Lehi, a prophet of God, received inspiration from The Lord to move him and his family out of Jerusalem because it was going to be destroyed. Once they had departed, Lehi's family suffered many tribulations and many years in the wilderness until they finally came to the land Nephi called Bountiful. It was there that Nephi was lead up to a high mountain and prayed to Heavenly Father; God spoke to Nephi and commanded him to "construct a ship after the manner I shall show thee."(1 Nephi 17:8)
Now Nephi was not a carpenter or a blacksmith; in fact, he had very few qualifications that would be helpful for constructing a ship, but he did have one qualification: faith. I can imagine myself, in the place of Nephi, kneeling in prayer and upon receiving the inspiration Nephi received I would wonder and worry how am I going to do this huge thing? How am I supposed to build a ship? But what amazes me is that Nephi never doubted; instead, he trusted The Lord and knew he would be able to finish this task. He never once said how? Instead he asked, "Lord, whither shall I go... that I may make tools to construct the ship?" Where do I need to go? What do I need to do? Show me the way and I will go! He had faith that God would provide a way.
We all are asked to build ships in our lives; God may even command us to "...construct a ship after the manner which I shall show thee" as he said to Nephi. These ships may be moving away from home, going to college, having a new job, the death of a loved one, financial struggles, etc. We may find ourselves on our knees wondering How? And why?
The things The Lord asks of us or allows us to face may appear to be as building a ship: huge, intimidating, and even hopeless. We may feel under qualified and doubt our abilities. We may feel overwhelmed with where to begin or why we're doing these things asked of us.
The Lord gives us these things to "build" so we can build ourselves.
We should try to be more like Nephi and turn to God for direction. Turn to Him whole heartedly and submit to His way because His way ultimately leads to your deliverance. Do not ever forget that stipulation The Lord laid out for Nephi, after His manner He will show you the way. According to the faith Nephi exerted and his supplication to His will, The Lord lead Nephi to the means of completing his commandment. Never forget that you are being watched over and cared for. Never forget that you are never forgotten. The Lord doesn't give a commandment to His children to have no way of accomplishing it, but through Him and His guidance.
I know the ships we build in this life, though they may seem impossible to build, will strength you as a person, and if they are after the manner of God and equal to His pattern they will fortify us for those stormy seas of life. That as the tempest tosses your ship will not leak or sink.
~ "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not..." Matthew 21:21
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