Reliance on the Lord

This week I was thinking a lot about how my life goes when I try to do things myself and when I really rely on the Lord. As I was reading The Book or Mormon I came to 2 Nephi chapter 24, which professor Griffin called "Isiah's Taunt Song." What stood out to me was the structure of the chapter. In the beginning Isiah is talking about the power and goodness of the Lord. He talks about how God will gather his people in the last days. Then it talks about Lucifer and calls him the "Son of the morning." The next few verses really stood out to me. In verses 13 and 14, two very short verses, it uses the word I 5 times.

"13 For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High."

I thought about Lucifer's fall came about through not only self centeredness but through pride and a desire to do everything himself. In particular I thought about how the things mentioned in these two verses are things that in a certain sense we are all promised if we stay true and faithful to our covenants. They are all things that Lucifer could have obtained through the plan of salvation and relying on the lord but he chose a different path. The rest of the whole chapter talks about the punishments and woes that befall Satan (and those who follow him).

I realized a long time ago that I needed the Lord but sometimes I need a little reminder. What is important is remembering the power and mercy of the Lord and that we can do all things through him. If our desire is to "be like the most high" our desires are essentially in line with what God wants of us. The key is to keep in mind that we need to always remember him and that if we do he will use his great power to bless us in this life and in the world to come.