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Getting Through the Wilderness



Come Follow Me (1 Nephi 16-22)


I love that God teaches in patterns. A free associating brain like mine has a much easier time connecting the dots with patterns. Maybe it's a human thing.


The word of God is symbolized in this curious ball which mysteriously shows up the morning Lehi's family has been instructed to break camp and go elsewhere. At first glance, an idle observer can't imagine this exotic artifact has such a crucial purpose.


You have to open it to get it to work.


But so many other patterns are instructive as you watch this family navigate with their new device.


Pattern 1 - the ball led the family "in the more fertile parts of the wilderness" (1 Nephi 16:16).

The word of God keeps us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness of mortality. To stay in these fertile parts is to remain spiritually focused, not allowing the temporal enticements of mortal living to draw us away from our eternal purpose and mission.


A spiritual focus is an eternal focus - intentionally looking - peering hard when we're out of practice - at the goodness of God in our lives - even if temporally we are in the middle of a wilderness of adversity. Spiritual focus makes the wilderness of mortality more rich and abundant.


Within days of this valuable tool of help and guidance appearing, the temporal wilderness of Lehi's family gets just a little more fun when Nephi's bow breaks. Ironic timing much? Here comes the family's first test of faith after the liahona appears, and the only one who thinks to use it to help them is Nephi.


What a beautiful example of Christ-like love. In all his proactivity of urging the family to remain faithful and creating a makeshift bow, Nephi still turns to his prophet father - a man who shifted his own spiritual focus to temporal for just a little minute (hunger can do strange things to people) - and asked him - as the priesthood leader - where he should search for food.


Pattern 2 - the Lord directs us into the scriptures - His word - for answers to our problems.

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord said unto [Lehi]: Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written." (1 Nephi 16:26)


I wonder how many times I could've received better help and more clear answers from the Lord by being more present and engaged in my scriptures. Or here's one for you: by opening them. Because Nephi makes this stunning realization as his father turns to the ball per the Lord's instructions:


Pattern 3 - the scriptures give us guidance and reveal God's will in our lives

"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." (1 Nephi 16:28)


According to faith and diligence. Faith looks like entering with an intention to do something about what you learn. Diligence looks like keeping at it if you don't get an answer as fast as it shows in Book of Mormon videos, and if it takes a while to see if you're serious (see what faith looks like). Diligent also looks like starting over again when you've been less than faithful and diligent. Diligent isn't 100%. Diligence is 100% starting again. Again and again and again.


Pattern 4 - we get insight from the scriptures sometimes with new thoughts and ideas.

"And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to 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." (1 Nephi 16:29)


Okay this might be my favorite part. New writing? Changed from time to time? What's all this? From a book with the same words written it from thousands of years ago?


The Holy Ghost is able to give us this "new writing" because of our consistent and diligent effort - according to our faith.


Savor every word of this eloquent testimony of "new writing" from Corrie Ten Boom as she writes her witness of the power the Bible gave her in a concentration camp:


"Sometimes I would slip the Bible from its little sack with hands that shook, so mysterious had it become to me. It was new; it had just been written. I marveled sometimes that the ink was dry." (Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place)


My fondest prayer for any human who wants to open our modern-day ball of curious workmanship would be this: to discover the same mystery, and as they journey through God's dealings with His children as they read, come to marvel that the ink is dry.







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