3 Nephi 1:13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
What a beautiful answer to Nephi’s prayer concerning the plea to Heavenly Father to protect the followers of Christ who were about to be destroyed for their faith in the birth of the Savior. This was a serious problem, the nonbelievers set a date that the believers of Christ’s birth should be put to death. (Vs 9) That’s how severe the persecution was. They were all going to be killed. Yet they stood faithful, and poured out their hearts to the Lord. Vs8 “they did watch steadfastly”. We can learn so much from these ancient ancestors who have walked the path already. We can just step in their footprints. We can rest assured that the Lord will always fulfill His promises as we stand firm in our faith. Vs 14 “I come into my own to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world.”
Persecution is not going to go away, I have a good feeling that it will continue to increase.
“May I extend a word of caution? There are those who feel that if we follow the Savior, our lives will be free from worry, pain, and fear. This is not so! The Savior Himself was described as a man of sorrows. Those early disciples who followed the Christ experienced great persecution and trials. The Prophet Joseph Smith was no exception. Nor were the other early Saints of this last dispensation. And it is no different today”. –Joseph B. Wirthlin
This is precisely why we need to be seeking our strength now, for when the time comes, it will be too late to obtain our oil, our testimonies. (Parable of the 10 virgins). It’s doing just a little today, a little tomorrow, a little the next day, and the next day, and the next to be ready for persecution when it comes. Those simple acts of faith, those simple moments of study, and those simple prayers will add up to one gigantic testimony. It reminds me of a roof leak; a bucket is placed below to catch the small drips that would periodically drop in a rhythmic consistency. It’s so slow, that at the end of the day there is only a small accumulation at the bottom of the bucket. The repair crew is not available until Monday, and so the bucket is emptied and set back up for the weekend. There appears to be more than enough room in the bucket to catch the insignificant drips. By Monday morning, the bucket is found overflowing. Those little drips had stayed consistent without pause, and filled the bucket and more. Oh! How great accumulation of knowledge, growth, and peace will you accumulate in your bucket of faith, one drop at a time. Beware: it won’t take long and the bucket of faith will be overflowing!
“Ordinary people who faithfully, diligently, and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results” -David A Bednar
-Sherri Jorgensen
Here is the full scripture I was referring to:
3 Nephi 1
4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.
5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.
7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son–of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.
15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.
19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.
20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.
21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.
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