He Prepareth a Way

As Nephi struggled with his own weakness and frustration with his brothers, he prayed, “O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy” (2 Nephi 4:33). He asked the Lord to clear the way for him, to allow him to escape from his enemies. At least part of the answer to that came in the next chapter when the Lord led Nephi and the righteous away from the threats of Laman and Lemuel: “They did seek to take away my life. And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me” (2 Nephi 5:4-5). We don’t have all the details of how they were able to leave without Laman and Lemuel protesting or even fighting them, but surely it was a miracle that they were able to depart peacefully with such a big group and remain safe from the evil hands of Laman and Lemuel. Nephi’s prayer had been answered and the Lord had prepared the way for him to escape along with all those who believed the Lord.

               One of the themes of the first two books of Nephi is that indeed the Lord prepares a way for us so long as we keep His commandments. Nephi famously declared to his father about the command to get the plates, “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). Surely the way was prepared by the Lord for him as he miraculously was able to obtain the plates of brass. Nephi also wrote later, “But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words” (1 Nephi 9:6). On their journey across the desert the Lord said unto them, “And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments” (1 Nephi 17:13). Surely that way was prepared in such miracles as their finding the place of Bountiful, a saving oasis in the desert. Nephi also said in his commentary on Isaiah, “And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you” (1 Nephi 22:20). The Lord has indeed prepared a way of salvation for His people.

             Other scriptures in these two books similarly testify that the Lord prepares the way for us as His children. Nephi prophesied of the last days: “At that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 14:17). He also wrote this of the experience of the children of Israel in the wilderness: “He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look” (1 Nephi 17:41). Even though the Lord chastened them for their wickedness, He still prepared a way for their escape. Lehi testified simply, “And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free” (2 Nephi 2:4). Jacob also wrote of the plan of salvation in similar terms: “O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell” (2 Nephi 9:10). God has prepared a way for us to escape both death and hell through Jesus Christ. And ultimately He is the way that God has prepared, and to believe in Him is the way for each of us: “Behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel…. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men…. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 25:29, 31:20-21). We can trust that God has prepared a way for us in our lives to overcome all our challenges as we hold fast to the Way, even Jesus Christ.