Delivery from Everlasting Destruction

3 Nephi 4

The Nephites gather together as one and defeat the Gadianton robbers.  First they slay Giddianhi; then his successor, Zemnarihah.  They recognize their success and praise the Lord for their victories.

I especially like the very last verse of this chapter.  “And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivery them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.”

There are a lot of things I could focus on.  Like how in the world does a big body of people gather together in one land and subsist for over seven years?  I wish I could just see what it looks like.  Is it as big as it sounds, or as little as it could be possible to do?  But I won’t go there because I don’t think there is an answer available.  Oh, I’ll enjoy crossing to the other side where these kinds of things will be common knowledge.

However, I can see this last verse.  I’ve experienced it for myself.  A swollen heart with joy, tears of gratitude and recognizing the goodness God has shown for me, are all things I have experienced as I repented of a life that was pointed toward my own everlasting destruction.  I know that feeling and every time I read this verse, I remember it well and my heart is swollen with joy.  I will be forever grateful to a Heavenly Father who put on my path people who helped to rescue me.  I have been so blessed!

What are my marching orders today from reading?  Some days are harder than others.  But wouldn’t it be a joy beyond anything I can think of if somehow I could see a sweet daughter have this same experience?  I will keep on praying in faith that the Lord is in charge and really good with miracles, and love this sweet daughter unconditionally until she too can see that she has been delivered from an everlasting destruction.  That’s a pretty tall order.  What kind of destruction is everlasting?  Leaving this earthly existence never having the testimony sufficient to land us on the right hand of God.