In the Which Shall Be Shown Forth the Power of God

In the Come, Follow Me lesson this week we find this invitation: “Imagine that you’re talking to a friend who has never heard of the Book of Mormon before. What would you tell him or her about it? How would you try to inspire your friend to read it?” When Moroni was abridging the record of the Jaredites, he gave this aside to talk about the text that would become the Book of Mormon. He wrote how we would know that the record is true: “And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.” First among the witnesses that we have are the Three Witnesses—Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery—and their powerful testimony is found in the beginning of the book. But in addition, we have “this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God” as a witness. In other words, the book itself will be a witness to us because in it we will see the power of God. That is manifest I believe in two ways: first, the power of God is seen over and over again in the lives of the principal characters of the text as the Lord helped them overcome their challenges. Second, the power of God will come into our lives as we read and study and ponder the stories and messages of the Book of Mormon, putting into action the lessons we learn. And so, the most important evidence of the Book of Mormon for me is the impact it has in our personal lives as we experience its power to bless us.

                And so, what would I share with a friend about the Book of Mormon? I think I would share those passages that help us see how the Lord gave power to people through their faith in Jesus Christ. We see this from the first chapter of the book with this promise from Nephi: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20). Nephi experienced this over and over; for example, when his brothers tied him up to die in the wilderness, he turned to God for strength. He wrote, “But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound. And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again” (1 Nephi 7:17-18). As he turned to the Lord, he received strength and was indeed miraculously delivered.  

Later in the book the prophet Alma gave this promise to his son Helaman, “I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3). Helaman learned the truth of that promise several years later when he was the commander of the stripling warriors in the war with the Lamanites. Those 2000 young men were dramatically preserved under Helaman’s leadership despite an intense battle with the enemy because they put their trust in God: “There was not one soul of them who did perish;… And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:25-26). They received strength and protection from the Lord because they put their trust in Him.    

Many years later Helaman’s son gave this powerful promise to his two sons Nephi and Lehi: “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; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12). They found the truth of that statement as missionaries among a hostile people; for example, when they went among the Lamanites they were badly mistreated and cast into prison. Mormon recorded, “And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to take them that they might slay them. And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned” (Helaman 5:22-23). They learned for themselves that as they kept their foundation on Jesus Christ, the devil would not have power over them and they were miraculously delivered out of the hands of their enemies.

These and many other stories in the Book of Mormon show how God will give power those who put their trust in Him. And so, the promise is the same for us: as we come unto Him through reading and studying the Book of Mormon, putting our trust in Him by applying its teachings, we will also find the truth of these words: “As much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 38:5).