What will ye that I shall give unto you?

Before I jump into 3 Nephi 27:2, it is very

important to look at verse 1.

And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting. (3 Nephi 27:1)

Observe first that they were very active in the faith and in their discipleship. They were traveling around and preaching and baptizing the people. Secondly, they were “gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting.” It is plain to see that they were truly ready to be taught divinely, which sets the stage for verse 2.

And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? (3 Nephi 27:2)

As I write this, my eyes are wet with tears, and my heart yearns—no aches to be there. They were prepared, full of faith, fasting and praying unto the Father and there before their eyes, appears the Savior of the world. The question that comes to my mind, is am I prepared for such a glorious manifestation of my faith? Am I prepared to bow at His feet and look into His eyes?

And then comes the question, that sends chills through my body, “What will ye that I shall give unto you?” That is what the temple is preparing us for, that is what the apostles and prophets have been trying with all their might and strength to get us prepared for, is to stand before Him and to hear those words in our ears, “What will ye that I shall give unto you?”

At that moment, for me, the world would fade away. I would not be concerned with the bills, the housework, my performance at work, or any other worldly concern or worry. I would be present, I would be in that very moment, face to face with my Lord and my God. And after basking in that moment as long as I would dare, I would allow the Spirit to dictate my request, in asking for the deepest most righteous desire of my heart. It would be solely centered around the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth; for all the worldly cares and petty desires of the flesh would have faded away, and I would desire to build His kingdom with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.

Was this not also the sole desire of the disciples?

And they said unto him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter. (3 Nephi 27:2)

They wanted to build up His kingdom and church but also knew that to accomplish this great work, they first needed to dispel the disputations or contention that was among the people. They remembered the teachings of the Savior, that “the spirit of contention is not of me” (3 Nephi 11:29). With contention gone, the spirit can thrive, and they would be empowered and unhindered in their efforts to build up His kingdom.

Craig