The children of Israel stood in a precarious position: the Egyptian army behind and an enormous body of water ahead. Moses urged them to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13). Then, he stretched his hand over the sea, and the waters divided, allowing the Israelites to walk through on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22).
Years later, as Nephi’s family camped near the Red Sea, he and his brothers returned to Jerusalem to retrieve a spiritual record which included the books of Moses. Nephi encouraged his brothers by reminding them of this miraculous event:
Let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.
Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.
1 Nephi 4:2-3
Years later, Nephi appealed to the same story as his family prepared to cross another body of water:
Ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground.
1 Nephi 17:26
Nephi wasn’t suggesting that God would part this sea for the family to walk through. He was encouraging his brothers to help him build a ship to cross it. “If the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?” (1 Nephi 17:51). Constructing a vessel to cross the sea might seem like a small miracle compared with leading millions of people through the Red Sea on dry ground, but to Nephi’s brothers, it seemed absurd, and Nephi used Moses’s miracle as evidence that God can help us do the seemingly impossible.
Many years earlier, God had helped the Jaredites cross an ocean in enclosed barges. These craft were likely quite different from the ship Nephi built, but they served the same purpose: transporting a group of families across an enormous body of water to their promised land (Ether 2:16-17; 6:4-12).
Nephi testified that God will always prepare a way for us to accomplish His purposes (1 Nephi 3:7). Sister Michelle Craig observed that the way God provides is uniquely tailored to our circumstances:
Nephi, the brother of Jared, and even Moses all had a large body of water to cross—and each did it differently. Nephi worked “timbers of curious workmanship.” The brother of Jared built barges that were “tight like unto a dish.” And Moses “walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea.”
They each received personalized direction, tailored to them, and each trusted and acted. The Lord is mindful of those who obey and, in the words of Nephi, will “prepare a way for [us to] accomplish the thing which he commandeth.” Note that Nephi says, “a way”—not “the way.”
Do we miss or dismiss personal errands from the Lord because He has prepared “a way” different from the one we expect?
“Spiritual Capacity,” October 2019 general conference
Today, I will trust God to prepare a way for me to overcome obstacles and move forward. I will remember that the way He provides for me may be different from the way He has provided to others in other circumstances. I will be open to the aid He has tailored specifically for me.
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