Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

Nephi is the first writer in the Book of Mormon. He was a teenager when the events recorded began, but didn’t begin recording them until he was much older.

As a teenager, his father had a powerful vision of the Savior and of God’s love for us. Nephi was a young man of great faith, always desiring to know what God wanted of him, and wanting his own testimony. When he learned of his father’s vision, he wisely knew it was not enough just to lean on the testimony of another. He wanted his own testimony of these events.

1 Nephi 11:1 offers some important clues to Nephi’s greatness, even as a teenager:

“For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart…”

There were three parts to this notation which can serve as a guide for us today as we seek to understand God and His gospel. First, he wanted to know for himself that what his father had said was true. He wanted his own testimony.

Many of us begin our journey toward faith by trusting the words of others. Our parents might teach us about religion, and because we trust our parents, we trust what they tell us. We might rely on the testimonies of teachers, peers, or religious leaders. However, any testimony built solely on the faith or words of another can be shaken or destroyed. Each person needs a personal foundation of faith, a testimony of their very own that is built on their own communications with God. God is the only One whose word can be absolutely counted on to be true. Anyone else can intentionally or unintentionally mislead. Words spoken by mortals are subject to interpretation, but God, speaking to your heart, cannot be misunderstood.

Nephi’s desire for a personal knowledge of what he was being taught was the first step toward his future greatness as a leader and a follower of Christ. The second step was faith. He believed God could give him the information he wanted. When we pray, but don’t really believe God is going to answer us, or that He can really help us, we make it harder to hear His answers. The better we know Him, the easier it is to recognize His voice. The better we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him to answer us.

“I have discovered that what sometimes seems an impenetrable barrier to communication is a giant step to be taken in trust. Seldom will you receive a complete response all at once. It will come a piece at a time, in packets, so that you will grow in capacity. As each piece is followed in faith, you will be led to other portions until you have the whole answer. That pattern requires you to exercise faith in our Father’s capacity to respond. While sometimes it’s very hard, it results in significant personal growth.” Richard G. Scott, “(Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer,” Ensign, May 2007, 8–11)

Finally, Nephi pondered. Pondering is more than just thinking. It is thinking with both your mind and your heart, an intense, all-consuming sort of thought in which you consider, in this case, the things of God and try to understand them as He wants you to understand them, not as you want them to be.

“By pondering, we give the Spirit an opportunity to impress and direct. Pondering is a powerful link between the heart and the mind. As we read the scriptures, our hearts and minds are touched. If we use the gift to ponder, we can take these eternal truths and realize how we can incorporate them into our daily actions.” (Marvin J. Ashton, “‘There Are Many Gifts’,” Ensign, Nov 1987, 20)

Pondering is related to prayer, and in fact, can be part of the prayer process. Often, as you ponder, you maintain a conversation with God about the things you are considering. In these quiet, private moments, your heart is open to the whisperings of the spirit. You are able to be taught by God those things of eternal importance. Your heart and mind are joined with God’s for the time you are pondering, and you will be able to understand the gospel at a level you never imagined possible.

Lehi’s story, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, begins in 600 B.C., long before the Savior’s birth. However, this great prophet learned of the Savior and his son, Nephi, recorded the vision so it could be kept for our day. When the Savior came to the Nephites, it was no surprise to them that He existed. They knew of Him and of His birth, life, and death, even though it happened an ocean away. They knew He was coming to them, also.

1 Nephi 10: 4 Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the cJews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.

6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

Lehi and his family had not yet crossed the waters. They were still in their own lands when this vision occurred and Lehi taught them about the purpose of the Savior’s life—to save all mankind. They took this knowledge with them to their new home and it was handed down through the coming generations. The Nephites knew of the Savior.

In this vision, Lehi saw John the Baptist, not by name, but as the man who would baptize the Savior, and also prepare the people for the Savior’s ministry. Then he saw the Savior Himself, his ministry, His rejection by some of the people, and His crucifixion. Finally, He saw the resurrection.

This part of the vision sets forth the primary message of the Book of Mormon. It is to be a testimony of the Savior.

Some years ago, the church created its own version of the Bible. The text remained the same—the King James Version. However, footnotes, chapter summaries, concordance, and other ancillary tools were redone in a tremendous project requiring many years of work. Of this work, Elder Boyd K. Packer, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said,

“Some of them [critics] say that we have lost our way, that we are not Christians. Should they turn to that one thing in which they show the least interest and in which they have the least knowledge, the scriptures and the revelations, they would find in the Topical Guide fifty-eight categories of information about Jesus Christ; eighteen pages of small print, single-spaced, list literally thousands of scriptural references on the subject.

These references from the four volumes of scripture constitute the most comprehensive compilation of scriptural information on the mission and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ that has ever been assembled in the history of the world.

The work affirms an acceptance of, a reverence for, and a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Follow those references and you will open the door to whose church this is, what it teaches and by whose authority—all anchored to the sacred name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Redeemer, our Lord.”

As you read the Book of Mormon, mark each reference to the Savior in a specific color. When you’ve completed your reading, look through your book and notice how many markings there are. You will quickly discover the Book of Mormon spends the majority of its time talking about the Savior. It truly is another testimony of Christ.