The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Nephi, a prophet in the ancient Americas whose history and revelations are found in the Book of Mormon, says in 2 Nephi 32:3, “Feast upon the words of Christ; … behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” The warm and peaceful spirit I feel when I read the scriptures is the Holy Spirit, confirming to me the truthfulness of the words. How do I know this? Ether, another ancient American prophet whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon, says in Ether 4:11-12:

“He that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good. And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me.”

The Book of Mormon is a ‘Safe Harbor’

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, said:

“Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’ (Moroni 10:32).” [1] 

The Book of Mormon is a comforting friend and a safe harbor. Often when I read the verses inside, it is like they are speaking directly to me. I know the Book of Mormon is true, but not from a single, powerful spiritual witness. Of gaining a testimony—or a witness that the Book of Mormon is true—Elder Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (a governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ), said:

 “My experience has been that a testimony does not burst upon us suddenly. Rather it grows, as Alma said, from a seed of faith. ‘It will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow’ (Alma 32:30). If you nourish it, it will grow; and if you do not nourish it, it will wither (see Alma 32:37–41). Do not be disappointed if you have read and reread and yet have not received a powerful witness. You may be somewhat like the disciples spoken of in the Book of Mormon who were filled with the power of God in great glory ‘and they knew it not’ (3 Ne. 9:20).

“Do the best you can. Think of this verse: ‘See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order’ (Mosiah 4:27).” [2]

This reminds me of a best friend. You don’t meet and become best friends in a day. You can become friends in a day, but true and lasting friendships develop over time. You share experiences, laughter, sorrow, confidences. Over time, the bonds deepen and you become best friends. The Book of Mormon is like a best friend for me. I can open the book in times of need and turn to verses that offer me comfort, insight and guidance. I have heard people say that they opened the scriptures to a random page and found answers to their prayers. While that has happened to me on occasion, more often I have found the answers I seek in the place where I am reading. It is a “safe harbor” where I can find answers, peace and guidance in the words of God.

Life is Hard, Handle with Prayer—and Reading the Book of Mormon

I can’t remember the exact phrase, but I love it: Life is hard, so handle with prayer. I added reading the Book of Mormon because prayer and reading this book of scripture has and continues to sustain me in good times and trials.

Elder Packer said:

“Life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read. Do not let too much time pass before reading a verse, a thought, or a chapter.” [2]

I can always tell when I have slacked off my reading and praying. I am less able to handle the stress of kids, finances, housework and all of the other aspects of life. But when I delve into the scriptures, “feasting upon the words of Christ,” all things seem to fall into place. I have the patience I need with my kids. I am able to accomplish so much more and feel good about what I’ve done—and not stressed that I didn’t do enough.

As Elder Packer said, my testimony of the Book of Mormon didn’t come suddenly with a miraculous event. It has come slowly over time. Each time I read, I feel the spirit of the book and the Holy Spirit in the book. Like a best friend, I can always turn to the Book of Mormon to find the words my Heavenly Father wants me to hear—the answers to my questions, the peace I am seeking, the comfort that I need. And in doing so, my faith in my Heavenly Father increases, and I know that He knows me and loves me.

Read the Book of Mormon Online.

The primary purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Christ. Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days, said:

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” [1]

 Feast upon the Words of Christ

 Nephi, an ancient American prophet whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon, said bringing people to Christ was the purpose of the book. The scripture 2 Nephi 25:26 reads:

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

Nephi also said, in 2 Nephi 33:10:

“And if ye believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.”

If I want my children to have the words of Christ written on their hearts, they have to read them. Well, not just read them, but “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3). What is feasting upon the words of Christ? It is studying the scriptures, in faith, with the purpose of gaining knowledge of the Savior and His teachings—not just to say that you read that day.

Elder Boyd K. Packer, president of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (a governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ), said:

“The central purpose of the Book of Mormon is its testament of Jesus Christ. Of more than 6,000 verses in the Book of Mormon, far more than half refer directly to Him.” [2]

Plain and Precious Truths of Christ in the Book of Mormon

The teachings of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon are plain and precious—by divine design. Alma, another ancient American prophet, said: “I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err” (Alma 5:43).

Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, said:

“The convincing and converting powers of the Book of Mormon come from both a central focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ and the inspired plainness and clarity of its teachings. Nephi declared, ‘My soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn’ (2 Nephi 25:4). The root word plain in this verse does not refer to things that are ordinary or simple; rather, it denotes instruction that is clear and easily understood.

“The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth because it centers upon the Truth (see John 14:6; 1 Nephi 13:40), even Jesus Christ, and restores the plain and precious things that have been taken away from the true gospel (see 1 Nephi 13:26, 28–29, 32, 34–35, 40). The unique combination of these two factors—a focus on the Savior and the plainness of the teachings—powerfully invites the confirming witness of the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. Consequently, the Book of Mormon speaks to the spirit and to the heart of the reader like no other volume of scripture.” [3]

I vividly remember the first time my husband read the scriptures to our oldest child. He took our infant son—who was only weeks old—in his arms and read the Book of Mormon to him. He wanted our son to know the words of the Savior from his infancy. Elder Bednar said:

“Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the ‘familiar spirit’ described by Isaiah (Isaiah 29:4; see also 2 Nephi 26:16).” [3]

We wanted our children to feel the “familiar spirit” of the Book of Mormon so that as they grew up, they would find comfort in the familiar words. As we read the Book of Mormon as a family, my children learn of the Savior and His teachings. My husband and I also encourage our children to read the Book of Mormon on their own. Both family and personal scripture study help our children gain their own testimony of the truths of the Savior. It is not enough for my children to know that I know—they have to know. And the only way they can truly know for themselves is to read it.

Meet Mormons

The Book of Mormon explains that we have the freedom to make our own decisions.

The Book of Mormon is a record of some of the peoples in the ancient Americas and God’s dealings with them. It is also another testament of Jesus Christ and a reminder to look to Him in all things.

I learned to love The Book of Mormon at my father’s feet. Growing up, my parents would get us up at 5:30 in the morning…all 8 kids. And my dad would read to us out of The Book of Mormon. My dad was a great storyteller, and he made the stories in The Book of Mormon come alive for me. After he read, we would discuss what the verses meant, how they related to us in our family and how we could apply what we learned in our own lives. 2 Nephi 25:26 says, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” My parents exemplified that for our family.

I still remember reading in 1 Nephi 3: 29, where an angel tells the brothers of the prophet Nephi, then just a young man, that because of Nephi’s righteousness, he would be made a ruler over them…his older brothers. And my dad saying, “That’s like having Rachel rule over Shelley, Sharon and Lisa.” Being the third in line, that didn’t sound so great to me. I wanted to be righteous so I didn’t have to be ruled by Rachel.

The Book of Mormon begins with the prophet Lehi and his family in Jerusalem about 600 BC. As my dad explained to us, Lehi had money, and his oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel, ran in the popular crowd. Lehi saw a vision and was commanded by God to preach repentance unto the people of Jerusalem, but the people were so wicked they sought to kill him. So the Lord commanded Lehi to take his family and journey into the wilderness to a land of promise, which he did. 1 Nephi 2: 4 says,

And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, his provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.

Lehi and his family had to leave, first of all, because Lehi was in real danger of being killed. But the land of promise, across many waters, was a place that the Lord had reserved as a safe haven for his righteous people as long as they remained righteous. And they took only what they needed with them as a metaphor for their journey: they were leaving behind the world and all of its frivolity, and they didn’t need to take any materialistic reminders with them.

Laman and Lemuel were angry and complained bitterly that they had to leave their friends, home and possessions and go into the wilderness because their dad was a dreamer. Nephi, on the other hand, was obedient and followed his father without murmuring. Sam, the third son—me in my family—was also obedient. So I took comfort in the fact that my counterpart in the story was righteous (sorry Shelley and Sharon).

As a child, I related to things as a child. I saw that Laman and Lemuel were whiners and caused lots of problems and that Nephi was obedient and tried to be a peacemaker. I related to the stories and the people in the stories. I loved reading the scriptures and felt the difference that it made in my life. As I study The Book of Mormon as an adult, I see the deeper complexities in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Jesus Christ, our Savior. From the beginning of the book, Nephi turns to the Lord in his time of need and trusts that the Lord will never let him down. As an adult, I understand how Nephi was able to follow his father and not complain, even when the journey seemed unforgiving and impossible. 1 Nephi 2:16 says,

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know the mysteries of God, wherefore I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore I did not rebel like unto my brothers.

Nephi was a man of great faith who was able to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. This scripture shows us some of the keys to Nephi’s greatness. First, he had a desire to know. Second, he asked the Lord for help. And third, he softened his heart, or in other words, he humbled himself. As I study the qualities that shaped Nephi, I gain a greater understanding of the things that I need to do to achieve “greatness.” I am under no illusion that my greatness will ever be as Nephi’s, but I can find the peace, comfort and happiness that he found. I learn these things by studying the scriptures. Not just reading, but truly studying and applying in my life the things I learn.

My husband and I are trying to instill the same love of scriptures in our children. We have read the scriptures as a family every day for almost 5 years. Up until this school year, we would read at night. This year we decided to read in the morning (7:15 instead of 5:30…I just can’t seem to commit that early). Sometimes we have the kids each read a verse, and sometimes we read to them. But if we ever forget, the kids will remind us. We read and discuss, and hopefully are laying a foundation for our children, so they may know where to look for guidance.

In 2009, we decided to have a yearly family scripture theme (I can’t take credit for the idea…but I loved the idea and decided to implement it in our family). The theme is something that as a family we focus on. We memorize the scripture and say it as a family. All but the youngest can recite these scriptures, reference included, by heart.

This week we are each taking a scripture theme and explaining what they mean and why they are important to our family. That was my idea. We started with 2012’s scripture, which is Mosiah 2:41:

And moreover I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

This scripture has special significance to our family, and specifically my husband, which is the reason it is our theme for this year. My husband’s father died in June 2011, and my husband went to California to say goodbye to his dad and thus was there when his dad died. He was also able to help his mother prepare for the funeral. She asked him to choose a scripture to put on the program. So my husband took his father’s scriptures and looked through them, and he found this verse underlined. So Mosiah 2:41 was the scripture that was on my father-in-law’s funeral program.

Last year we had 2 scripture themes, one of which was Alma 37: 37. Alma 37:37 says,

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings and He will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

I love that scripture because it reminds me to pray always, to look to the Lord in all things and to be grateful for the blessings given to me.

Our family scripture themes remind me, and I hope they remind my children as well, of the things upon which we should be focused.

Life gets hard sometimes. And sometimes the hard times seem to linger longer than we would like. But during those times, as I turn to the scriptures, I find the peace and comfort I am seeking. At one point recently, I was really struggling with one of those hard times. And as I was reading my scriptures I came upon Mosiah 23:21-22, which says, “Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless—whosever putteth his truth in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.” I realized that the Lord was trying my faith and patience, but that I needed to put my trust in him. Then I read in Mosiah 24:13-14, and it seemed that the Lord was talking to me:

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

This brought me a powerful feeling of peace and comfort. The Lord was talking to me directly through this scripture. And he was telling me exactly what I needed to hear. I am very grateful for that. This is not the only time that a verse of scripture I am reading seems to be meant just for me at that very moment in time. I know it is the power of The Book of Mormon that this occurs.

I know that The Book of Mormon is true. I have gained a testimony for myself that it is the word of God to us, to offer comfort and guidance in our times of need, and knowledge of who we are and why we are here on this earth. I invite all earnest seekers of truth to truly study The Book of Mormon, to discover for yourself the power found in its pages. The experiences I have while reading The Book of Mormon help me to understand, in great depth, how much the Lord loves me and cares about me, that he does answer my prayers and he does have a plan for me. I am eternally grateful for the guidance, direction, comfort, peace and knowledge found as I read The Book of Mormon.

This article was written by Lisa Montague, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Additional Resources:

Mormons and the Holy Bible

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Worship with Mormons