Prospering by Degrees

After being captured by the Lamanites, the people of Limhi sought for deliverance. Three times they lashed out in armed conflict against their oppressors; and three times they were soundly defeated and suffered great losses. Finally, they turned to the Lord, but their prayers were answered in a way they perhaps did not expect.

The scriptures record that the people of Limhi "did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions" (Mosiah 21:14). Perhaps their prayers were like many of ours, hoping for the Lord to grant a quick and complete relief from the burdens and afflictions they were forced to bear. Perhaps some of them were disappointed or began to waver when they woke up, day after day, with Lamanite guards still surrounding their city.

Although the desired outcome was not immediate, "the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens... [and] they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger" (Mosiah 21:15-16).

Relative prosperity allowed Limhi to send a group of men to find the Nephites. They were unsuccessful in their mission, but on their journey they discovered a record of a people who had become extinct. Thinking they had returned empty handed, the hearts of the people turned to the Lord and began to desire that they could be baptized and serve Him with all of their hearts.

Finally, Ammon and his men found the people of Limhi and helped them devise a plan to escape from their Lamanite captors. Mosiah, the Nephite king and a seer, translated the record and found it to be an insightful account and scripture in its own right. Though their prayers were not answered as quickly or in the way the people of Limhi had perhaps hoped, they were delivered from oppression in their bondage, strengthened in their faith, and then delivered from bondage as different people than they were when they were lashing out with wars against the Lamanites.

While we are promised that the Lord's grace is sufficient for us, sometimes we miss the blessings He grants in our lives because we are looking for grand and spectacular splashes of divine intervention. We want singing angels and the division of the Red Sea. While those things happen, we must learn that they are the exception rather than the rule. The Lord is usually more subtle.

Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls" (Alma 37:6-7).

When we feel like lashing out against our oppressors, or that our faithful prayers are not being answered, we will often find that our faithful actions are being prospered by degrees. Maybe our clothes or our car or our employment is lasting longer or providing better than they otherwise should. Sometimes we will feel peace or patience or joy when others are panicked and distraught. Maybe we're learning foundational principles or building our relationship with God in ways that will enrich the rest of our lives.

However the Lord chooses to bless us, we can find confidence in his unbreakable promises:

The Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless-- whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day (Mosiah 23:21-22).

"But behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me-- but he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. They children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee" (1 Nephi 21:14-17).

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day (Alma 37:37).

Saved by Chastening

All of us experience the chastisement of God in our lives. Sometimes it may be that we are given a particular trial; at other times, we hear His voice in the words of scriptures or the living prophets admonishing us to do better; still other times, the Spirit of the Lord withdraws and we feel hollow or "in a funk". This is exactly as it should be.

In August of 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith was traveling in canoes with ten elders down the Missouri River when they experienced many dangers. For at least two of the elders, these experiences were necessary before leaving on their missions. The Lord explained:

I would not suffer that ye should part until you were chastened for all your sins, that you might be one, that you might not perish in wickedness; (D&C 61:8).

Through chastisement, the Lord teaches that we may become 'one'. There are at least two ways the scripture teach we should become one. First, we become one with Christ through faith on his name, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. This oneness with Christ is the only way to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God.

Second, by virtue of unity with Christ, we also become unified with all others who have taken his name upon them through baptism. By virtue of our unity with those around us, it becomes our best interest to build them up, support them, and help them continue down the gospel path. In so doing, we help each other to become selfless, humble and charitable, preparing each other to return to our heavenly home.

Chastisement helps us become one with Christ and one with those around us as we repent and seek to do better. In essence, the Lord told the elders with Joseph Smith that they were chastened for their sins that they might qualify for eternal life. From this viewpoint, the chastisement itself becomes less of a punishment and more an act of grace-- a blessing or an opportunity.

The Lord taught the children of Israel the benefits of chastisement also, asking them to "consider in thine heart" that the Lord chastens them as a father chastens his son. This is not intended to conjure up images of an abusive relationship, but the love and concern of a sincere parent attempting to guide his child in righteousness. To the people experiencing forty years of chastisement in the wilderness, there is great hope in the reminder that motive is their prosperity:

For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills... A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it (Deuteronomy 8:5-10).

Understanding that the Lord's desire is to bless us, and that chastisement is one way he helps us qualify for the grandest of blessings, helps us understand the declaration found in Job:

Happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole (Job 5:17-27).

Chastisement is not just a luxury to bring us happiness and blessings, however. The elders with Joseph Smith were warned that if they did not become one they would perish in wickedness. Reaching that level of unity requires some correction or chastisement along the way. The Lord said:

My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom (D&C 136:31).

Again, he teaches:

They must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified (D&C 101:1-5).

We all know someone who has chosen to be offended by chastisement rather than receiving correction. At some time in our lives, each of us has chosen to be stubborn and proud at least for a period of time. By choosing not to accept God's correction, we also choose to walk the path of an unsanctified life that leads to unworthiness, to the destruction of our own souls and to sorrow.

The relevant question for each of our lives is to ask how we will respond to chastisement. Will we accept correction and strive to be one with Christ and our fellow man through obedience to the word of God? Or will we be offended and harden our hearts against the God who seeks our own prosperity?

The choice is ours, but only one option brings exaltation in the kingdom of God. If we endure chastening, even glory in it, we can hope (in the gospel sense) for the prosperity of our 'promised land'. We will be happy. We will be one with Christ and with our fellow man. And God will direct our souls back to his presence, to inherit eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom.