is just a shorter version of the book, without religion.
The book is about the ultimate truth of life and it shows the full picture of life for the first time. What it says will turn this world around if it reaches enough people.