Dear Elders and Sisters,
I am so pleased with the great enthusiasm the Book of Mormon reading challenge has generated in you. This is clearly "for a wise purpose in Him" and I thank so many of you for sharing your spiritual discoveries. They are in there in such abundance and I continue to marvel how the Book was written for us, in our day.
One of the sweetest parts of the Nephi books has to be what is known as the Psalm of Nephi, 2 Nephi 4. Lehi, Nephi's beloved father, has just passed away and Nephi is once again faced with his hard of heart, bitter brothers. It was a low point to be sure and Nephi is pouring out his soul in prayer. After sharing his deepest feelings of frustration and despair, Nephi's feeling began to change. He began to share some of the most poignant and deep questions in the Book of Mormon - one of which was: "Why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?" (2 Nephi 4:26)
There are times when each of us can relate to Nephi's discouragement. Adversity arises, circumstances change, challenges come, and those we love make choices that break our hearts. We feel alone and we are filled with despair. In such moments, it would be well for us to echo Nephi's rallying cry: "Why should my heart weep?" Nephi chose to recognize the Lord's blessings to him and the support and strength he had received through all of his trials. His desperate cries turned to praise for the Lord and rejoicing in His goodness.
Focusing on our blessings can help us avoid self-pity, doubt, and feelings of hopelessness. Counting our blessings creates a humility in us that aids us in being able to better recognize the abundance of blessings we have received. Expressing gratitude in moments of despair may provide us a great spiritual boost and help us move forward with improved perspective and hope. Nephi focused on the goodness of God towards him in the past and he also did something else. He turned to God for strength in the present saying: "May the gates of Hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!" I would hope that Nephi's great example will serve to remind us that we may, and should, turn to God even when we are in the depths of despair.
That we may continually have broken hearts and contrite spirits allowing us to turn, and focus on Him who has all healing to offer, all strength to offer, all solace to provide, and an infinite willingness and ability to carry our burdens. Wow! Was the Book of Mormon written for us in our day or what? Thank you for making it an integral part of your daily studies and approaching it's study with intensity and a great hungering and thirsting for its teachings, doctrine, and spirit of revelation.
With all my love, prayers, and sustaining blessings,
President Clark
I am so pleased with the great enthusiasm the Book of Mormon reading challenge has generated in you. This is clearly "for a wise purpose in Him" and I thank so many of you for sharing your spiritual discoveries. They are in there in such abundance and I continue to marvel how the Book was written for us, in our day.
One of the sweetest parts of the Nephi books has to be what is known as the Psalm of Nephi, 2 Nephi 4. Lehi, Nephi's beloved father, has just passed away and Nephi is once again faced with his hard of heart, bitter brothers. It was a low point to be sure and Nephi is pouring out his soul in prayer. After sharing his deepest feelings of frustration and despair, Nephi's feeling began to change. He began to share some of the most poignant and deep questions in the Book of Mormon - one of which was: "Why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?" (2 Nephi 4:26)
There are times when each of us can relate to Nephi's discouragement. Adversity arises, circumstances change, challenges come, and those we love make choices that break our hearts. We feel alone and we are filled with despair. In such moments, it would be well for us to echo Nephi's rallying cry: "Why should my heart weep?" Nephi chose to recognize the Lord's blessings to him and the support and strength he had received through all of his trials. His desperate cries turned to praise for the Lord and rejoicing in His goodness.
Focusing on our blessings can help us avoid self-pity, doubt, and feelings of hopelessness. Counting our blessings creates a humility in us that aids us in being able to better recognize the abundance of blessings we have received. Expressing gratitude in moments of despair may provide us a great spiritual boost and help us move forward with improved perspective and hope. Nephi focused on the goodness of God towards him in the past and he also did something else. He turned to God for strength in the present saying: "May the gates of Hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!" I would hope that Nephi's great example will serve to remind us that we may, and should, turn to God even when we are in the depths of despair.
That we may continually have broken hearts and contrite spirits allowing us to turn, and focus on Him who has all healing to offer, all strength to offer, all solace to provide, and an infinite willingness and ability to carry our burdens. Wow! Was the Book of Mormon written for us in our day or what? Thank you for making it an integral part of your daily studies and approaching it's study with intensity and a great hungering and thirsting for its teachings, doctrine, and spirit of revelation.
With all my love, prayers, and sustaining blessings,
President Clark
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