The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, knew that the gospel of liberty and truth could be restored to the earth only in an environment where the principles of liberty and truth were honored and constitutionally secured for each individual (see D&C Section 134; 98:5–6; 101:77, 80). He therefore prepared the seedbed of the Restoration by empowering an emerging segment of the Gentile flock who “did humble themselves before the Lord” (as Nephi saw it in vision—1 Nephi 13:16).
Because these enlightened Gentiles served the interests of the Almighty, they were blessed with the nurture of the gospel in all its fulness and with infinite blessings from God. Does this process continue even now? I heard an interesting answer to this question while serving a mission as a young elder in Germany. Ezra Taft Benson and his wife stopped by the mission home in Frankfurt for a visit around the Fourth of July 1959, and spoke with us informally about religious and political matters. At the time he was completing his eight-year term as secretary of agriculture in the Eisenhower administration. Elder Benson told us about his experiences with President Eisenhower and this man’s spiritual power. He also said something that reminded me of the continuing role of the Gentiles (in particular the United States of America) in supporting God’s design for the blessing of mankind. Elder Benson spoke to us about the government policy of providing foreign aid to many countries of the world and suggested that it was this policy, analogous to tithing, that was, in large measure, responsible for the prosperity of America. By blessing other nations, he said, America was being blessed by the Lord. This was a reminder to me that God’s hand continues to be over this land “which is choice above all other lands” (1 Nephi 13:30). Thus the nursing fathers should continue to be nurtured, and the nursing mothers should continue to be blessed from on high. (Richard J. Allen)