Today's Favorite Verse: Ether 2:24

Today's Favorite Verse: Ether 2:24
"For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth."

It was the part about the rains and the flood being sent forth that made me stop and ponder. The Lord uses natural laws to fulfill his words and purposes. I thought of the weather patterns around the world. The Lord had already prepared this great storm needed to drive the Jaredite barges to the promised land. The timing was His, he prepared the storms and the way to preserve them from them.

Even though I didn't pick the verses in this chapter about the holes placed in the top and bottom of the barges for air, I did want to note an interesting theory on how they worked. Once again its founded on natural laws.

Day 3565

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 21:20

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 21:20
"For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;"

I pondered on how God works by natural means. The world thinks it must be spectacular to believe, yet if they see the spectacular that doesn't give them faith that endures. We see that time and time again in the scriptures when miracles are performed, but it does not bring enduring faith. Some would think God will take a sword and wipe the wicked out of his church. What that only shows is they do not know the nature of God. It's by natural means that people take themselves out of the house of Israel. It is through apostasy and embracing false doctrines that they fall away. How different it would be if they were truly humble and repentant, and knew that God was greater than them, and man's wisdom.

"The scriptures teach that the voice of the Holy Ghost is mild and still, like a whisper—not loud or noisy; it is simple, quiet, and plain; it can be piercing and burning; it affects both mind and heart; it brings peace, joy, and hope—not fear, anxiety, and worry; it invites us to do good—not evil; and it is enlightening and delicious—not mystifying."
(Dale G. Renlund, "A Framework for Personal Revelation", footnote #10, Oct 2022 General Conference)

Day 3544

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 15:5-6

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 15:5-6
"Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an end.
Behold, I do not destroy the prophets, for as many as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you, shall all be fulfilled."

Through Christ's life and resurrection he fulfilled the law of Moses. He was the sacrificial lamb. All things pointed to Him. Yet, not all the words of the prophets have been fulfilled. I think of how much was prophesied to happen in these latter-days and has been. All things shall be fulfilled, but not always according to how we interpret them to be. It is through natural means that the Lord works and as such I think we have missed a lot of what is going on around us.

"Even with this experience in the past, the Latter-day Saints themselves are not entirely divested of extravagant views respecting the effects which are likely to follow the fulfillment of predictions yet in the future. Are we not all inclined to look forward to many events which have been predicted by the servants of God as being of so great and wonderful, and I may say so supernatural a character, that when they shall be fulfilled they will even startle us, who believe they are coming, and will compel the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth to accept them as evidences of the truth? In our thoughts this seems to be the natural tendency. I notice it in myself; I notice it in others. When we read respecting the great events which are to take place in connection with this work, as predicted in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, are we not inclined to think that, surely, when these things shall come to pass all the earth, as well as ourselves, will be constrained to acknowledge this to be the work of God, and these events to be indeed those which have been predicted by the prophets?
Now I would not, for the world, say one word to lessen in the minds of my brethren and sisters the importance of these events; I would not say one word to weaken your proper expectations; but my experience has taught me that the Lord works in the midst of this people by natural means, and that the greatest events that have been spoken of by the holy prophets will come along so naturally as the consequence of certain causes, that unless our eyes are enlightened by the Spirit of God, and the spirit of revelation rests us, we will fail to see that these are the events predicted by the holy prophets."
(Elder George Q. Cannon, "Natural Fulfillment of Prophecy—The Israelites and the Gentiles", JD, Vol. 21, Discourse 29, pg. 264-272)

Day 3538

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 2:1, 14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: 3 Nephi 2:1, 14-15
"And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen.
And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites;
And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites;"

I pondered on how some people couldn't be astonished to see a group of people with darkened skin all of a sudden become white? How would you explain that away, like they had with the sign of Christ's birth? I remember when a miracle happened when my son was small. I shared it during fast and testimony meeting. This one sister came up to me afterwards not to marvel at the miracle, but question me on why we didn't have medical insurance. It was the most astonishing thing to me, and I felt really sad that all she cared about and focused on was money. Reflecting on that, I suppose they would have looked at someone's skin turning white to mean they had suddenly developed the chronic autoimmune disorder, vitiligo. God works in mysterious ways, and often by using natural means.

Day 3525

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 6:16-17

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 6:16-17
"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

I have often thought of this verse. I know angels have surrounded me, even though I have not seen them with my natural eye, I have felt them. Then I thought of the young man being able to see the chariot of fire and I wished I could have seen them too. I pondered on seeing things with the natural eye verses my spiritual eyes. Obviously, this young man could not see them with his natural eyes, he had to be given spiritual eyes to see the chariots of fire surrounding them. How many times have I dismissed seeing things with my spiritual eyes because I did not see them with my natural eyes. It was just last month that I had such and event happen. What a difference this last time made for I could finally recognize it for what it was. I think I have seen far more spiritually in my life than I realized at the time. It has taken a lifetime to understand where I see with spiritual eyes. I'm sure it will take an eternity to know how to use them.


Day 894