Armed With Righteousness

In his recent conference talk, Elder Bednar said this: “I invite you to consider the blessings promised to covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ. For example, Nephi ‘beheld the church of the Lamb of God [in the latter days], and its numbers were few, … the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions … were small.’ He also ‘beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, … and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.’” He then made this interesting comment about that verse: “The phrase ‘armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory’ is not simply a nice idea or an example of beautiful scriptural language. Rather, these blessings are readily evident in the lives of countless latter-day disciples of the Lord.” He then gave examples of people he has met in whom he saw the fulfillment of this scripture and he summarized them this way: “I have witnessed faith, courage, perspective, persistence, and joy that extend far beyond mortal capacity—and that only God could provide.” I love how he sought to see the fulfillment of this scripture in reality today. I think too often I see the words of ancient prophets as only “beautiful scriptural language” and don’t look hard enough to see the words in application in my life and that of others.

                This scripture, 1 Nephi 14:14, is one that I have read and pondered many times, but I don’t know that I have really considered its fulfillment own life. As I think about the phrase “armed with righteousness” it makes me think of my youth. I was in large measure kept from the many ways kids my age then found trouble and sin and fell into the traps of the adversary. I credit that to the Lord’s protection as I sought my best to keep my covenants of baptism. I don’t have any really interesting stories to tell, but perhaps that is the point: the Lord armed me with righteousness—His righteousness, not my own—and kept me from wickedness as I sought to keep His commandments. And I know it was the same for many of my friends. I believe we stayed out of serious trouble because the Lord armed us with His protection and power as we did our best to keep our covenants with the Savior.

                For me the most obvious cross-reference to this scripture are these words in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple: “And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22). As we go to the temple and keep the covenants we make there I know we receive an added measure of His power to help us in our difficulties. I can think of many times going to the temple and feeling strengthened and inspired and given ideas about the challenges I was facing at the time. I was able to participate in a session again this morning and felt inspiration for how to better deal with what is worrying  me at the moment. I know that the temple is a place where we indeed get armed with righteousness and power and glory, and surely it was at least part of what Nephi saw and was thinking about when he had his great vision of the last days. And I know that the Lord does in reality help and empower and arm us to face all of our challenges as we keep our covenants with Him. Elder Bednar left us with this simple testimony: “I testify and promise that honoring covenants arms us with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”