Divine Protection

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace- Artist unknown
 

Divine Protection

(& the faith to say "but if not")

In October 2015, a student at Umpqua Community College killed 9 people and injured several others. Witnesses said that he had asked a few of the victims what religion they were and others he just shot for seemingly no reason.  This tragedy struck close to home for several reasons: First, my oldest son and his family are, and were, at the time of this shooting, living in Roseburg where this college is located. And secondly, the killer had asked some of his victims if they were Christian… I had never really given any thought to religious persecution at least on a personal level, I never even thought it could ever happen to me, but then this tragedy happened…

Questions I had never conceived before came and persisted in my mind: Am I willing to die for the Lord and His gospel? Would I have the courage to say, yes, I am a Christian, even with a gun pointed at my head? What about a knife to my throat? Would my faith overcome fear or would fear make me a coward?   What about a threat to someone I love? That thought is even more unimaginable…but what if it happened? What would I do?  As I pondered these questions, a phrase from my patriarchal blessing came into my mind.  Basically, it warns that at the time of temptation and trial, the time of decision is past and I must determine ahead of time to be firm in what I know to be right or much sorrow would come. 

I began running scenarios through my mind and holding on to scriptures like:

1 Nephi 1: 14  because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish”,

Omni 1:7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.

2 Nephi 6:17”Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and  the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee

Jacob 3:1 “…Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto     him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

But as Elder Holland reminds us, “For every Nephi and Lehi divinely protected by an encircling flame of fire for their faith, we have an Abinadi burned at a stake of flaming fire for his.”   

As I’ve questioned and pondered why some are miraculously saved from death and some aren’t, my wise husband, as well as the Spirit, have assured me in many things.  Having limited mortal views, we cling to life, seeing death as a tragic thing. It’s hard to remember, sometimes, that our God is a loving God and that everything He does is for our highest good, even if that “highest good” is taking us home “prematurely” (or what might seem, to us, to be).  It’s hard to remember that death is just a “transfer”, a temporary separation and that, when passed through as a righteous being, it is glorious and wonderful beyond imagination.

Consider 1 Nephi. 22:19, 20, 22 &28

19 For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off….20 And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people…22 And the righteous need not fear…28 But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent. 

The first part of this sounds like “not perish”ing is not being “cut off”, so that seems to be more spiritual protection.  It is hard to tell if the rest is literal or figurative., but either way, we are still safe in the arms of the Lord.   It is a matter of belief.  It is a matter of faith.

What I will say next might be new to some and unbelievable to others, yet, I believe it is true and possible for any of us.  That being said, I have yet to fully conquer the body with mental and spiritual effort, but I believe that if we have the right frame of mind, we could mentally be safe in the Lord’s arms despite anything happening to us physically or otherwise.  This would require letting go of fear and, with the Eye of Faith, focusing on JOY: JOY in the Lord… as He Himself did during the unfathomable excruciation of His Atonement and crucifixion -Hebrew 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I learned this from President Nelson, who’s conference address in October 2016 -Joy and Spiritual Survival, was life altering for me.  He not only talks about how we can have JOY in our lives despite ANYTHING we may be going through but how our spiritual survival will require it.  That caught my attention & has stuck with me, sitting in my mind; beckoning for me to fully internalize it.   The key? It’s all dependent on our FOCUS.  When FOCUSED on our Savior Jesus Christ, we will have the capacity to endure ALL things joyfully! 

So, as with anything, when trials in life beset us, we have a choice:  We can focus on the problem and the unfairness of life and thus reap only misery, or we can focus on the Savior, allow Him to yoke with us and receive joy and rest in Him because of it.  The latter is obviously so much more desirable, so that is where I am now striving to be. It certainly takes effort to control our minds, but… we’ve been taught by our Prophet that “the Lord loves effort” and rewards it generously.

Speaking of Prophets & Divine Protection, this brings me to another interesting scripture I came across.

2 Ne 26:88 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.   

  When I read “destroy them not” above, I had the impression that this had a deeper meaning than might be seen on the surface. So, I thought, “What is “them”?”  At first glance I thought “them” was prophets, but it actually says the WORDS of the prophets (scripture, both ancient and modern).  So, what does it mean to “destroy” the “words of the prophets”? As I’ve pondered that, I feel it means to not disregard or let them be buried in the past.  It means keeping them “alive” in my heart and my consciousness; living and breathing by them.  For “in them is Life Eternal.”  And this internalization of “the Word”, is, I believe, the difference between the 2nd and 3rd groups of those “pressing forward on the path” in Lehi’s Dream. 1 Nephi chapter 8

D&C 30:6 admonishes us to pray always for deliverance:

6…ever lifting up your heart unto me in prayer and faith, for… your deliverance;   

We are told, above, that we are to “ever” ASK for deliverance and Divine help!  But I think sometimes we don’t or won’t.  And why not?  Several reasons come to mind:

One, because we might believe that we have to prove ourselves worthy and faithful through enduring difficult things- This erroneous mentality is an example of “earning our way to Heaven”., a false concept.  While it’s true that we must be tried and proven in this life, we are not expected to endure, ALONE, through sheer grit.  That is not the “enduring” that Heaven is expecting of us. 

Others may simply believe they are not worthy of Divine protection or that they are not important enough for God to take time out of His “busy schedule” to help them personally.  (We sometimes forget Heaven is not constrained by “time” and that They can attend to us as though we were Their only child.)  We may also falsely believe that we have to attain to a certain level, spiritually, before the Lord will step in and make up the difference or “save” us (this has been an erroneous belief of mine).

I look at the above scripture and it gives me the hope and encouragement to step out of both unbelief and false beliefs.  I notice the word “ever”.  That means ALWAYS!  Always lifting up our heart in prayer & faith (I think it interesting that the Lord added the word faith to the word prayer.  A lot of my life, (ok, most of my life), my prayers consisted of just pleadings…there was not much faith accompanying the pleadings beyond having the faith to pray in the first place. It was more like “please, please, please” then I would get off my knees and promptly move into a state of worry whether He would grant my request or not. 

It has taken a long time for me to come to understand a better way… my faith has definitely evolved over the years and now the kind of prayer and mentality I now strive for (strive, again, being the key word here) is something closer to this: “Father, this (_____) is my desire.  I know that you are all powerful and can do all things if it be according to thy will.  But if not, I know that you have a better plan for me and I trust you.”

So, we see that the promise of Divine Protection to the faithful is not cut and dry and we still may want to ask: CAN we rely on the many, many scriptures that promise Divine Protection for the righteous?  Well, I believe that we should (and must) to fortify our faith in the times ahead, remembering the countless ways the Lord has protected His people and to “seek and expect miracles” as Pres. Nelson has invited us, but ALWAYS with the mindset & determination of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: Believing that God is “mighty to save”, but remembering that He sometimes judges the trial of His faithful “finished” and welcomes them home with “Crowns of Glory”. 

This is the perspective we must keep rather than believing that because someone “died”, that they were not “protected”.

With that thought, I will end with a favorite quote from a favorite character, Gandalf, in the epic Lord of the Rings series, when Pippin says “I didn’t think it would end this way”…  End? No, the journey doesn’t end here.  Death is just another path… one that we all must take.  The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it… White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.”

And, if we are steadfast and faithful, we can face with a new perspective, what might otherwise seem like a tragedy, as did another favorite character, Theodin (in the same epic tale), and say without the slightest fear:  “I go to my fathers. And even in their mighty company I shall not, now, be ashamed.”

Blessings on your day,

Nikki

PS. Art Credit:  I can't see who painted this, if anyone knows please message me so I can give credit where credit is due.

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