Nephi's Submissiveness

In Helaman 10, Nephi received a remarkable blessing from the Lord to have power over the elements.  He was told, “Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people. Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven” (Helaman 10:6-7).  The Lord trusted him so much that He gave him the sealing power, knowing that he would not do anything contrary to the will of the Lord.  This came after many years of preaching to both the Nephites and the Lamanites, with both rejection and great success.  Around this time the people were particularly wicked, and Nephi observed the great “work of destruction and wickedness” that was taking place among the Nephites.  Being pained for the wickedness, and surely remembering the Lord’s promise to him, Nephi sought for the very thing that the Lord had mentioned he might possibly ask for: a famine.  He prayed in great sincerity, “O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee” (Helaman 11:2-4).  Despite the promise that whatever he desired would be done, Nephi’s request was still a heartfelt, humble plea to the Lord for His hand to control the elements.    

            We see this continued humble way that Nephi sought the Lord’s blessings for his people as he requested the famine to be ended.  When Nephi saw that the people had indeed repented because of the sore famine in the land, he pled for the famine to be ended.  His words were full of humility and earnest supplication to the Lord that He might bless again the people: “O Lord, behold this people repenteth….  Now, O Lord, because of this their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger….  O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land….  O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth….  O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented….  And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said” (Helaman 11:10-16).  The phrase “O Lord” was repeated eight times in these verses, indicating that Nephi, even though he had been granted the sealing power, was still humble and seeking to do the will of the Lord.  He had no misunderstanding about where power over the elements really came from.  Though presumably he could have simply made the demand and it would have been granted because the Lord had promised it, Nephi still knew his place before God and approached him in powerful pleadings without the slightest hint that he felt the request had to be granted.  He had a great reverence for the Lord and showed that in his earnest and submissive language before God.  Nephi could have perhaps felt entitled to the blessings he was asking for since he had been told he already had control over the elements, and yet he still approached the Lord as a meek servant.  His example shows us how much more we—who do not have the sealing power—should approach the Lord in humility and earnestness without any sense of entitlement.  We should not see the Lord “as a butler ‘who meets [our] needs when summoned’” but we must view Him as the great God of heaven, approaching Him in total submissiveness as Nephi did.