Obeying God's Commands

In the beginning of 3rd Nephi, we find the land and people in a frightened state. The Gadianton robbers (a group of plundering, murdering thieves) has begun to take over the land and the righteous Nephites and Lamanites fear that nowhere is safe from these murderers who were coming against them in open war and rebellion.

Rather than continuing to fear, the Nephites (including Lamanites turned Nephites) called Gidgiddoni as their chief captain, "someone that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy" (3 Nephi 3:19). Because the Nephites had repented and were strong in the gospel, they recognized it was important to be led by a righteous man who called upon God for strength and guidance. They had faith that God would lead this righteous man and, as a result, them.



Some of the people asked Gidgiddoni to pray unto the Lord to protect as they rashly went up into the mountain to fight against the Gadianton robbers. Understanding that at this point, they would die if they went to fight against the Gadianton robbers, he said that they needed to prepare themselves first. And they did. They listened to Gidgiddoni as he told them to all gather in the center of the land with their flocks and all of their sustenance. They fortified and strengthened themselves physically and spiritually (through repentance, faith, and prayer).

I do not think it was easy for them to do this. I'm sure it was not easy to move everyone to one place and to leave your homes, not knowing if you would ever return. But, the people had faith and it won them the war. Because they had the Lord on their side, they won the war against the Gadianton robbers and were able to erase them entirely from their lands and people (for a time).

Moral of the story: It is not always easy to obey Heavenly Father and his commands. Sometimes we don't even know why we're told to do something (just like the Nephites), but we know that we should do it. If we have faith and prepare ourselves in every way possible, Heavenly Father will use our obedience to open doors for us. He will teach us lessons, He will help our faith to grow beyond what we thought we were capable of.

If Ye Prepare, Ye Shall Not Fear

As we look at the world around us, we can see that troubled times are happening both in and out of our country. For me, contemplating on these troubled times can cause me much anxiety! I know that many of the current events have been foretold in scripture and by revelation from latter-day prophets. The unknown in any of its forms can be unsettling. However, we can take comfort that if we're doing our best to prepare ourselves, we truly should have nothing to fear for the Lord will guide us and direct us.


I was led tonight to contemplate this as I read about the Nephite vs. Lamanite wars that started in Alma chapter 43. The Nephites were faithful in many ways. They knew who their prophet was and trusted in him and the revelations he received from the Lord. In addition to being faithful, they also TOOK ACTION. They did all they could to ensure that they could protect their families, homes, and religion. These Nephites did not just sit at home praying that everything would turn out okay. Nor did they allow the fear in their hearts to take over and keep them from improving themselves.

I'm sure it was NOT easy for them to know that they were severely outnumbered by Nephite-dissenters and Lamanites alike. It must have been incredibly unsettling to be in their situation! I can't even imagine knowing that people who were once your brothers now had an extreme loathing and hatred for you so much so that they wanted nothing more (and nothing less) than to kill you and your families and take your land and substance.

Rather than giving up in such discouraging circumstances, they prayed and went to work.


In a conference talk given by President Thomas S. Monson in April of 1989, he shared a story that gives us insight into this topic:

A mammoth 747 jetliner, while flying over the Pacific, sustained a gigantic tear in its side, ejecting nine passengers to their deaths and threatening the lives of all. When the pilot, Captain David Cronin, was interviewed, having brought the craft back safely to Honolulu, he was asked, “What did you do when the plane ripped open? How did you cope?”

Captain Cronin replied, “I prayed, then went to work.”

My brethren, this is an inspired plan for each of us to follow: Pray, and then go to work.

That is exactly what the Nephites did. They prayed and went to work. They prepared themselves as much as they could with breastplates and shields, armor and weapons of diffent kinds. And you know what? Their preparation frightened the enemy and helped them to win the battle. (Of course it also helped that they turned to their prophet, Alma, for guidance who was able to give them revelation from the Lord of how to win the war. Granted, if they hadn't been spiritually prepared, Alma wouldn't have been able to receive that revelation for the people.)

All of this reminds me of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 38:30, which says "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (President Hinckley addressed the men in a priesthood conference talk so titled which you can find here.) I know that if we are doing our best to uphold God's laws and to keep His commandments, we will be both guided and blessed. Yes, we do live in troubled times as the Nephites did. Let us remain faithful in word and deed. Let us do our best to keep ourselves spiritually and temporally prepared for whatever the future holds.