3 Nephi 9-10

(May 27, 2015)

                It is amazing how even a cross word from Deity is such a momentous blessing.  The people had, at this point, been nearly destroyed.  They feared for their personal safety, and undoubtedly also feared the fact that they had lost (perhaps permanently) other loved ones to sin and death. The voice of the Lord that spoke to them was not unkind, but He was certainly stern.  And the people reacted as you might expect.

                But, in reality, the people should likely have instead reacted with great joy.  After all, they had been spared.  And they had heard the voice of God!  In the aftermath of what must have been a horrific experience, the Lord reached out to them and gave them personal knowledge of His existence and His love for them.  This, looking objectively, is something that they should have been grateful for rather than something to lament.

                Of course, there is a lesson in this for each of us.  We may have our moments when we believe that we are nearly destroyed.  In this moment, perhaps we may receive a stern rebuke from the Lord – delivered through His mouth or the mouth of His servant.  Perhaps we may react with fear, or hurt, or even anger.  But the reality is, the fact that we hear the voice of the Lord at all (especially in the moment when the danger is past) is such a huge blessing, and one we must remember to be grateful for in our personal lives.