In 1 Nephi 17:45, Nephi, a young adult, rebukes his older brothers:

Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.”

Ordinarily, God does not yell at us to get our attention. Laman and Lemuel were in an unusual situation, in that they traveled with the only prophet who would arrive in their new homeland, and so he, and his successor had to be kept alive in order to allow the gospel to flourish in their new land. For this reason, God made a greater effort to keep the older brothers in line, since they were determined to kill their younger brother, and sometimes their father as well.

This principle is demonstrated in the Bible, when Elijah was to talk with the Lord:

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

“And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kgs. 19:11–13.)

Because God is so powerful, many might expect him to speak with a loud and powerful voice, similar to those found in old movies about Moses. However, in ordinary, everyday communication, God is quiet and gentle. He speak through his spirit in what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call the “still, small, voice.”

Different people might describe this experience in different ways, since there are no words to explain exactly what happens, and it may not always happen the same way twice. The important detail, however, is that when you receive an answer from God, it is always accompanied by a feeling of peace. Receiving counsel from God through his Spirit is a spiritual, sacred experience, and when it comes, you know it’s from God if your heart is sincere and you are living worthily to receive the counsel.

You must know God well enough to recognize His voice. You can’t ignore Him and then expect to find Him standing beside you in a moment of crisis, especially if you’re just going to send Him away again when you get what you want. We don’t bargain with God. We ask for His help, listen, and live what He tells us. Throughout our lives we maintain a close, personal relationship with God and when we’re baptized and confirmed, we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us all the time—but speaking quietly, not in a voice of thunder.

When Nephi, the young adult son of the prophet Lehi, sought his brother’s help, they ridiculed him. Nephi had been commanded by God to build a boat, so the family could travel to the land of promise God had chosen for them. His two older brothers, however, had no real faith, and didn’t believe Nephi could build a boat. They didn’t believe he could do it even with God’s help.

Nephi preached a powerful sermon to them on God’s abilities to create miracles, which only served to make the brothers even more angry. They decided to throw Nephi into the ocean and drown him. Nephi, having perfect faith, knew exactly what to do:

…”as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.” (1 Nephi 17:48)

He then continued on with his sermons and some firm warnings about interfering with God’s work or harming members of the family. The brothers, frightened by the power even they could feel coming from him, found themselves unable or unwilling to touch him for several days. They were afraid they would wither.

The Lord then told Nephi, “Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God.” (1 Nephi 17:53)

Nephi did this. The brothers felt a strong shock when their brother touched them, so strong they shook. At this point, they seemed to suddenly remember God and to believe in him again, for the moment, at least.

However, they did not bow down and worship God, as they ought to have done. Instead, they bowed down and tried to worship their brother. Nephi quickly put a stop to this. He reminded them he was only their younger brother, not their God. They must worship only God and obey their parents.

Despite their upbringing in a spiritual home, they did not even know God and the commandments well enough to know they must never worship anyone but God. Facts can be presented to you by others, but testimony is something you must get for yourself, and they had never taken the time to get one. As a result, they were as comfortable worshipping Nephi as they were worshipping God.

The scriptures are very clear that only God may be worshipped. In the Doctrine and Covenants, a collection of restoration prophecies and teachings, we read, “ And [God] gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship.” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:19)

One who has a powerful testimony of God would be unable to bow down and worship anyone else. This is what Nephi had, and Laman and Lemuel lacked. It is what decided, above all, what their eternal futures would hold.

We have been following the progress of Lehi and his family in our previous posts. Lehi was a prophet who was instructed by God to flee Jerusalem. After he preached repentance to them, his life was in danger. He took his family and only the most essential items and went into the wilderness, eventually joined by another family chosen by God to provide spouses for his children.

After eight years of travel, the family reached the sea. The place they found was beautiful and filled with wonderful foods to eat. However, this was not the place God had chosen for them to settle, as much as the family loved it. Instead, God commanded Nephi, who was now a young adult and the future prophet, to go to a mountain top to speak with the Lord. He did so, and received some rather astonishing news: He was to build a boat.

Nephi’s mind must have gone to his ancestor, Noah, who was also commanded to build a boat. They were both products of the desert and unfamiliar with boats. In fact, it’s likely Nephi had never even seen an ocean. However, Nephi, as we’ve seen, was a young man with extraordinary faith. He certainly knew Noah had built a boat despite his lack of training, and he knew he could build a boat as well—as long as God helped him. And Nephi had said long ago, as a teenager, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” –1 Nephi 3:7 Over the next eight years, Nephi had been given many opportunities to see even more clearly this was true.

And so, Nephi set out to build a boat. Since he didn’t know how to proceed, he sought God’s help in the project. First he asked God where to find the ore to make the tools. Of course, before he could make the tools, he had to make the tools needed to make the tools.

Eventually all of that was accomplished, however, and then he faced a task that must have seemed even more impossible than making tools and a boat. He had to deal with his two oldest brothers, who, from the start, had been resentful at leaving their wealth and had been perfecting a bad attitude about everything. They lacked faith.

Nephi could build a boat, but he couldn’t build it alone. He was going to need the help of the other men in the party. This meant convincing Laman, who was developing his role as the leader of the opposition, to assist. Unfortunately, the moment the two oldest brothers figured out what Nephi was up to, they went into their usual routine:

17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.

18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.

19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work. (1 Nephi 17)

They went on to complain about their favorite gripe—leaving their wealth. They insisted the people in Jerusalem had been righteous and the city was not destroyed. They were certain that if they’d stayed home they would now be happy, not dead, and that Nephi was just like their judgmental father.

Nephi withstood their harassment and then delivered a powerful sermon on God’s power. The brothers responded, as they often did now, by trying to kill him. With God’s help, Nephi was able to withstand his brothers and secure their promise of help. The boat was built and proved seaworthy.

What might have seemed an impossible task was successfully accomplished, but only because Nephi entirely trusted and relied on God for help. Nephi teaches us that anything is possible when we let God in on the project.

And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. -1 Nephi 17:50

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a strong respect for authority. We believe in obeying the law. Within our church organizations, we show respect for our leaders and follow the chain of command.

When Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, was a young man, his family fled Jerusalem after his father, the prophet Lehi, was threatened with death for calling the people to repentance. While traveling in the wilderness, Nephi, the family’s hunter, broke his bow and the family was threatened with starvation. You can read a complete summary of the events in Nephi and the Broken Bow.

At this time, Lehi, who had never before faltered, momentarily lost faith and complained to God. He was an elderly man, tired, and hungry, and just for a brief moment in time, he lost faith and became upset. In the world, Nephi might have seen this as an opportunity to wrest leadership from the next person up the ladder. After all, he was ready. He had already, even though he was very young, seen a vision and talked with angels. He had been working hard to try to reform his wayward brothers. During times when Lehi wasn’t present, such as their journeys back to Jerusalem for various things, it was Nephi who had needed to take charge and keep things under control, even though he was the youngest son. In the corporate world, Nephi would have been poised for a power struggle.

But this was not the world. It was a family, but more importantly, it was the church. Lehi was not just Nephi’s father, but his spiritual leader, the prophet. Prophets are only human, as the Bible frequently makes clear. They aren’t perfect. They have their bad days just as anyone else does.

Nephi did not set up a power struggle or take over. He made a new bow and then gently, respectfully, went to his father and asked where to hunt. He demonstrated that he still saw Lehi as the prophet and leader of the family. He showed a powerful respect, and as a result, he helped Lehi turn back to his faith and carry on.

Elder Marion D. Hanks said,

“I count this one of the really significant lessons of life in the book, and, I repeat, the pages are full of them. A son who had strength enough, and humility enough, and manliness enough to go to his wavering superior and say, ‘You ask God, will you?’ because somehow he knew this is how you make men strong, that wise confidence in men builds them. Lehi asked God and God told him, and Lehi’s leadership was restored” (Steps to Learning, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 4 May 1960], p. 7).

It was quite possibly Nephi’s request that reminded Lehi of his responsibilities to the leadership of the family and the church. He approached God, repented, and returned to his role as the leader. Only when he died did Nephi take over church leadership, and begin taking full responsibility for those in the group who wanted to follow God. Until that moment, Nephi allowed his father to stay in charge, just as God had chosen.