Jesus turned to Nephi and asked to see the records he had been writing.
Nephi retrieved them and handed them to the Lord.
Christ looked through some of the pages, scanning for something he knew he wouldn’t find.
He turned to Nephi, filled with love.
“I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. Was it not so?”
Nephi and the others eagerly responded.
“Yea, Lord!”
And then Jesus looked right at Nephi.
“How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?”
Nephi’s heart was likely pierced with guilt.
He had forgotten to write about that. He had written other descriptions, but not for this specific prophecy.
Maybe he had actively chosen to write about different prophecies. Maybe he had meant to write that in later. Maybe it honestly had slipped his mind as he recorded their history.
But ultimately, it had not happened.
Guilt might have started to overpower him. The Savior of the world uncovering a mistake he had made.
But what did Jesus do?
He commanded that the fulfillment of that previously omitted prophecy should be written.
And so it was written.
What I’ve learned time and time again is that my Savior doesn’t want me to wallow in self-pity and excessive guilt or shame.
He is so good at helping me see my faults, my mistakes, my weaknesses.
But after the exposure, after the piercing guilt…
All he really wants is for me to change.
Sometimes it’s as simple as writing something down that was forgotten.
And other times it takes a lifetime of feeling that guilt, trying again, omitting again, and then repeating.
But after every fall, after every moment I’m reminded of my weakness, he invites me to get back up and fix it.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
One Response
It was not like Nephi didn’t have anything going on in his life. There was a huge storm, days of darkness, time of cleaning up, hard work as a prophet, the Lord coming. And then the Lord reminds him of this omission in the record and had him add it.
I am reminded that the Lord really wanted records kept. Having a family and being a very busy mom makes it so hard for me to keep a journal or write spiritual experiences. The Lord knows that. But He still expects me to try to do that. I’m afraid he will have many of these to point out to me. But I am still trying to do my best as I know Nephi was doing. And Jesus knew it and helped him just like he will for me.