A Multiplicity of Blessings

God made the following promise to Abraham:

In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.

Genesis 22:17

The Apostle Paul later reminded the Hebrews that these promises weren’t fulfilled all at once. The multiplication of Abraham’s blessings occurred gradually over time:

When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Hebrews 6:13-15

Nephi received a similar promise on behalf of his family as they struggled with the commandment to abandon their home in Jerusalem. In response to his prayer, the Lord said:

Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.

1 Nephi 2:20

Years later, Nephi recognized a fulfillment of this prophecy as he and his people built a city and “began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land” (2 Nephi 5:13).

In 1833, the Lord promised to bless Parley P. Pratt “with a multiplicity of blessings” as he established a school in Missouri. He promised all church members in Missouri that He would “bless [them] with blessings, and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon [them]” (Doctrine and Covenants 97:5, 28).

Eight months later, the Lord disbanded a legal organization called the United Firm, which had enabled church members to pool their resources. Even though this might have been a discouraging announcement, the Lord promised nine times in that revelation to “multiply blessings” upon the participants (Doctrine and Covenants 104:2, 23, 25, 31, 33, 35, 38, 42, 46). There were hard times ahead for that group, but they received great blessings as they endured in faith.

Today, I will remember that the Lord is willing to bless me with “a multiplicity of blessings” as I serve Him faithfully over time. I will not become discouraged if blessings are slow to come. Like Abraham, like Nephi, and like members of the church in the 1830s, I will patiently move forward, trusting that the promised blessings will come.