Lehi’s family is wandering in the wilderness, and they are starving. The bows have lost their springs, and Nephi’s high quality steel bow was their last chance for survival. When his bow breaks, his brothers begin to murmur, and even Lehi complains against the Lord. But after Nephi speaks to his father and shows him loving respect befitting his position as patriarch of the family and prophet of the Lord, Lehi repents and goes to the Lord to inquire where Nephi should go to look for food.
26. And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord said unto him: Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.
27. And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear and tremble exceedingly, and also my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and our wives.
28. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.
I like to think of the Liahona as a physical manifestation of the Holy Ghost. They work on the same principles. If we are righteous, we are worthy to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. If Lehi and his family were righteous, they could have the guidance of the Liahona. Divergence from the commandments leads us away from the Holy Ghost, just as it kept Lehi’s family from direction through the ball. I can’t help but wonder if the Lord provided the Liahona so everyone could see for themselves how it worked, while not everyone in the company was in tune to see for themselves how the Holy Ghost worked.
29. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.
This verse reminds me of continued revelation. We need to hear the voice of the Lord in our daily lives to guide us as circumstances change. We need to hear from our prophets what the Lord would have us do as a church. Just as the Lord would guide us in different ways depending on our circumstances, the Liahona guided Lehi’s family in different ways according to their needs.
30. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball.
31. And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.
32. And it came to pass that I did return to our tents, bearing the beasts which I had slain; and now when they beheld that I had obtained food, how great was their joy! And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord, and did give thanks unto him.
This makes me think about willingness to be obedient. Laman and Lemuel could no longer use their bows, and when Nephi’s breaks, they become angry and bitter. Nephi fashions himself a bow out of wood and makes an arrow out of a stick. He heads off into the wilderness and comes back with food for the entire camp. Laman and Lemuel could just as easily have made themselves bows and arrows, but they were too bogged down in the negativity of the situation. Nephi kept his faith and looked for a solution.
From today’s reading: when we are faced with a challenge, do we curl up and feel sorry for ourselves, or do we ask the Lord to help us find the answer?
I admit, I tend to like that curling up thing, at least for a little while . . .
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