I am in an online religion class this semester called "Teachings of the Living Prophets." In this class we have to read 8 assigned talks each week and write insights that we receive on them. One of the ones that struck me the most this week was given by Elder Bednar in a devotional at BYU-Idaho in 2002, when he was the President of BYU-Idaho. It is called, "In the Strength of the Lord" and talks about the enabling power of the atonement. I had never really thought about this aspect of the atonement before I read this talk.
Here is the definition of Grace:
"It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins,
receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an
enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts (emphasis added)."
I loved how Elder Bednar talked about some scriptures with reference to this enabling power of the atonement. Here Nephi was taken by his brothers and bound with cords. Nephi's prayer is this in 1 Nephi 7:17 -
"O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even
give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound (emphasis added)."
I know I would probably have prayed for my brothers to let me go, but Nephi knew more about Christ's enabling/strengthening power.
Another scripture comes from Mosiah 24:14 where Alma and his newly converted bretheren were captives of the Lamanites.
"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did
strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (emphasis added)."
God didn't take away their burdens, but gave them the strength to carry them.
Another example of the enabling power of the atonement came from Elder Bednar's own life:
"The greatest lessons I have learned about the enabling power have come from the quiet example of my wife in our own home. I watched her persevere through intense and continuous morning sickness and vomiting during each of her three pregnancies. She literally was sick all day every day for eight months with each pregnancy. That challenge was never removed from her. But together we prayed that she would be strengthened, and she indeed was blessed through the enabling power of the atonement to do physically what in her own power she could not do."
These examples made me realize that whenever I have pain or burdens that I don't think I can carry, I usually ask for the burdens to be removed. Every time I have had a kidney stone or a headache or cramps, I have always asked him for the pain to be gone. I have never once said, "Give me the strength to handle the pain." I will try to do that from now on. We weren't left to do things on our own. The atonement can help us to have the strength that we normally, by our own means, wouldn't have. Nephi wasn't strong enough to break the bands, but with Christ's help he broke them. I hope that as I try to use this more in my life, I can be more prepared to preach the gospel. I know of my own strength I won't be able to, but through the enabling power of Christ's atonement for me, I can have the strength to preach with power and testimony. I won't be afraid to open my mouth if I am strengthened by his grace, and that is extremely comforting!
