Feel the Prints of the Nails

The Savior had an invitation for the people gathered at the temple in Bountiful. They had heard His Father’s voice introducing Him and instructing them to listen to His words. He had descended from heaven and introduced Himself to them. Now, he said:

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

3 Nephi 11:14

These words echoed the Savior’s invitation to Thomas in Jerusalem: “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27).

This group of people had already been invited to see Him and to hear Him. Now, they were invited to touch His wounds as additional evidence of His divinity and of His suffering on our behalf.

Sister Bonnie S. Cordon observed, “When Christ physically visited the Nephites at their temple, His invitation was not to stand at a distance and look upon Him, but to touch Him, to feel for themselves the reality of the Savior of humankind.” Then, she asked this question: “How can we draw close enough to gain a personal witness of Jesus Christ?” (“Never Give Up an Opportunity to Testify of Christ,” General Conference, April 2023).

Sister Cordon gave three examples of drawing close to the Savior through religious actvities:

1. “I have attended the temple many times, but when I worship in the house of the Lord, it changes me.”
2. “Sometimes while fasting, I find myself simply going hungry, but other times, I feast on the Spirit with purpose.“
3. “I sometimes have mumbled prayers that are repetitive and routine, but I have also come eager to receive counsel from the Lord through prayer.“

(“Never Give Up an Opportunity to Testify of Christ,” General Conference, April 2023, italics in original)

Elder Dean M. Davies taught, “When we worship God, we acknowledge and receive Him with the same reverence as those ancient people of the Americas. We approach Him with incomprehensible feelings of wonder and awe. We marvel in gratitude at the goodness of God” (“The Blessings of Worship,” General Conference, October 2016).

Today, I will draw close to the Savior through worship. As I pray, alone and with others, I will strive to feel the same reverence and closeness experienced by the Nephites and Lamanites who saw Him in person, who approached Him one by one, and who touched His wounds.