In Helaman, Nephi is left alone and he ponders. As he is pondering, the Lord blesses Nephi with a revelation. I believe this revelation came because he took the time to ponder and draw closer to God by doing so.
The Lord tells Nephi,
"I will bless thee forever." (Helaman 10:5)
It is just previous to this that Nephi and Lehi have been preaching to the wicked Nephites. The following verses are an extension of the verse quoted above.
I love this evidence that the Lord blesses Nephi because of his faith and diligence in preaching the word of God. As we liken this to our own lives, I know that when we are faithful to the Lord and do what He asks us to, He will bless every time.
Just a few pages over, in Helaman 12:1 it states,
"And thus we can behold how false and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yeah, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him."
It is amazing that in the times of prosperity, it becomes the easiest to forget the Lord. It becomes so easy to forget the Source of all of our blessings.
The following verses are words spoken to Nephi about his diligence in preaching the word of God.
4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.
Trust in the Lord results in blessings from Him.
The following verse go on to say,
2 Yeah, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people . . . sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies . . . doing all things for the welfare of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One...
(emphasis added)
Each one of those adjectives describes a blessing from the Lord. Sparing. Delivering. Softening. Doing ALL things for their welfare . . .
I find it amazing that when the Lord blesses us, it becomes so easy to forget Him. It becomes so easy to forget from Whom all of our blessings have come from. Something remarkable is that the Lord still does not fail to bless us. Even if He knows we will forget Him, He still blesses us.
I know personally that I have been countlessly blessed by both my Father in Heaven and Savior. I feel so unworthy of the bounteous blessings which have so graciously been bestowed on me. I am in awe of mercy of my Savior and my Father despite all of the times I fall and fail and forget each of Them over and over and over again. Each of Them continues to bless me over and over and over and over again even though I have weaknesses and shortcomings. I know without a doubt as I strive to become a little bit better each day, my Father in Heaven and my Savior will continue to bless me and help me throughout this mortal life.
One thing I do know for sure. Christ blesses. And He is the greatest blessing of all.
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