They Did Not Realize That It Was the Lord

During a period of relative peace in the final years of the Nephite society Mormon went forth to preach to the people. He recorded, “And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance” (Mormon 3:3). The Come, Follow Me manual this week comments on this passage in these words: “Mormon recorded a weakness he saw in the Nephites: they failed to acknowledge the ways the Lord had blessed them. President Henry B. Eyring urged us ‘to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. … Pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? … I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized.’” This quotation from President Eyring comes from an oft-quoted talk in general conference he gave in 2007 about remembering and recognizing the blessings of the Lord in our lives. As I reread this talk this morning and thought about Mormon’s statement, I was led to wonder how often I too have “not realize[d] that it was the Lord” who had blessed me when I received help in this or that circumstance. As I have heard it suggested before, surely the Lord who tells us “when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” similarly does not always sound a trumpet when He has aided us in our lives (3 Nephi 13:3). President Eyring suggests that it takes pondering and reflecting each day to see what the Lord has done for us; otherwise we too will often not realize when help or success or blessings have come from the Lord.

               Surely this practice of making the effort to see and remember the workings of the Lord in our lives is key to our spiritual survival. The title of President Erying’s above talk is “O Remember, Remember” a phrase that is repeated several times in the Book of Mormon. Samuel the Lamanite urged the Nephites to remember their freedom to choose: “And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free” (Helaman 14:30). King Benjamin exhorted his people to use that agency to choose to keep the commandments in these words: “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41). Alma similarly taught Helaman to remember the commandments, “O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 37:13). We must never forget that we can always choose how we use our agency, and ultimate happiness depends on choosing to keep the commandments. As we seek to follow President Erying’s counsel each day we should look to see and remember how the Lord has blessed us for our efforts to keep His commandments.   

Most importantly, Helaman implored his sons to remember the Savior: “O remember, remember, my sons… that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come…. And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation” (Helaman 5:9, 12). As we remember more frequently the Savior and the great universal blessings of the gospel, His atoning sacrifice, and His resurrection, surely we will be more apt to see the personal blessings He grants us each day as we overcome difficulty through Him. President Eyring testified of Him and invited us in these words, “The Savior, who promised that the Holy Ghost would come, is the beloved, glorified Son of our Heavenly Father. Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember Him.”