After
being delivered and protected by the Lord’s hand the church struggles because
of the wicked Nephites. Many Nephites are slain and they lose all the cities in
the land southward because of their wickedness and abominations, even among
those who belong to the church. Their wickedness resulted from the pride of
their hearts, oppression to the poor, mocking that which is sacred, denying the
spirit of prophecy and revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing
adultery, and joining the Lamanites (v. 11-12).
Even
in such an awful state the Lord offers to deliver his children through his
strength.
Therefore
the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous matchless power… and
except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish (v.25). What does it mean to cleave unto the Lord?
Why is cleaving powerful enough to avoid perishing and deliver a people from
such abominations?
Behold
according to your desires, yea, even according to your faith shall it be done
unto you
Keep
my commandments. Hold your peace. Appeal unto the spirit. Yea, cleave unto me with
all your heart that [I] may” become who the Lord would have me become and do
that which he would have me do (D&C
11:17-19).
“That
I repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he
cleaveth unto [me]. And while His arm of mercy is extended towards you in the
light of the day, harden not [my] heart” (Jacob 6:5).
Even
if I am living like the wicked Nephites, on the verge of destruction, the Lord
is waiting with his arms of mercy extended and only requires that I repent and cleave
unto him, while promising that I not perish. Cleaving is rooted in the desires
of my heart. When I desire with real intentions to cleave unto God, He will
receive all my available heart and soften hard places, or unavailable parts, so
I can off up more of my heart. The components of softening and changing my
heart are obedience to the commandments, holding my peace, and appealing unto
the spirit. Seeing his mercy in my life is seeing how He cleaves unto me, a
knowledge that will enable me to more fully cleave unto Him, a process that enables me to receive both
the enabling and sanctifying power of the Atonement.
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