Second Nephi 2:1

And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.

Lehi's time in the wilderness was no picnic. It was a trial for every member of the family. It must have been hard for Lehi to watch his family struggle through it with him. He could help and encourage only so much, and then they each had to work it out for themselves. That would have been the hardest part.

Second Nephi 1:25

And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.

The righteous exercise of priesthood authority is always to glorify God and serve others. The righteous seeking of power is to enable us to serve better.  When that is our motivation,  God is pleased with us and will grant us all the power we can safely use.

Second Nephi 1:21

And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

Unity is the defense against captivity. If we can be of one mind and heart with the Lord, Satan can have no power over us.

Second Nephi 1:15

But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

Lehi's sons, Laman and Lemuel, are bound by chains of hell, whereas Lehi is bound by the living arms of Christ. What a difference in how they are bound!

Second Nephi 1:10-11

Behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.

Just as the promises of liberty apply to Nephi in his day and us in our day when we keep the commandments of God, so the curse that comes with disobedience applies to all people at all times. If we are concerned with the direction America is heading, we should not look at the politicians or Wall Street or the celebrities of the day, but we should look at ourselves and what is in our hearts.

Second Nephi 1:2

Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.

This promise of liberty extends not just to Lehi's family, which fled from Jerusalem to America, but to all families in all generations who have fled oppression, bigotry, persecution, and evil. This goes beyond politics and economics. This is about humanity, charity, and rights of the human soul.

Second Nephi 1:7

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

Even though the general population may become wicked and bring a curse on America, it will always be a land of promise for the righteous. The righteous may suffer from the curse brought about by wickedness, but they will be spared from the worst.

Second Nephi 1:6

Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

Is immigration a problem or our calling as a country?

Second Nephi 1:5

But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

The path to the land of promise is not easy. Just because we are having afflictions does not mean we are on the wrong path, anymore than riches and worldly favor is proof that a man is righteous. It is often those very afflictions that propel us towards our promised land, just as ease and riches can keep us out.

First Nephi 22:30

Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.

If we are not studying the written word of God, we cannot expect to receive more light and knowledge through revelation. The scriptures are a Urim and Thummim to us.

First Nephi 22:29

And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things.

Nephi knows more than he is telling, but he is constrained from saying more. He has come to the edge beyond which mortals don't get to go in sharing what they have learned from God. The next lesson must come from heaven itself. If we seek earnestly, we all get to the end of the road where those who know more cannot say more, and we must ask, seek and knock at the very source of all light and knowledge.

First Nephi 22:28

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.

More messages of hope: No one has to be left out of God's kingdom if they will repent.

First Nephi 22:26

And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.

We wield power over Satan by our choices. When everyone chooses righteousness, he will be out of business.

First Nephi 22:22

And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. 

To be confounded is to be bewildered or confused. Great calamities will come upon the earth in the Last Days. Indeed, they are already upon us. But we need not fear, and we need not be confused about what is happening. Christ is in control.

First Nephi 22:17

Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.

We need not fear the future. The same fire that destroys the wicked saves the righteous.

First Nephi 22:15

For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.

Satan has power,  but unlike God who has power in himself because of his very nature,  Satan's power is external.  It comes from us.  Satan would have no power if no one paid him any heed. And in a day to come,  that will be the case.  All who choose to follow him and give him power will be removed.  Satan will have no power on this earth when those who uphold him are no longer here. God's power is infinite and eternal.  The devil's power is limited and temporary.  He struts about and glories in his little power today, but one day he will be nothing.  We do not have to let the devil have any power in our lives.

First Nephi 22:14

And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.

It is hard to fathom the total collapse of the world order that we have known for most of recorded history. The great and abominable church is not just a church, or even a group of churches. It is governments and congresses and commissions and ministries and secret combinations. It is all powers, principalities, dominions, and worldly organizations that are not Zion. The world will be hard to recognize when these institutions are gone.

First Nephi 21:24-25

For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered? But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

Isaiah's promises applies to all of us. Satan wants to make us all his prey and his captives, but God will deliver us. He will fight our battles. Whatever sin we are contending with, he will deliver us from it, and he will save us and our families.

First Nephi 21:23

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Nephi and Isaiah offer hope to all who wait upon the Lord, meaning all who serve him. Though we may have hard times, we will not be disappointed.

First Nephi 21:15-16

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Nephi quoted the words of Isaiah because they were full of hope and comfort. God could not forget us any more than a new mother can forget her baby. Each time the resurrected Savior looks at the marks in the palms of his hands, he remembers us because he took the stripes for our guilt with those nails.

First Nephi 21:9

That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

The atonement of Christ frees us and brings us into God's light.

First Nephi 19:24

Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.

Though many of Isaiah's words are of warning, his overarching message is of hope in the Messiah, who is Christ. Every dire prediction is followed by a promise of hope based on repentance, faith, and mercy. Nephi told us earlier to "liken" the words of Isaiah unto ourselves. This ancient prophet's message of hope and mercy is for us.

First Nephi 19:23

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

More than any other prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah invites and inspires faith in Jesus Christ. Though he lived many hundred years before the coming of Christ, Isaiah saw his day clearly -- more clearly, in fact, than most of the people who lived and walked with Jesus. He saw Jesus' birth, life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection. This prophet proclaimed Jesus as Wonderful, Councilor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. We would do well to follow the admonition of Nephi to study the writings of Isaiah and let their message seep deep into our hearts, and realize that what he wrote is intended for us today.

First Nephi 19:20

 For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also.

I can understand a little of what Nephi means about "workings in the spirit" when it comes to my family. I cannot stop myself from praying for them. I also had an experience recently where I had an increase in charity for the brethren in my high priest group, which motivated me to want to pray more fervently for these men with whom I associate. I cannot imagine, however, having such powerful concerns for a whole city, and especially for one that drove my family out and threatened to kill my father. Charity is an amazing gift!

First Nephi 19:6

Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself.

Nephi's great weakness is that he is mortal. That is the weakness in all of us. God gave us this weakness that we may be humble. God gives only good gifts, so our mortal weakness is a good thing if we learn humility and reliance on God. If we fight God about our mortality, we miss out on the true purpose of the gift. He will not overpower our agency if do not choose to come to him. We only prolong our misery.

First Nephi 19:3

And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord.

The Lord does not always tell us his reasoning behind the commandments he gives and the trials we suffer. For Nephi it was enough to know the Lord commanded. I don't think he ever learned in this life why he had to make his small plates. It didn't matter. He trusted that God knew what he was doing. How much more peaceful our lives would be if we just trusted the Lord's judgment and gave up trying to figure it all out.

First Nephi 18:20

And there was nothing save it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts; wherefore, when they saw that they were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea they repented of the thing which they had done, insomuch that they loosed me.

God uses his power to soften our hearts so they become susceptible to the peace of his spirit.  He must sometimes shake us to get our attention. He does not delight in pain, afflictions, destruction, and disasters,  but he delights in repentance and having his children draw near to him.  He uses his power to best effect to knock us off the wrong path and nudge us onto the right one. He demonstrates his love through his power.

First Nephi 18:16

Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.

Nephi's recipe for enduring affliction: look to God, praise Him all day, and don't complain.

First Nephi 18:3

And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.

Line upon line and precept upon precept is how the Lord works. We should not expect God's revelations to be one and done. There are no end to his words. Once we learn the process to open the channel of communication, he will constantly reveal knowledge to us.