Reflection~1 Nephi 11-18

Along with membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints come blessings beyond compare, joy in this life and in the eternities, and extra strength largely available through the Priesthood. However, living as a member of the Church is seldom easy for anyone. Even from before the creation of the world, God’s children have been faced with the fierce temptations of the adversary. Oftentimes, we feel we stand alone in our strivings to do what is right. And indeed, oftentimes, we do stand alone in a particular effort, save our constant companionship with the Holy Ghost, our Savior, and our Father in Heaven.

Nephi saw in vision two “churches”: the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. The reason “churches” is in quotation marks is because many portions of the church of the devil are often not part of any organized religion. Likewise, there are many people acting in accordance with teachings of the church of the Lamb of God, who do not identify with any sect in particular. Nephi states, “I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters” (1 Nephi 14:12). I wonder how many instances of loneliness among faithful Church members Nephi witnessed in that vision. I imagine it was not a few. Sometimes when an individual is faced with the opportunity to choose between right and wrong, the smallness of our number seems to diminish down into a single one—himself.

During my study of the Book of Mormon thus far, I have been utilizing the hymn book and relating songs to the verses I read. When I read Nephi’s description of the size of Christ’s church as “its numbers were few,” I was immediately reminded of hymn number 243, Let Us All Press On. The second verse begins with the lyrics “We will not retreat, though our numbers may be few when compared with the opposite host in view” (emphasis added). This connection was comforting to me, especially because of the subsequent lyrics which state, “But an unseen pow’r will aid me and you in the glorious cause of truth.” Even though there are times when we feel alone—when our numbers seem fewer than few—the Lord is always with us.

            In the same verse of scripture, Nephi discusses the effects of the Church. “Nevertheless,” he writes,

                        I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw (1 Nephi 14:12).

Some might read this passage and close the Book of Mormon with a heavy heart. After all, nobody likes to be told that their numbers are few and their dominions are small. However, I choose to look at this verse differently. I like to focus on the phrase “upon all the face of the earth.” That line is comforting to me. Yes, our numbers may be few. Yes, our dominions may be small. But we are now fulfilling the prophecy that the true church of God will fill the whole earth. We may at times feel like the only one to throw away an immodest outfit or walk away from a filthy conversation or leave a box office hit without getting our money back. It is comforting to know, though, that the Lord always stands with us when we stand for what is right. And although we may not recognize it, so are people just like us—upon all the face of the earth.

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