(Cheyenne sky 2015)
Nephi saw our day and what we would face, and he expressed in his language what Elder Oaks taught. Nephi "beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that is descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
TRUE DISCIPLES ARE ARMED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS, MEANING WITH BOTH DELIVERANCE AND DIVINE PROTECTION, AND WITH THE POWER OF GOD IN GREAT GLORY.
(I NEPHI 14:14)This means that, as disciples, imperfect though we still are, we can ask for more energy, more revelation, more patience, more self-discipline, more hope, more love, more healing, more happiness. We can ask for miracles, for freedom from pain, and for the desire to forgive. We can ask for more faith and for help in becoming better disciples. Elder Marvin J. Ashton taught that there are "less-conspicuous gifts," such as the gift of being a disciple, the gift to calm, the gift of being agreeable and so on... ("There Are Many Gifts," Ensign, November 1987). We can ask for angels to walk with us, because if we live up to our privileges, angels can't be restrained from being our associates (Minutes of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society, April 28,1842.) And we can also ask for help to understand why the Lord sometimes responds to our requests and at other time manifests His grace in our lives differently than we may have hoped for. The Lord's timing and His wisdom about what we need at any given point in our lives reigns supreme.
Nonetheless, the Lord is not saving up His grace or power for one dramatic display at the Final Judgment, nor is grace something that kicks in at the end of an ordeal. It is there from the moment we exercise even a "particle of faith," and ask for His help. (Alma 32:27) Jesus Christ is Alpha and Omega, literally the beginning and the end, (Revelation 1:8) which means He'll stick with us from start to finish.
~ Sheri Dew, Amazed by Grace
