We Can Do All Things in the Strength of the Lord

One of the most powerful messages of the Book of Mormon is summarized in this statement from King Lamoni after his miraculous conversion, “I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things” (Alma 20:4).  Many of the stories of the book attest to this fact that with God’s help we can accomplish anything He needs us to, not the least of which is the story from which this statement comes: the missionary labors of Ammon and his brethren among the Lamanites.  They were originally discouraged by their fellow Nephites who said to the would be missionaries, “Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning?” (Alma 26:24)  Despite this overwhelming consensus among their brethren that missionary success among the Lamanites was impossible, they went forth in the strength of the Lord, worked mighty miracles, and had great success in bringing them to the knowledge of the truth.

                Another example of the same kind of impossible task being accomplished despite opposition is that of Nephi building a boat at Bountiful.  Like the sons of Mosiah he was similarly discouraged by his brethren, who said to him, “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” (1 Nephi 17:19).  They mocked him for even trying to do what they viewed as impossible given Nephi’s abilties, but Nephi could not be dissuaded because he knew the Lord would help him.  He proclaimed to them, “If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done” (1 Nephi 17:50).  And he did it—with the Lord’s help he built a ship that carried them across the ocean that was so good that even his brothers “beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” (1 Nephi 18:4). 

This of course was not Nephi’s first time accomplishing with the Lord’s help what had seemed to be impossible to his brothers.  When the angel told them to go back to Jerusalem to face Laban again (after failing twice), Laman and Lemuel had doubted with these words: “How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?”  Nephi had responded with characteristic faith in the Lord: “Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?”  If the Lord commanded it, he could do it.  And he did just that, retrieving the plates from Laban and returning back to his family safely.  Nephi lived what Lamoni had stated so well: “In the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things.” 

Many other stories in the Book of Mormon similarly show how the faithful can do incredible things with the Lord’s help.  The brother of Jared moved the mountain Zerin through his faith.  Alma and Amulek were able to escape miraculously from the prison in Ammonihah because of their trust in the Lord.  Through their faith the stripling warriors were able to all survive multiple fierce battles despite all being wounded.  Nephi raised his brother from the dead amidst a grossly wicked people.  And, perhaps most miraculously of all, the people were able to create a Zion society and live in peace and love in righteousness for about 200 years.  All of these stories testify that there is nothing we can’t do with the Lord’s help.