“And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.” (I Nephi 11:25)
I just love what we learn from Nephi in this scripture. First of all, in Chapter 11 verse 1 we’re told that Nephi desired to know the things that his father, Lehi, had seen in his vision. Isn’t that a great lesson … if you desire to know something, ask the Lord. Now Nephi didn’t just ask, he says he “sat pondering in mine heart.” Again, Nephi teaches us that the best way to let the Lord answer our desires is to ponder them in our hearts.
While Nephi was pondering the Spirit of the Lord came to him in a vision and then showed and explained the vision of “The Tree of Life” that his father, Lehi, had seen. In verse 25 the Spirit of the Lord explains what the rod of iron, word of God, fountain of living waters, and the tree of life all symbolize. Here’s what I get from this scripture:
The Iron Rod = The word of God. (Just like we learn in the Primary Song.)
The Tree of Life = The Love of God
The Iron Rod leads to the Tree of Life.
That means “The Word of God leads to the Love of God.”
Or in other words; if you want to feel the love of God you must read, ponder and pray about the word of God found in the scriptures and study the words of the prophets. Think about this for a moment … the words of God will help us feel the love of God. What a great blessing! Can you imagine how lost we would be without the love of God? Nephi teaches us a great lesson that to feel that love we need to know God through the scriptures.
Think about some of the greatest questions the world has about God. Below are a few I think people in the world most want to know and understand.
Who is God?
Does God know me?
Does God have a purpose for my life?
Is there life after death?
A few years ago I was working on a media project for the Church where we asked people in a few cities in the USA as well as in London, England and Sao Paulo, Brazil these very questions to see what people knew about God and His love for us.
The first question we asked was; Who is God? Here are some of the exact answers we got from the people we interviewed:
Man: “God to me is unexplainable … it’s an intangible force, energy, light … I really don’t know how to explain it.”
Man: “There isn’t any one definite answer to “Who is God?”
Woman: “I don’t think that God’s a real person … I think that would be impossible.”
Man: “I think that God is a concept, so God is everything and anything … it’s different things for different people. So for me, it’s more a concept, it’s a force, it’s an energy. It’s everything and anything in the universe.”
Man: “God is kind of a big question mark to me.”
Woman: “I don’t think God exists for me … he exists for other people, but not for me.”
We asked some others this question: Does God Know Me? Here are the answers to that question.
Man: “I’m not sure … how can he know me?”
Woman: “I think so … I hope so.”
Man: “I don’t think that God cares about me. I’m just a tiny little spec.”
Woman: “I don’t think I know God, so I don’t know if God knows who I am.”
Woman: “I couldn’t really say what God thinks of me.”
The next question was: Does God Have A Purpose for My Life?
Man: “I don’t know the purpose. I can’t sit here and tell you I know what the purpose is. I don’t think anybody does.”
Man: “Honestly, I feel a little uncertain right now about what my purpose is, I’d say very unsure.”
Woman: “Does anyone’s life have a purpose … I don’t think so.”
Woman: “I don’t think you know that until the day you die.”
The final question we asked was: Is There Life After Death?
Man: “I don’t know if there’s life after death. I sure hope so.”
Woman: “I don’t know what exactly will happen … I don’t know if we’ll have a body or not.”
Woman: “I hope to still exist … somehow.”
Man: “There has to be something beyond earth … I don’t know what.”
Woman: “I don’t believe in life after death. I think it’s a nice idea but … no.”
Woman: “I really hope that when you die it’s not ‘game over.’”
Man: “What comes next I have a lot of doubts in my mind.”
Man: “I don’t know … I wish I did.”
After hearing the answers of these people in different parts of the world I believe I began to understand just how fortunate we are to have the Word of God and the living prophets. Because of the “Iron Rod” I have answers to those questions and if I were asked these same questions I could answer each one with firm conviction that comes from the Holy Ghost.
Who is God?
“God is my Heavenly Father. He is a glorified person with flesh and bones. I lived with Him as a spirit before I came to earth. He has provided a way for me and my family to return and live with him after this life.”
Does God Know Me?
“God knows me intimately. He is concerned about my well-being and happiness. Because He knows me he has allowed me to have the Holy Ghost as my companion to help me through the challenges of life. Because He knows me has allowed me to hold His Priesthood which allows me to act and serve in His name here on earth.”
Does God Have a Purpose for My Life?
“Yes. His purpose for my life is that I receive a physical body, gain earthly experiences, make covenants, and receive ordinances that will allow me to return to live with Him and my family, forever.”
Is There Life After Death?
“Yes. Through the atonement, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, God allows every person on earth the opportunity to live after this life forever. As we show our love by obeying his commandments and making and keeping sacred covenants he promises the opportunity to live with him … in other words, to have “eternal life” which is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
I know these things because of the “The Word of God” found in the scriptures and through the words of His prophets. Knowing these things is one of the greatest gifts of love the Lord gives to us in this life. Truly, like Nephi taught, “The Word of God leads to the Love of God.” I pray we can all find that incredible love in our lives as we listen to the Lord’s prophets and read and ponder the scriptures … just like Nephi taught.
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