This week in my religion class, my teacher put a quote up on the board at the beginning of class that really struck me; “Faith is more than just a feeling, it is also a choice.” He pointed out that faith is not just something that is given to us, but it is also something that we must strive for and consciously work to have. Sometimes, we do not know where we are going or what we need to do next. We may have no idea how things will work out or what is right, but if we keep the commandments and trust in the Lord and choose to have faith, choose to keep going, then the Lord will bless us. One of the presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”), Howard W. Hunter, taught, “I am aware that life presents many challenges, but with the help of the Lord, we need not fear. If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong.” As it says in Isaiah 12:2, which Nephi quotes in 2 Nephi 22:2, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.”
The Book of Mormon is full of examples of faith.
This principle is displayed in 1 Nephi 17. Nephi (one of the writers of the Book of Mormon) and his family, who have fled Jerusalem, have reached the sea, where they are camped. Nephi is commanded by the Lord to build a ship, “that [the Lord] may carry [his] people across the waters (1 Nephi 17:8).” Now, Nephi has no idea how to build a boat. However, he does not question the Lord’s command for him. His faith reminded me again of something that he had said earlier: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (1 Nephi 3:7).”
To quote my teacher again, when faced with a situation in which we don’t know how to act, we need to “start with what we know and move forward with faith.” Nephi, upon receiving the commandment to build the ship, simply starts with something small, something that he understands: tools. He may not have known how to build a ship, but he does realize that he needs certain tools that he does not have. So, he asks the Lord. “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me (1 Nephi 17:9)?” He is directed by the Lord, and, after this first step, this acting on his faith, he is shown by the Lord how to build a ship.
Through prayer we take action and show our faith in the Lord.
Another principle is portrayed in this chapter: the difference between acting and being acted upon. This is shown through the different ways in which Nephi and his two brothers (Laman and Lemuel) handle this situation. When Nephi is commanded to build a boat, he acts upon this commandment immediately. His brothers, however, simply question. “Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord (1 Nephi 17:17-18).” The Lord gave them another trial, another chance to make the right decision, another chance to grow, and still they don’t. And yet the Lord’s will (the outcome) is unchanged. The boat is built, and even Laman and Lemuel are brought to believe: “And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord (1 Nephi 18:4).”
Not only do I know that the Lord will bless us if we exercise our faith, but I know that He gives many different opportunities to exercise that faith, so that we can grow more like Him. As my teacher said, “God isn’t just interested in where you’re going, but in who you’re becoming.” I know that we are all children of God, and that he loves us so much, and wants the very best for us. I am so happy that I have His gospel in my life, and that I know He loves me. That knowledge has changed my life – and it has changed it infinitely for the better.
By Shelise R.
Shelise is a student studying English at BYU. She enjoys reading, writing, drawing, and hanging out with her friends, among other things.
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I like what you said about starting with what you have when you are gaining faith. In Alma 32 of The Book of Mormon the prophet Alma teaches about how to obtain faith in the word of God–the scriptures, words of the prophets, etc. He says that the one of the initial steps to gaining faith in the word of God is simply by finding out if it is good. If the words written in the scriptures are good you will feel that they are good. Alma says that if these words are good then they will “enlarge [your ] soul” and “enlighten [your] understanding.” Once we gain a belief that the word of God is good, then we can build off of that and find out for ourselves if it is true. This principle that Alma taught is the same that you talked about. We need to start small, and build off the things that we know. If we feel that what the scriptures teach are good things, then we can build off of that belief and gain faith that they are true.