In the Strength of the Lord

John W. Welch

Zeniff recorded that as the Nephites went to tackle the Lamanite insurgence, they turned to the Lord: "[F]or I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers." They succeeded, sorrowfully counted and buried all the dead, and were freed from bondage by turning to the Lord—at least for now!

President Spencer W. Kimball was fond of teaching that one of the most important words in the dictionary is "remember." Remembering the goodness of God and the deliverance of their ancestors turned the hearts of these Nephites to the Lord. Their prayers were answered and they were able to go forth "in his might."

Further Reading

Steven L. Olsen, "Memory and Identity in the Book of Mormon," Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22, no. 2 (2013): 40–51.

Louis Midgley, "To Remember and Keep: On the Book of Mormon as an Ancient Book," in?The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, ed. Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000), 95–137.

John W. Welch Notes

References