2 Nephi 10:2 - Restore, Perish; More questions than Answers

I came away this morning having a few more questions than answers.  Of course, I always read my scriptures through the lens of my children.  I don’t believe I wring my hands and stew, but I am concerned about those who have wandered off the path of righteousness.  What mother wouldn’t be?  

In verse 2, for a brief moment, I was quite comforted.  “For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.”

Clyde walked into the room just as I wrote the last paragraph and we had one of the best conversations.  You see, after I read verse 2 and felt relative comfort, then I read verse 16:  Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.”

What does it mean when you say, “they who are not for me are against me, saith our God”? What does “being for God” mean?  We talked about “being for a team”.  When you are being for a sports team, you cheer for them.  You go to their games, you wear their logo proudly.  If you are against that team, it is quite the opposite.  You find reasons to “dis” them and let others know you are not for that team by wearing the exact opposite.  Say if you were for BYU, you’d be wearing blue, you’d bleed blue, it would be all about blue.  If you were against them and for U of U instead, it would be all about the red. You’d wear red to a blue game. You’d be in your face about the team you’re supporting.  

So everything I read always boils down to my own family; my children who have wandered and don’t wear the team colors anymore.  You could say they fight against Zion.  So what does “restored” mean in verse 2 then?  I think I understand what perish means – “complete ruin or destruction” according to Webster Dictionary.  I think I understand what “whore of all the earth” means – “debase oneself for unworthy motives, typically for money”.  To be the whore of all the earth - would that be you’d sell anything of Godly or worldly worth for perceived wealth of the earth?  Maybe I’m digging too deep here, but in observing those who have turned against God, I notice they don’t value the simple beauties of the earth over their own gluttonous pleasures.  

So what is the “restored” talking about in verse 2?  What are our children restored to who have lost their way?  In our discussion, we talked about those things we knew before we came to earth.  We knew about God’s Plan of Salvation and we shouted for joy at the opportunity to come to this earth and prove ourselves worthy of returning to Heavenly Father and progressing on our path to be as he is.  We are restored to that knowledge.  And the perish part will be the knowledge that we blew it.  We have one shot at this amazing life and the choices it gives us.  If we waste that opportunity, it will never return.  Have you ever met someone who reached the end of his/her life and thought to yourself, “There goes a life that was a total waste; He accomplished nothing but create trouble for others”?  I’ve met a few.  I think the word “perish” will be very pertinent when they wake up on the other side of mortality and realize they could have had so much more at this one shot at earth life.  

I’m not certain that this rumination leaves me any smarter, but I still believe God loves each of His children and although I have children who have wandered and at least one of them is angry with God and shakes her fist at him, I have hope that my covenants and determination to keep them will somehow be of value to them in the next life.  I have hope that they will see God as He really is, they will remember the promises they made before they came to earth as well as the ones they made on earth and failed to keep, and they will be sad for their choices.  I believe they will desire to change, and for that reason, I’m grateful that the Millennium is indeed a very long time for that change to occur.

2 Nephi 9 - How Great the Wisdom and the Love

As I read this chapter this morning, I was impressed at the lines I’ve underlined previously.  I’m always intrigued when I see songs of the hymns laced with scripture.  I think this chapter is particularly filled with such lines. The hymn that came to mind mostly was “How Great the Wisdom and the Love”, one of our sacrament hymns.

Verse 8 – “O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!”  Were it not for Christ’s mercy and grace, all of us would go to the grave and be subject to the devil eternally. We would be devils and shut out from the presence of God.  Ugh! What a horrible thought.  

Verse 10 – “O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster [Satan], death and hell. . .”  Because of the good of our God, he knew we would sin and he prepared a way for us to be forgiven and move forward with our lives when we do. I for one am so grateful for this blessing in my life.  I WAS miserable!  It was a horrible existence I had created, and I haven’t forgotten for a day in my life what a blessing my own rescue has been.

Verse 13 – “O how great the plan of our God!”  Have you ever given thought to what happens after we die and why?  We will be reunited with our bodies once again. They will be whole and complete.  We will be reunited with those we love.  Why?  Because of God’s great plan of redemption.  We will have a perfect knowledge of our guilt, uncleanness, and nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, righteousness and be clothed with purity!  This is one reason why the sacrament is such a critical ordinance and repeated weekly.  We must repent of those things which keep us from our Heavenly Father.  They occur daily, minute by minute.  The Sacrament gives us opportunity to be freed from those sins and try harder the coming week.

Verse 17 – “O the greatness and the justice of our God!”  God is just.  If we repent, we “inherit the kingdom of God . . . and our joy will be full. . .” What does it mean to have our joy full? John 16:20 says “. . . your sorrow shall be turned into joy. . .”  My sorrow is that my children don’t believe.  3 John 1:4 says “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”  Well, that would do it for me.  2 Nephi 25 says that “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”  God intended that his children might have joy.  That was why we were created.  

Verse 19 – “O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!”  He delivers us from the devil, death and hell.

Verse 20 – “O how great the holiness of our God!”  He knows our pains, sorrows, joys and knows how to succor us when we are sorrowful because he has been there.  He has suffered anything we could suffer for this very purpose: so that he might know how to help us when we are in need of help.  Why would he do that?  V22 – “So that the resurrection might pass upon all men . . . at the judgment day.”  Because he loves us!  How does that happen?  What will qualify us for that greatness?  It’s rather simple and covered in v23 and boiled down in the 4^thArticle of Faith.  “We believe that the first principles and ordinance of the gospel are first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

And there you have it – a rather simple plan given to us by the greatness of our God, our Savior and Redeemer.  What a blessing!  No wonder Jacob started each of these verses with “O how great. . .”  We are so blessed.  We are blessed to know of these things.  We are blessed to be given opportunity each week to re-qualify as we partake of the sacrament.  We are blessed to have ministers who will gently call us back into the fold when we have strayed.  We are blessed to have parents and grandparents praying daily – several times daily – that we will return to His fold.  

I am so grateful that was the case with me.  My parents literally prayed me back.  It was remembering their prayers that gave me the courage to even try.  Somehow, in spite of my lifestyle at the time, I thought about this.  The gentle nudging in so many different ways turned me around and I have felt nothing but joy and love since that time.  Oh, yes, there have been tough times, but nothing that could over ride the joy of the gospel in my life.  I’ve kept my eye on the ball (so to speak) every day since.  And it is glorious!  And way too long to describe in this already rather long post.  

O How Great the Wisdom and the Love that filled the courts on high and sent the Savior from above to suffer, bleed and die! (See Hymn #195)

2 Nephi 1 - Never Give Up; Never Surrender

Lehi and I are kindred spirits.  I know him.  I feel his pain.

As I read this chapter, I can relate so much to Lehi.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve posted my thoughts on this very thing before.  

You love all your children.  They are all precious to you – even those who have strayed from the teachings of their parents.  You can see how their minds have become skewed in how they view their world - a series of unfortunate events.  You can see that these events really were tests that they failed.  It’s a sad thing to watch, and Lehi expresses my feelings completely when he says:  

13. O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

14.  Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.

But the brethren constantly counsel us not to give up on these precious spirits.  We love them and someday that love will shine through the dark clouds their minds have created in their lives.  I know this is a truth, as I went through it myself. When I was ready to change, I knew where to go for support.  It was my family.  They saw me through the change and the warmth of their love, of the gospel and the hope for a better future kept me strong until my testimony of the Lord and my Savior’s love was evident to me.  And that is why I tell other parents this same thing.  Never give up; never surrender.  There is always hope.

1 Nephi 18:21 - Effectual Prayer Availeth Much

The prayers of a righteous man (or woman) can bring about change.  Nephi had been bound with cords and left unable to steer the ship in the sea.  The result of this caused the ship to sail into stormy seas that threatened the lives of the entire company.  The brothers were stubborn even amidst the threat of their own lives.  (Can I just say how typical this seems to be in the examples of those I know close to me who refuse to let go of their sins?)  Eventually, the brothers loosed the cords and Nephi was able to steer the ship to calmer seas.  Nephi prayed to God and “the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.”  Can we as parents and loved ones who have lost their compass hope for a great calm – eventually?  I have faith that we can.

In James 5:16 it says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Fervent means “passionate intensity”. 

In my extreme trials, are my prayers intensely passionate?  Have I ever been so stricken that my pleas were passionate and intense? Perhaps before I had the courage given me to divorce myself from a horrible existence?  Perhaps when I knew I was about to do something so frightening that I knew I could only do it with the Lord’s help.  I have really learned that the Lord listens to every plea we express both in words or silent thoughts.  

This wasn’t an extreme need, but a desire.  When we were first married and Clyde was serving an assignment as veil worker in the Provo Temple, I spent my time in the temple doing endowments so we would finish together.  One such night I thought (mostly to myself), “Oh, it would be so nice if Clyde would be the one to take me through the veil.”  As I stood waiting for my turn, I watched the workers doing their jobs assigning us to different places.  The sister started to take me to one place that had freed up and had a "second thought" to move me to another spot that had just become available. Would you believe it was my eternal companion on the other side of me?  That was such a testimony to me that the Lord is listening.

There have been many experiences since then.  The most recent was because of our dive trip.  I prayed and yes, even pleaded that I would not be the tall pole on this adventure.  I prayed that my joints would be “happy” so I could not slow anyone down.  We pay a lot for these experiences, and I didn’t want to be a burden.  It would be quite truthful to say I felt 15 years younger the entire trip.  My stamina was stronger than I’ve experienced in a long time.  I felt energized and eager to do what I truthfully was a little nervous to do. The second I entered the water on the first dive, I felt supported and sustained by an unseen presence.  I was exhilarated beyond expression!  I saw the beauties under the sea and praised my maker for this experience.  The entire week was a joy and I was never hesitant to do yet another dive.  I know the Lord cares about what’s happening in our lives.  This experience was for fun, but it wasn’t my kind of fun.  It became fun for me though.  Our thoughts and prayers do matter.

I have shared with my son, who is going through an excruciating experience as a surgical resident, the power of prayer and positive thinking.  He knows this stuff, but seems to have forgotten that it is for him too.  It is very effectual.  I could write pages on it, but will spare you.  Prayer is one of the biggest tools in our tool chest to help us draw closer to the Lord and to help us through the trials of this life.