“Line upon Line: 1 Nephi 3:7,” New Era, February 2018
Line upon Line
1 Nephi 3:7
The Lord commanded Nephi to go and do.
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
I will go
“You show your trust in [God] when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in [each] conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.”
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, “Trust in God, Then Go and Do,” Oct. 2010 general conference.
Do
“I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.”
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 160.
The Lord hath commanded
“Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth.”
Elder Robert D. Hales (1932–2017) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Apr. 1996 general conference.
He shall prepare a way
In the Old Testament, to prepare a way meant to establish a good, well-marked road (see Deuteronomy 19:3) or to clear a path by removing obstacles (see Isaiah 40:3).
When the Lord gives us a commandment, He will always prepare a way for us if we are willing to trust Him and obey. But like Nephi, we must first act in faith; then the way will present itself, for the Lord “worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men” (Moroni 10:7).
Accomplish
“If ye have faith … nothing shall be impossible unto you.”