"Take Counsel From His Hand"

Dear Sisters,

Hope you are having a good week with all these “April Showers” and the beautiful green that follows.

I have been thinking about how sometimes the answers to our prayers may come through a different process than we expect.  My husband, Douglas and I were talking about this, and he shared a profound example of this found in the Book of Mormon when poor Nephi was bound with strong cords by his older brothers: (1 Ne 7:16-18)

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 16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

 17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

 18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again.

Nephi’s righteous desire, expressed through faith-filled prayer was a plea that the Lord would deliver him from the hands of his brothers.  His idea was that the Lord would strengthen him, and he would be able to physically break the bands.  Honestly, I have always pictured that that is exactly what happened, but as you read closely in verse 18, as he turned to the Lord in faith, the bands were not broken, but “loosed”, not necessarily because Nephi broke them with his strength, but because the Lord loosened them as a result of Nephi’s faith.

Sometimes, we have a vision, and a plan that makes sense in our mind of how we will achieve it, and I really feel that the Lord blesses us with the righteous desires of our hearts; however, the time-table and the process of achieving our desires may be quite different than what we planned.  We are blessed as we listen to the promptings of the spirit, and allow the Lord to direct our lives.

 10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.

From time to time, I catch myself giving the Lord “my agenda” in my prayers, and I forget he is and should be at the helm, directing my life for good.  He’s the master creator and he knows what is best for me.  I’m going to work on taking counsel from Him, because He truly is wise, merciful, and just.

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Hope you have a lovely day!

Sincerely,

Lydia