The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

President Nelson said this in the most recent general conference: “’Deny not the power of God,’ the prophet Moroni declared, ‘for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men.’ It is our faith that unlocks the power of God in our lives.” He encouraged us to work on increasing our faith so we can have that power in our lives, and he suggested that it is a process that takes significant effort: “Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith…. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort…. Faith takes work.” Faith is not to simply sit around and believe that good things will happen; rather, we must believe and roll up our sleeves to make them happen. And as we start to shovel the dirt to move the mountain, we will find that the Lord is helping us and giving us the power to do it—He provides the miracle if we offer our faith and best efforts.

               Moroni taught us that faith indeed is needed for God to work miracles in our lives. He suggested that if we don’t have miracles it is “because that they dwindle in unbelief”—faith must be present for miracles to occur in our lives. He further elaborated: “Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.” If we truly believe in Christ and do not doubt, He will work miracles in our lives through His power. In this same chapter Moroni referred to the patriarchs: “But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are” (Mormon 9:11, 20-21). I believe that at least one of the reasons he referred to them is that God indeed worked miracles in their lives—He delivered all of them in various ways that showed forth His power. But perhaps another reason that Moroni and others refer to “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” is because their God—our God—required of these three patriarchs great faith. Each of them showed an incredible trust in the Lord where they exercised faith. Abraham left the land of Ur to follow the Lord into the unknown showing faith in God even when wickedness surrounded him. He also ultimately was willing to offer up His son Isaac in complete faith to the Lord’s commands. And Isaac showed incredible faith in that same moment when he let himself become that offering, again trusting fully in the Lord. Isaac also had the faith to marry Rebekah whom he didn’t know as he followed his father’s counsel to not marry a Canaanite but stay in the Lord’s covenant. Jacob also showed faith in marrying in the covenant. He also showed his trust in the Lord when he returned to Canaan under the Lord’s direction despite the danger that might have awaited him from Easu. His faith was so strong that he was met by the angels of God and ultimately could say, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). Surely there are many other examples that we could cite—they were men of great faith. As we seek to have more faith we should remember both their trust in the Lord and the miracles the Lord performed for them. The scriptures emphatically declare that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is our God, and he can work miracles in our lives through our faith just as He did for them.