My Testimony of the Book of Mormon

President Nelson reiterated his invitation to prepare for the upcoming general conference in this post on New Year’s Day.  In addition to encouraging us to study Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision, to answer questions about the blessings of the Restoration, to make a plan for our preparation, and to in general immerse ourselves in the “glorious light of the Restoration” (all items he mentioned in his October talk), President Nelson also added another invitation related to these: “We invite you to be a major part in sharing the message of the ongoing Restoration of the Savior’s gospel.”  So in that spirit, I’d like to share today part of why I love the Book of Mormon.

               I believe with all my heart that the people in the Book of Mormon were real and that their experiences and testimonies have profound lessons for me in my life personally.  I have been inspired on countless occasions by the record of their lives, teachings, and testimonies.  Here are a few examples of passages that have had great significance for me:

·     “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases…. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:5-8).  My testimony of Jesus Christ was born and nurtured through the witness of Him in the Book of Mormon.  I distinctly remember reading this passage in a teaching opportunity my freshman year of school and feeling the witness of the Holy Ghost confirm that these words of King Benjamin are true.  Christ did come down to earth as the Son of God, work mighty miracles, and atone for our sins.  Countless passages such as this one have sunk deep into my soul confirming, as Moroni declared in the Title Page, “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”

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      “And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded 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; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led” (1 Nephi 17:3,13).  One of the memories from my mission that stands out to me is sitting with a destitute man from the war-torn country of Chad in an abandoned building where he was squatting (complete with live wires running dangerously about).  My companion and I sat there with him and read from 1 Nephi 17, offering him this promise of the Lord.  Even with his seemingly insurmountable problems, we gave him Nephi’s testimony that the Lord will indeed nourish and strengthen and bless us when we keep His commandments.  God doesn’t always take away our problems but he provides a way through them if we will cling to Him and His commandments.  I don’t know what happened to this man, but I never read this passage without thinking of him.  And I know for myself from my experiences and the Book of Mormon witness that He will indeed provide a path through all our difficulties to happiness and peace if we keep His commandments.  Nephi’s witness has given me this resolve of his final words: “I must obey” (2 Nephi 33:15).     

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      “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).  There is probably no other chapter of the Book of Mormon I have read more frequently than Ether 12—whenever I have a day where I really need encouragement and strength from the Lord I read this.  As Moroni came face to face with his weaknesses, he powerfully invited us to come unto the Savior in order to overcome them.  He will make weak things become strong to us and through our faith in Jesus Christ we can do all things.  The brother of Jared moved a mountain, Alma and Amulek caused a prison to tumble to the earth, and the sons of Mosiah brought thousands to the knowledge of the truth.  And Moroni’s witness is that we can likewise work miracles if we “first believe in the Son of God” (Ether 12:18).  Or as King Lamoni said so succinctly, “In the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things” (Alma 20:4). 

I love the Book of Mormon and its witness over and over again that through faith in Jesus Christ we can conquer all of life’s challenges.  Through Him we can find that joy with is given to “the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness” (Alma 27:18).  Moroni’s words encapsulate the powerful invitation of the whole Book of Mormon: “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever” (Ether 12:41).