“Nephi Receives Great Power,” Liahona, Apr. 1996, 2
Nephi Receives Great Power
Thinking about what the Lord had shown him, and about the wickedness of the Nephites, Nephi walked sadly toward his home. Hel. 10:1–3
The Lord spoke to Nephi, praising him for being obedient and for his tireless efforts to teach the gospel. Hel. 10:4
Nephi was blessed with the power to do all things, because the Lord knew that Nephi could be trusted to use it righteously. Hel. 10:5–7
The Lord told Nephi to warn the people that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. Nephi went at once to warn the people. Hel. 10:11–12
The Nephites did not believe Nephi. They tried to throw him into prison. Hel. 10:14–15
The power of God protected Nephi, and he went from place to place declaring the word of God to all the people. Hel. 10:16–17
But the Nephites became even more wicked, and there were wars throughout the land. Hel. 11:1–2
Nephi prayed for a famine, hoping that the lack of food would humble the Nephites and help them repent. Hel. 11:3–4
The famine came: There was no rain, so the ground dried up and grain would not grow. The people stopped fighting. Hel. 11:5–6
The people were hungry, and many of them died. Those who lived began to remember the Lord and the words of Nephi. Hel. 11:7
The people repented of their sins and begged their judges to ask Nephi to pray for the famine to stop. The judges went to Nephi. Hel. 11:8–9
When Nephi saw that the people had become humble and repented, he asked the Lord to stop the famine. Hel. 11:10–12
The Lord answered Nephi’s prayers, and the fruit and grain began to grow again. The people glorified God and thought of Nephi as a great prophet. Hel. 11:17–18
Most of the people joined the church. They became rich, and their cities grew. They had peace in the land. Hel. 11:20–21
Then some Lamanites and some Nephites who had earlier joined the Lamanites went to war against the Nephites. Hel. 11:24–25
The Nephites tried to destroy their enemies—who had become Gadianton robbers—but could not because they themselves had become wicked again. Then they remembered the Lord. Hel. 11:28–34
As the Nephites became righteous, the Lord blessed them. As they became proud and forgot him, he gave them problems to help them remember him. Hel. 12:1–3
Illustrated by Jerry Thompson