Seek Ye the Lord

To my daughter, 

                In our Come, Follow Me reading this week we studied the books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. In each of these books we find an invitation to seek the Lord in our lives and trust in Him. In Nahum we read, “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him…. O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows; for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off” (Nahum 1:7, 15). Nahum was invited the people of Judah to trust in the Lord and keep the law of Moses, seeking the Lord through the prescribed feasts and vows and performances of the law. For us, this would be an invitation to worship Him in the manner prescribed today, e.g. partaking of the Sacrament, keeping the Sabbath Day holy, going to the temple, praying, and studying His holy word. In the next book the prophet Habakkuk sought the Lord by asking Him some questions and listening for His answers. He said after questioning the Lord, “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved” (Habakkuk 2:1). I love that attitude of asking the Lord and then waiting and watching for an answer from Him. Habakkuk did indeed receive an answer, and he later wrote, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places” (Habakkuk 3:18-19). As we seek the Lord earnestly through prayer, we will find answers and joy in Him like this ancient prophet.

                The prophet Zephaniah warned of destruction for the wicked but gave hope to the righteous. He invited us in these words, “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3). We should seek the Lord earnestly through prayer and the study of His words and strive to live with righteousness. We should not be “men that are settled on their lees,” meaning that we are complacent and indifferent about improving our lives (Zephaniah 1:12). But if we seek the Lord with meekness, Zephaniah gave a marvelous promise of the blessings that would come: “The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more…. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:15, 17). At the Second Coming the Lord will destroy the wicked and the righteousness will remain on the earth. We will then have the Lord in our midst if we have kept our covenants with Him. Can you imagine having the Savior literally with us so we could see Him and talk to Him!? That will be a great day indeed if we have prepared. But even before then, we have the promise of His Spirit to be with us as we seek Him earnestly through keeping His commandments and remembering Him. I hope that you will strive to follow the invitation of these three prophets, seeking the Lord earnestly and looking for Him in your prayers, scripture study, and worship at church. I know that the greatest joys in life will come not from the material possessions we acquire but from our relationship with the Lord as He fills us with His Spirit and His love. 

Love,

Dad