"For the Lord God will help me.."

As I sat in almost sheer panic this morning, the LSAT looming only one hour in front of me, I knew I needed more than my own preparation and confidence to get me through the test. Of course I had prayed for help, and I believed the Lord would help... but I wondered if i deserved His help. And I wondered what I had to do to receive that help. As so often happens, my morning scripture study blew my mind and caved my heart concerning my worries:
"For thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever?... To whom have I put thee away? ... Yea to whom have I sold you? Behold for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves... Wherefore, when I came there was no man; when I called yea there was none to answer."(2 Nephi 7:1)
In these verses the Lord makes it clear that we are the only ones who can choose to separate ourselves from the help of God. Then he reassures us that he is in fact still there, still caring and still all powerful:
"Is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness..." (v. 2)
I believe, I've experienced and I testify, along with Isaiah, that "The Lord God will help me" (v. 7) and that "help" is never taken away by God.  He is always there to support us and strengthen us, beyond what we would be able, in our righteous desires. While reading these verses, and while taking the LSAT, I could feel the reality of God's love and help. Nothing helped subside my fears like that knowledge and those feelings. He truly does help us in our times of need.

"Many of mine own prophecies"

One thing the Book of Mormon does well is remind you of your weaknesses and give you an example of someone doing it right... and as much as I've tried to keep a decent journal that I will appreciate in my future years, I still wonder what I am really supposed to get out of keeping a journal. Nephi gives an insight that not only teaches us, again, about the value of the Book of Mormon in our lives, but also a glimpse into what the Lord would have us keep record of during our time here on earth.
Of course, in reference to the Book of Mormon, Nephi was commanded to record specifically the sacred, "plain and precious" things. However, Nephi was also asked  to keep records of their "journeyings in the wilderness","the genealogy of his father", as well as "ministeries and prophecies"given in his lifetime. (1 Nephi 19:1-3) Most noteworthy to me, however, was when he mentioned writing "many of [his] own prophecies".
Not only were these records a place to remember what he had learned and experienced -- but also a place where God could open his own mind and reveal to him things beyond that which had been shared with him by others. I am reminded of the times when my mind has been opened to specific ideas and feelings when I take the time to write in my journal.  That pondering and writing time have led to some of the most valuable realizations I have ever experienced. Beyond just blessing my future self and posterity, I believe that journal keeping will teach us things that God would have us know and realize regarding our own life, if only we take the time to "make these plates."

The Love of God

I work on a daily basis with criminal defendants, and this often makes me ponder about how God must feel about them.... guilty or not and regardless of the type of crime.  While reading this week in the Book of Mormon I noticed that Nephi asked a similar question. Speaking of the people led out of Egypt he asked:

 "Do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay. Behold the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one." - 1 Nephi 17: 33-35

I know that we learn and are blessed when we obey the commandments of God -- however, even when we are not obedient, even when we have completely disregarded all of God's words, we are not any less loved of God. Righteousness is not a pre-requisite for God loving us. I know that is true, and in the name of Jesus Christ, I leave you with this testimony, a quote from the prophet of God himself:

"That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there."

The Book of Mormon - My simple testimony

The Book of Mormon, which I believe and know to be the word of God, has brought me the greatest comfort, clarity, and understanding in my life compared to any of the books I've ever read. I am profoundly and eternally grateful that I have the chance to read and ponder its contents daily, even multiple times a day. I've come to realize that it is one of the greatest gifts God has given me and one of the greatest gifts I could give to someone else. It brings its reader closer to Christ and shows honest truth-seekers what they should do, in a way that no other collection of words can. An angel of God said of the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 13:40, that it "shall make known the plain and precious things" which could not be found in any other book. In harmony with those plain and precious truths, it "shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved." In testifying of the glory of the Book of Mormon, I do not intend to downplay the power of the Bible or to say that great men have not been guided without the help of such a book.  However, I do know that there are truths that cannot be known, testimonies of Christ that cannot be fully nourished, and a salvation that cannot be obtained without the understanding that the Book of Mormon teaches. I pray that my love for this book will never diminish, because I know the challenges that will yet face me will be nearly insurmountable if I choose to let its influence leave my life. 

1 Nephi 13:40