1 Nephi 17

He talks about how great the Lord’s blessings were that while they were living on raw meat in the wilderness their women had enough milk to nurse. That statement alone takes a lot of faith. I think it would be hard, without that faith, to recognize that blessing, rather than just seeing the affliction of living on raw meat and having babies in the wilderness. And Nephi even says how great the blessings were. What are my blessings that I am missing in the complaining?

Another demonstration of Nephi’s faith was when the Lord told him to build the ship, he never said, “I don’t know how,” but right away asked where to find the material to make the tools. He just knew that if the Lord to him to do it, he could do it. And there is that getting to work without complaining again.

The Lord had not let them make fire up to this point, and provided light for them and took care of their raw meat. He said as long as they kept the commandments He would lead them to the promised land. It’s now been eight years, and they are being led. Was that eight years of an obedient Laman and Lemuel? What is their downfall, when they were so close, so many times? It seems like they never learned to pray about things and/or feel the Spirit to know what was true. I guess you can be technically obedient without really progressing spiritually. I’ve been there.

Laman and Lemuel’s argument starts with their poor wives, who have suffered so much, being pregnant and having babies in the wilderness. I think Nephi included this for two possible reasons. One is he loved his brothers and wanted to show their goodness, even if they were wrong. Part of what they were angry about was the suffering (point to me, medical suffering) of their wives. So even though God had told them to go into the wilderness, they didn’t have enough faith to trust Him still, especially through the trials of those they loved. So for me, don’t I know that the Lord led us to Ridgecrest? Does that change because there are crummy doctors here? I need to be like Nephi and not complain, but just do something about it and trust the Lord that He knows what He’s doing it. With an eternal perspective, not just a, what makes my life easy right now, perspective.

I know the story, but the Lord straightening the Israelites out by sending the firey flying serpents and a way to be healed, strikes me today. I know our afflictions are often to help us grow, or lead us back to Him. It’s much easier to see that from a historical perspective if you are not asking Him to help you see His perspective all through a trial. Coming to Him, and humbling yourself before Him, really is the answer to everything.