I Will Heal Them

To my son,

                Recently we were able to read in the Book of Mormon the account of the Savior’s visit to the Nephites and Lamanites after His death and resurrection. In this account we see how much He loved them and how much He wanted to bless them. One of the most touching scenes is when He healed the people. He was about to leave them to go visit other people, but they were sad and so He stayed and offered to heal their sick and afflicted. He said to them with great love, “Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.” He loved them so much that He wanted to heal all of their afflictions and sicknesses, and that’s exactly what He did. Mormon continued, “For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you. And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.” What an incredible experience that must have been for these people! He laid His hands on them and made it so those who could not see received their sight. He blessed those who could not walk so they could walk again. He caused those who were deaf so they could hear again. Any sickness or infirmity that they had, He healed it and made them whole. The people were so grateful and so moved by this experience that “they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears” (3 Nephi 17:6-10). They were so full of gratitude and love for Him that they knelt before Him and cried tears of joy for what He had done for them.

                I think that one of the lessons from this story is that no matter what our affliction or struggle is, He can help us! He listed to the Nephites seven specific types of sickness or afflictions that He was ready to heal: “Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf?” I think that He meant to list seven things here (He could certainly have added more types of illnesses) because “the number seven has sacred significance in the Old Testament, connoting wholeness or perfection.” For example, He created the world and everything in it in seven days, signifying that He had made everything and completed it all. So perhaps He listed seven things to this people in order to represent that He can heal everything and make us all complete. He can heal us all. No matter what our problems are, He can solve them and help us overcome all of our struggles. I hope you always remember that no matter what difficulty you face, Jesus is the answer to it. As you try to come unto Him spiritually—like this people came to Him physically—by reading scriptures and praying and going to church, you can have His power in your life to help you. I hope you always remember that He knows you by your name and loves you with a perfect love.

Love,

Dad