Nothig Shall Prevail Against Them

In his most recent talk in general conference, President Nelson spoke of the Savior’s visit to the Kirtland Temple in 1836. He related, “Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a series of remarkable visitations. First, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared. The Prophet recorded that the Savior’s ‘eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters.’ During this visitation, the Lord affirmed His identity. He said, ‘I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.’” How does the Savior identify Himself? He wants us to see Him as our advocate, meaning that He is advocating our cause before the Father and working to make our return to Him possible. John was the first to use the term in scripture when he wrote this to the Church: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). He is there to help us through all our sins because He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. In addition to the reference from Doctrine and Covenants 110 above, the Savior also labeled Himself as our advocate in four other modern-day revelations (Doctrine and Covenants 29:5, 32:3, 45:3, 62:1). One of these reads, “I myself will go with them and be in their midst; and I am their advocate with the Father, and nothing shall prevail against them.” To be our advocate means that He is with us and in our midst. Another one reads, “Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.” To be our advocate means that He will succor us and help us through temptation. He also invited us, “Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him.” To be our advocate means that He is pleading our cause and earnestly seeking eternal life for us.

                As Alma explained to his son Helaman the significance of the Liahona, he said this: “For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.” Surely Lehi had wondered as he embarked into the wilderness how he was possibly going to navigate the vast desert his family would have to cross. How would they know where to go for food and water and to get safely to the other side? He didn’t know it at the time, but the answer was this compass that simply appeared as a gift from heaven the day he needed it: “And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.” We too may wonder how we can possibly navigate the challenges of this life—this “vale of sorrow”—and make it safely with our families to our land of promise. Alma continued: “O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever” (Alma 37:44-46). Lehi and his party had to look to the Liahona in faith and follow the messages and indications there, and by so doing they found the way that had already been prepared for them. What is our Liahona to guide us? Alma said here that it is the words of Christ—they will lead us to Him who is the Word and who has prepared the way for us. Ultimately our Liahona is Him: our Advocate who is in our midst, who is helping us through temptation, and who is working before us so that nothing will prevail against us. The Lord prepared the way for each of us if we will look to Him and hearken to His words.