Sunday, October 17, 2021

Stronger in Humility

The prophet-author Mormon editorialized on the situation of the Nephites in a period in which the "pride cycle" was spinning faster than usual. The Nephite people had just experienced a brief period of peace and prosperity in which the church of Christ had grown and flourished even to the astounding of the priests and prophets. And now, because of their prosperity, many Nephites were sliding down the slippery slope of pride and persecution. 

A minority, however, remained faithful to the faith. They stayed on the path of righteousness. How did they do it? Mormon tells us, and what he says about the Nephites in their day also applies to us in our day:

Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.
--Helaman 3:35

An interesting choice of words: "stronger in humility." I take this phrase to mean that humility became a more powerful force in the lives of the believers. It became an enabling power. As they became more humble and teachable, they acquired more power from heaven. 

As their humility grew, so did their faith in Christ. It became firm, then solid, then unbendable, then unbreakable. 

Humility and faith go hand in hand. The more humble I am, the more I see the need to depend on God. The more I depend on Him, the more He can help me. The more He helps me, the better I come to know Him. And the better I know him, the more I trust him. Trust is another word for faith. I act with growing confidence in my beliefs. 

The more thoroughly I trust God, and the more evidence I acquire of His love for and interest in me, the more joy I experience. How can one not feel exquisite joy when he recognizes that the Supreme Being in the universe knows him and cares about him?  How can he not rejoice in knowing this earth, life itself, and the grand plan of salvation were created to lift him to exaltation with God? 

Note that I do not purify and sanctify my own heart. I can only yield it to God. It is by His power through Christ's Atonement that my heart is changed. 

The key to this marvelous transformation is prayer and fasting. I start by reaching out to God, even blindly at first, but with hope. Prayer initiates the humbling, refining process in me. Once I make space for God in my life, He can go to work.

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