We all need to belong. We need to know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We need to be accepted and appreciated. We need to contribute.
One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon, according to its Title Page, is to assure us that we belong. “That they may know the covenants of the Lord,” writes Moroni, “that they are not cast off forever.”
In one of the psalms, Asaph asks, “Will the Lord cast off for ever?” (Psalm 77:7). The prophet Jeremiah, a contemporary of Lehi, answers that question:
The Lord will not cast off for ever:
Lamentations 3:31-33
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
Early in the Book of Mormon, an angel teaches Nephi that a future book (the Bible) would contain “the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 13:23). He later frames global events in terms of God fulfilling His covenants. (See 1 Nephi 14:5, 8, 14, 17.)
Nephi’s brother Jacob teaches their people “concerning the covenants of the Lord” (2 Nephi 9:1) and assures them that they are “not cast off,” even though they have traveled far from the land of Jerusalem. (See 2 Nephi 10:20.)
Other prophets, including King Benjamin and both Almas, encouraged people to individually enter into a covenant relationship with God. (See Mosiah 5:1-9, Mosiah 18:8-11, Alma 7:15.) But the broadest explanation of our inclusion in God’s covenants comes during the Savior’s post-mortal ministry on the American continent, recorded in 3 Nephi 15-16 and 20-22.
These chapters can be hard to relate to, because they are so expansive in scope. They describe God’s relationship with all of humanity. But they are intended to help each of us recognize that we are included and that we are valued. Consider the following passage from this sermon:
Ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—
And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
3 Nephi 20:25-27
The Savior goes on to say that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is itself a sign that the Father is fulfilling His covenants. (See 3 Nephi 21:1-7.) Then, He makes this whole thing personal, by quoting the following passage from Isaiah:
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer….
For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
3 Nephi 22:8, 10
This passage is of course directed to Israel as a whole, but I can also hear in it the voice of God speaking to me. When I feel abandoned or forgotten, I have this assurance from Isaiah that God will never forget me, that I am bound to Him by covenant—the covenants I have made with Him and the covenants He has made with earlier generations.
Today, I will remember that I belong. I will be grateful for God’s covenants, which are intended to bless all of His children. I will be grateful for the reminder from the Book of Mormon that we are not “cast off forever.”