Lessons from the Scriptures

Yesterday in Sunday School the instructor asked people to share their favorite scriptures. My life has been so seriously impacted by the scriptures that I couldn’t be quiet or it would have felt like a sin not to share.

I have way too many favorites to choose just one, but I did. The ones that came to my mind weren’t necessarily my favorites, but rather scriptures that the Lord led me to in answer to prayer or to teach me something that I needed to understand.

2 Nephi 2:1-2 is where Lehi knew he was about to die and gave blessings to all his children. In these verses he said:

And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.

Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

Wow! He consecrates our afflictions for our gain! That means that our challenges are really a blessing. At the time of this teaching moment I was struggling to understand why one of my sons had such a difficult time with certain things when the same things came so easily for the other kids. It felt so unfair. I learned that the Lord didn’t give my son (or any of us) trials and challenges to make him suffer or to punish him, but to bless him.

I guess it does make sense that we need trials to make us strong. If everything came easy to us we would never be challenged or learn to overcome anything. The hard things we go through in life humble us so the Lord can shape us into people who are useful to Him. From the day I read this I came to understand that the Lord loved my son enough to give him challenges and trials so He could mold him to be the kind of man He needed him to be.

Another scripture that taught me a great lesson was found while doing home school and scripture study with my son while he was in junior high. We were reading in Moses 6 when the Lord came to Enoch and told him that He was angry with the people because their hearts had waxed hard and their ears were dull of hearing. He told Enoch to prophesy unto the people and to call them unto repentance. In verse 31 it says:

And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.

My son could relate to this and mentioned that he had felt scared to speak to people too. We talked about it and looked up the footnotes and learned so much. Moses, Enoch, Jeremiah and other great prophets felt unqualified to do what the Lord asked them to do. They felt they were slow of speech, hated, dumb, having a slow tongue, and too young for the people to listen to them. The Lord knew otherwise and called them regardless.

In Exodus 4:10 even Moses felt inadequate when the Lord called on him:

And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

In verses 12 and 15 the Lord’s answer was:
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth…and will teach you what ye shall do.

Moses was obedient and the Lord molded Moses into a great man.

In Jeremiah 1:6-9 Jeremiah told the Lord:

Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

I totally loved learning from theses scriptures that even the Lord’s chosen haven’t felt up to the task. The key is that they were willing to be obedient and let the Lord make of them what He knew they were capable of becoming.

Some of the greatest talks I have ever heard came from the mouths of humble people who didn't necessarily have great speaking skills, but instead were filled with the Spirit. That's what really matters.

President Monson said, “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.” I know this is true, for the Lord has called me to do things that were frightening to me and has taught me how to do them with His help. I hope to become more like Enoch, Moses, Jeremiah, and others who listened to the Lord and with faith put their fears aside and became a tool in the Lord’s hands!