Thoughts on Faith, Choice, and the name "Israel"

 Here are a few thoughts that I've written down over the past several weeks.

Sep 2020:

To my children:

    There is nothing so important in this life as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is solely because of God's desire for our Eternal happiness that we have this life to live.  If I have but one desire for you it is that you would nurture a testimony of the gospel Truth: of Christ and His Atonement.

    Treat your faith as the tenderest of plants or as the sickliest, smallest lamb--it needs daily, often hourly, nourishment and care.  It must be regularly strengthened and fortified.  You may pass through various stages in your life and in your faith.  Sometimes the trials of life may shake your faith and it is all you can do to maintain the smallest shred of faith; do so, and you will find that in the darkness of your trials your faith grew unseen into a weather-strengthened oak (or at least into a sturdy sapling).  Sometimes temptation and sin will seek to lure you away, or lull you to sleep such that you cease daily to nourish your faith. Beware this subtle weakening: always nourish your faith daily, for not only will your faith be strengthened, but you will find that this holy habit will be key to your escape from sin and temptation and even addiction.  At times life will be easy (relatively speaking) and faith will be a joy.  Be most aware of those time!  For this is when you can fool yourself into believing that you "have arrived," that all your work has paid off, and that you can relax.  It is not so! Even the sturdiest oak of faith needs constant nourishment and can be toppled by lack of care.

6 Sep 2020:

On Choice

When we seek the Lord's guidance between two choices and He answers that it is up to us, perhaps it's not so much about the choice, but rather a test of our goals and priorities.  For when we receive such an answer, it is natural for us to evaluate further the merits and detriments of each choice.  In doing so we generally need to know or have a general idea of our goals and desires, for it is in the framework of those goals and desires that we evaluate the desirability of each choice.

11 Oct 2020:

Israel: Let God Prevail

This thought was prompted by a ward member's talk in sacrament referencing President Nelson's Oct 2020 address in which he shared an insight he recently received into an interpretation of the name Israel.  He said that the Hebrew interpretation was "Let God Prevail" and that this represented a willingness to let God prevail in our individual lives; and that the Hebrew interpretation was critical to this understanding of Israel denoting that willingness.

I came at it backwards to see what I could find.  That is, I started with the English phrase and worked towards every possible understanding.

In English the phrase "Let God prevail" can be read in several ways.

1st, as an imperative, a command.  In this form, the name of Israel is a command to let God prevail.  Being part of Israel is then an agreement to obey this commandment.  This idea is born out in scripture: the Lord "loveth those who will have him to be their God." (1 Nephi 17:40; see also Ephesians 2:11-13, Exodus 24:7, Topical Guide: Obedience, and Bible Dictionary: Israel)

2nd, as a request.  In this sense, Israel is a plea to accept the Lord and His Gospel.  This is the purpose of missionary work: to invite all men to come unto Christ.

3rd, as an exclamation. I imagine here an exultant cry of "Israel!"  A joyous proclamation of God's prevalence and the goodness that comes of living God's commands.

4th, as a statement.  This would be an acceptance, or willingness to allow God to prevail in our own lives.  This one isn't as much of a grammatical interpretation like the first 3.  Rather, it is an implication of using or accepting Israel in the ways described.  In doing so, you are personally willing to let God prevail and willing God to prevail in your own life.