The Lord is Involved in Our LIves

This morning as I was studying 2 Nephi 28, I was impressed with that simple idea.

In John Hilton's book Please Pass the Scriptures, he mentions a way to study the scriptures that involves highlighting words that stand out to you--regardless of the punctuation, words in between those words, etc. Basically, you read the written words with the purpose of marking those words the Lord wants you to pay attention to at that moment. That was a new concept to me, but as I've done that, I've felt such a sweetness from the Lord each day.

Today I was reading verse 1 of chapter 28, and these words stood out: "...the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass." This reminded me of times in my life when I have felt distinct impressions from the Lord concerning what I am capable of doing/becoming; however, when "life" happens, and when the adversary tries to discourage me, it's hard to understand how the Lord is ever going to make something out of all my weaknesses.

Then I looked down in verse 3 and highlighted, "I am the Lord's." As long as I see myself as His, and as long as we all see ourselves as His, we will know that OF COURSE He will make something out of us.

In verse 6, I emphasized on the words that teach truth: "there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord...believe it...he is...a God of miracles; he work[s]."

I once listened to a seminar by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson in which she challenged us to think about our beliefs and ask ourselves the right questions. One question I want to ask based on this scripture is, "If we were to believe the Lord is intimately involved in our lives, what would we change?"

I know I wouldn't doubt anymore.

I would turn to Him every single time I felt stressed instead of getting frustrated.

I would move forward with more confidence.

I would do everything I could to help others understand His love, too.

These are the ideas I am going to think about today as I tackle the busy things ahead of me. I feel like there are a million things I need to get done today, and I wonder if all this running around is going to get me where I most need to be. I need to trust that the Lord is involved. He will help me know what to do with my time and energy.

I love Him so much.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 8

This section is one of my favorites--mainly because I need it all the time.

Verse 1 tells us that "assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive..."

This promise means a lot to me because there is SO MUCH I don't know. I am grasping at straws some days--trying to figure out how to be a better person or trying to communicate better with my spouse and children.

Will the Lord REALLY help me receive the knowledge I need? This section teaches us that the answer is yes.

Elder Scott's talk from this past General Conference reminds us that if we were to receive all the knowledge we need simply by asking, we would become weak. We need to struggle to receive revelation. We need to act on one prompting at a time and move forward, doing what the Lord instructs us to do.

Verse 3 teaches that we will be told in our minds and in our hearts that which the Spirit wants to teach us.

It is a gift from the Lord to be able to receive revelation, but as we learn in verse 4, we must "apply unto it." My goal is to seek revelation, to listen to promptings, and to act on those promptings.

Verses 9 and 10 are also so beautiful. They remind us not to doubt, but to trust in the power of God. He WILL give us knowledge.