I Could Do Them
As I read 1 Nephi 17 today, I was struck by how much faith and confidence Nephi had despite such a difficult task he had before him. Faced with brothers who knew him well and yet still did not believe he could build a ship, Nephi showed incredible trust that through the Lord’s help he would be able to do it. Laman and Lemuel said to him, “Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters…. We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work” (v17, 19). Undeterred, Nephi recounted Israelite history and then declared to his brothers, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship. And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he...