God’s instructions may serve the purpose of getting us to a place where we are able to receive the blessings He wants to give us.
After receiving the blessing of having their language remain unconfounded at the tower of Babel, Jared and his brother sought information from God. The simple question, “Whither shall we go?” (Ether 1:38), was a good one, because it conveyed a willingness to do the will of God.
The Lord responded with a specific answer: Gather all your possessions and travel north with your friends and family to a valley named Nimrod. (See Ether 1:41-42, Ether 2:1.) Coupled with this instruction He provided significant promises:
And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.
And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto me.
Ether 1:42-43
Notice that these blessings were location-specific. “There will I meet thee,” He said, speaking of the valley of Nimrod. “There will I bless thee,” He added, speaking of their ultimate destination, their promised land.
Brad Wilcox pointed to these verses as evidence that God “meets us in our need.” (See “Worthiness Is Not Flawlessness,” General Conference, October 2021). That is true, but as this story illustrates, He doesn’t always meet our needs by coming to us. Sometimes, He leads us to a place where those needs can be met more effectively.
The hymn “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” sounds completely selfless. As we sing, we promise to set aside our own preferences and ambitions and follow the Lord’s guidance. But maybe that attitude is the key to finding the happiness we seek. Maybe His greatest blessings are waiting for us at the very locations He is leading us.
Today, I will follow the Jaredites’ example by allowing the Lord to lead me where I need to go. I will trust that when I follow His directions, I will find Him at my destination.
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