Mosiah 23:21

So I found a new favorite scripture from an email that my brother sent me, Mosiah 23:21. "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. I must admit when I first read this verse it left me a bit frustrated, why does the Lord need to try my patience?! I suppose the verse clicked for me today after my seminary lesson on faith. Faith is much more than passive belief. You express your faith through action—by the way you live. In the 12th chapter of Ether in the sixth verse the prophet Moroni gives a great explanation on faith. "And now, I Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

The last line of this verse is key, "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." We must take a leap of faith, much like Indiana Jones in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We must put all our trust in God, he will never let us fall! Through a trial of patience and faith, you can receive a witness, and because of that witness your testimony will be strengthened by the power of the holy ghost.

Moroni is a perfect example of this principle. Later in chapter 12 Moroni is worried about his weakness in writing his language. In verse 23 Moroni says, . . ." for Lord hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing." Moroni speaks with so much power, that he cannot possibly write them down. Moroni and his father, Mormon, take a HUGE leap of faith writing and compiling the Book of Mormon. They had to trust that the Lord would help them write this Book for our day. The Lord did try Moroni and Mormon's patience while they worked on the Book of Mormon. Because of their steadfastness through this frustrating time, they received a witness that the Book of Mormon would become the keystone of the future church.

Anyway I thought this was pretty sweet! The Book of Mormon is just amazing. There are so many cool principles! Thank goodness that Joseph Smith restored the gospel and translated the Book of Mormon right?