CHAPTER 15
PRAYER
Nephi did not rest in the next two
days after returning from the sacred record vault with his son. The time passed quickly. He used every moment to complete his final
preparations before leaving on his ambitious mission to the land of Jerusalem.
This mission would be the most
difficult of his entire life. In all
likelihood, it would be his last.
He prayed without ceasing; one prayer after another.
He remained on his knees at the conclusion of a
personal prayer. He wanted a
confirmation that the decisions he had made were right. He had made important decisions without a
full knowledge of what would happen. He
was about to take a very big step into the unknown. Would this mission be successful? No second thoughts about leaving his sons
Nephi and Timothy? Would they be all
right without him? What if they never
see each other again?
He prayed with all his heart for the Lord to
increase his faith.
Well, had not he and Lehi been successful on their
previous mission to the Lamanites?
Indeed they had! They had been
blessed with miraculous success. Some
eight thousand souls of the Lamanites had been converted. And he had not known beforehand how
successful that mission would eventually become.
Why would this new mission be any different?
Would this new mission be as difficult as that one? Certainly!
Maybe even more difficult. Since
the Lord had helped him overcome trials before, surely He would help him when
hard times come again. Would he have to
face hardships and potentially dangerous circumstances? Perhaps be thrown into prison? He had already been encircled with fire and
protected from those who tried to kill him!
The prison walls had shaken exceedingly and he had escaped without
harm! He had conversed with his
protecting angels!
Since these things were true before, could they not
be true again?
Of course!
And perhaps more if it were according to the will of God. If it were God’s will, he could remove a
mountain. He would do whatever the Lord
wanted. He would never ask anything for himself
that was contrary to God’s will.
The skies had been clear and cloudless the past two
nights. That allowed Nephi to spend
hours contemplating the stars and their motions in the heavens. He was already knowledgeable about the
appearance of the stars. Their path
through the heavens consistently marked the passing of the time and predicted
the coming of the seasons. He was just
as good at following the position of the stars as any of the so-called wise men
who were the Elders of Zarahemla.
Perhaps even better!
Nephi reasoned he would be able to navigate through
unknown lands to reach the far distant land of Jerusalem with the help of the
stars. But would the stars in the
foreign land be the same?
Nephi looked around his hut trying to see if anything
else needed to be done before he left.
Everything seemed to be in order within the small, one-room dwelling. He glanced at his few, simple personal
possessions without much attachment. He
could leave those things behind.
His son, Nephi, was to arrive soon. He would show his son the most valuable things
he was leaving behind. They were all
prominently placed on the only table in the room, neatly organized. Several new personal letters to family members
had been written. There was a letter of
testimony for everyone, copies of blessings, and a record of mission
experiences.
Other records of historical events were left next to
the personal letters. One was a record
about the growth of the church after thousands of Lamanites were
converted. Another record included
statements about the growing corruption in government, murders at the
judgment-seat, and statements saying thatTyreantum was innocent and that Nephi,
the chief judge, was giving up the position of chief judge in order to preach
the word of God.
Satisfied that his home was prepared the way
he wanted, Nephi waited for his son to arrive.
What questions would his son have for him today? Was there anything else he was forgetting to
leave for him? Would this really be
their last time together? How could he
say good-bye?
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