The Power of Deliverance

In the first chapter of the Book of Mormon, Nephi told us one of the purposes or goals of what he would write.  He said, “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).  This was stated in the context of the great dangers that Lehi faced because the Jews that he preached to “were angry with him” and “sought his life, that they might take it away.”  Nephi wanted to show that the Lord saved Lehi’s group again and again, preserving their lives as they journeyed to the promised land.  They survived this miraculous, decade-long expedition from Jerusalem to the Americas because the Lord delivered them at each critical juncture.  And it was largely because of the faith of Nephi that the mercies of the Lord were with them to preserve them. 

                All throughout the journey of Lehi’s group the Lord preserved and delivered them from death.  Lehi was saved at the very beginning as the Lord warned him to leave in the first place:“And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 2:2).  When Nephi and his brothers went back to get the plates he came near to being killed by Laman and Lemuel: “And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them” (1 Nephi 3:29).  The angel saved Nephi, and then because of Nephi’s faith he was able to go back into Jerusalem and Laban was delivered into his hands miraculously.  After their second trip back to Jerusalem, Laman and Lemuel again sought to kill Nephi: “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.  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” (1 Nephi 7:16-17).  It was exactly as Nephi told us in 1 Nephi 1:20—because of his faith the Lord delivered him and he was able to break his bands and humble his brothers.  As they traveled southward they risked death again when Nephi’s bow broke, but the faith of Nephi enabled Lehi to get the revelation he needed through the Liahona and Nephi to get food. He told us, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them….  And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families” (1 Nephi 16:28, 31).  Again it was his faith that delivered him.  They spent eight years in the wilderness, and Nephi summarized it this way: “And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children….  And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them” (1 Nephi 17:2-3).  They were miraculously preserved and able to bear children because of the Lord’s mercy. 

                As they continued their travels, the incredible deliverance for Nephi likewise continued.  In Bountiful when Laman and Lemuel again got the urge to kill Nephi, they couldn’t do it because of the Lord’s protection: “They were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea….  I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed” (1 Nephi 17:48).  Because of his powerful faith Nephi was able to build a ship and get the help of and protection from his brothers.  And then again on the ship when they tied him up and tried to kill him, it was Nephi’s faith that was able to get the compass working and continue to sail them to the promised land.  The Lord delivered their group once again from certain death.  In my mind Nephi certainly did what he set out to do in writing his account: over and over again he showed us that the power of deliverance is given by the Lord to those who have faith in Him.  Certainly the challenges we face today are vastly different than what Nephi and his family faced, but the principle remains the same: the tender mercies of the Lord will be upon the faithful.