2 Nephi 4 Summary

[pam]

Fighting Depression

2 Nephi 4:20-24 Count Blessing
2 Nephi 4:25, 33 Temple Worship
2 Nephi 4:27-29, 31 Repentance
2 Nephi 4:30 Gratitude
2 Nephi 4:32 Humility
2 Nephi 4:33 Obedience
2 Nephi 4:34-35 Prayer





I Need Thee Every Hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.

I need thee, Oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!

I need thee every hour;
Stay thou nearby.
Temptations lose their power
When thou art nigh.


I need thee, Oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!

I need thee every hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need thee, Oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!


I need thee every hour,
Most holy One.
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!

I need thee, Oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!

Hymns, No. 98

At the site of his baby girl buried on the plains, he felt near unto heaven. He said:
It has given me much of trouble, and a great amount of perseverance, to be happy under all circumstances. I have learned not to fret myself. It has taken me a great while to arrive at this point….
…I thank the Lord for the bitter as well as for the sweet….
…I want the Saints to live in a way that they can feel happy all the time, and then we shall enjoy the Holy Spirit.
Jedediah M. Grant, JD, 3:11-12


One cannot embrace the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ without it having a profound effect on every aspect of his life. Not only is the person who joins the Church perfected by application of gospel principles, but all people with whom he associates must also be perfected.
There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man’s unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of personality—the effect of his words and his actions on others. This radiation is tremendous. Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world.
Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying it is an unconscious influence.
Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated; he can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. And by these qualities he will constantly affect the world.
This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any one of a hundred other qualities.
Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation.
David O. McKay, Given at BYU, April 27, 1948

Help from the Scriptures for Depression

President Robert G. Allred

September 11, 2001

Depression is common to life on earth and is shared by more people than most of us realize because we don’t talk about it readily when we are experiencing the problem ourselves. This condition can come into our lives when we become overloaded. An example is found in the JSH 1:16. This can happen from one big event or from the accumulation of a number of smaller events.
When one is in the midst of feeling of depression, it is not uncommon to feel separated from the Spirit. See D&C 19:20. Sometimes, one problem must be addressed before the other is resolved.
Because depression is one of the problems of this life, we need to be proactive in finding solutions that work for us and for those we may be trying to help. To do this, an open mind is required. We may need to follow the example of the Brother of Jared in his dealings with the Lord concerning the stones for light. We are told to seek knowledge in D&C 42:61. It will help if we learn to trust the promise of 2 Nephi 32:3 and embrace the optimism of Isaiah 48:17.
An open mind can lead us to help as we realize that one of the missions of the Comforter is to teach us the truth of all things. Part of the problem of depression is mental, part is spiritual and part is scientific. There is a certain period in the recovery process where the scientific approach will be the most rapid path until sensitivity to the Spirit is able to return. There is nothing in the scriptures that would keep one from any route to the truth as long as we remember from where all truth comes.
Scriptures that may support along this path include D&C 93:24, D&C 121:26, 33, 42. Alma 18:35 promises that the Spirit will give knowledge and 2 Nephi 32:3 presents the promise that the Words of Christ will tell us all things that we should do. It takes all the light we can get to dispel this darkness from ourselves or a family member.
There are many scriptures which offer help and hope on this subject. There is no doubt that these were recorded to help us individually according to our need and in the manner that will reach us for the moment in which we find them.
A search of the Topical Guide is a great path to these gems. See depression, despair, anguish, to help you understand. Then turn to comfort, consolation, (see 2 Thes. 2:16) faith, assurance, hope, peace, and charity to find helpful scriptures.
Some of my favorites are in the book of Isaiah. That Prophet served about the same length of time ahead of Nephi as Joseph Smith served ahead of our time. His was a difficult time, but his tone is optimistic, as is that of our current Prophet. See Isaiah 32:17-18, 40:29-31, 41:10, 13, & 17. Isaiah 35:3 also leads to a path of recovery.
In the 9th and 10th chapters of Isaiah, there are a number of statements about things in life which can separate us from a feeling of love and acceptance from our Father in Heaven. Each verse that describes such a condition (see 9:12, 17, 21 and 10:4) ends with the statement, “…But His hand is stretched out still.” Because problems such as depression can take some time for the nervous system to recover, such long-term promises can be helpful.
In recent times, our leaders have also addressed this topic more freely in conference addresses. President Hinckley, Elder Maxwell, President Monson, and Elder Scott are a few who have offered hope. I remember Elder Maxwell bearing testimony of Him who heard prayers uttered from the darkness of the deep abyss and I knew just what he meant. That has also been my experience, that He does not forsake us in our hour of need, but that it does behoove us to learn all that we can learn from each and every experience we have in this life.