How Do You Remember the Lord?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Helaman 7-12 in a lesson titled “Remember the Lord.” The lesson was introduced with the following information. 

Nephi’s father, Helaman, had urged his sons to “remember, remember.” He wanted them to remember their ancestors, remember the words of the prophets, and most of all, remember “our Redeemer, who is Christ” (see Helaman 5:5-15).

It’s clear that Nephi did remember because this is the same message he declared years later “with unwearyingness” to the people (Helaman 10:4). “How could you have forgotten your God?” he asked (Helaman 7:20). All of Nephi’s efforts – preaching, praying, performing miracles, and petitioning God for a famine – were attempts to help the people turn to God and remember Him. In many ways, forgetting God is an even bigger problem than not knowing Him. And it’s easy to forget Him when our minds are distracted by “the vain things of this world” and clouded by sin (Helaman 7:21); see also Helaman 12:2). But, as Nephi’s ministry shows, it’s never too late to remember and “turn … unto the Lord your God” (Helaman 7:17).

This scripture block teaches several principles, such as “Prophets reveal the will of God to the people” (Helaman 7-11); “My faith in Jesus Christ must be built on more than signs and miracles” (Helaman 9; 10:1, 12-15); “The Lord gives power to people who seek His will and strive to keep His commandments” (Helaman 10:1-12); “The Lord wants me to remember Him (Helaman 12). However, I feel impressed to discuss this principle: “Pondering the word of God invites revelation” (Helaman 10:2-4).

Have you ever felt downtrodden, anxious, or confused? Nephi, the son of Helaman, felt “cast down” (Helaman 10:3) because he was doing his best to call the people to repentance, but nothing was working as it should. Here are the applicable verses.

2 And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him.

3 And it came to pass as he was thus pondering – being much cast down, because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities – and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou has done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments (Helaman 10:2-4).

When Nephi was “cast down” – downtrodden, anxious, or confused – he “pondered” what the Lord had already shown to him. As he pondered, the voice of the Lord came to him to bear him up. The Lord is the best Person to help us when we are “cast down.”

The word ponder means to think about something deeply and thoroughly; to consider something carefully before reaching a conclusion; to weigh a problem carefully before deciding what to do; to meditate.

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explained, “When we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit” (“Serve with the Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 60).

The question is, “how might you create a habit of pondering?”