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It may not be on the mountain height Or over the stormy
sea. It may not be at the battle’s front My
Lord will have need of me. But if, a still small
voice he calls to paths that I do not know, I’ll
answer dear Lord with my hand in thine: I’ll go where you want me to go.

I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over
mountain or plain or sea; I’ll say what you want me to
say, dear Lord; I’ll be what you want me to be.
(Hymn 270)

If we look over our lives we will see a pattern emerge. We will see times when we were called by the Lord and willingly did what He asked of us. We will see other instances where we were called and failed to recognize the voice. Still there are those moments we willingly disobey and ignore the call.

The plan of salvation teaches that even before we came to this earth we looked forward with anticipation to the experiences this life would provide. We knew the purpose of this life, we knew it would not be easy and that we would have to work hard to return to our Father in Heaven. We excepted the separation from God and committed that we would find Him again and reestablish our relationship with Him. We knew that we would be required to do things that would seem impossible or beyond our ability. However, the Lord promised that he would provide a way for us to do the things He would ask of us.

Nephi understood this doctrine, he said “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

Another prophet that understood this was the Brother of Jared. Given a task similar in nature to that of Lehi, told to take his family and follow God as he leads them to a promise land, the Brother of Jared provides a perfect example of one who was willing to go where the Lord wanted him, and be what the Lord wanted him to be.

Each of us are given experiences that may cause us to feel inadequate and uncertain. We may feel that the task is too much for us and there is no way we can accomplish the things the Lord has asked.

Some of the task given to the Brother of Jared may seem overwhelming or beyond our ability and I can only imagine that there were moments he may have felt the heavy load and wondered how it was to be done. But as we read through the first few chapters of Ether we can see consistence in the Brother of Jared’s resolve to do the will of God.

Chapter 2:16 “…And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord…”

They were not left alone to figure everything out on their own, the Lord gave them instruction just as he is willing to give each of us the instruction we need to complete the task he has asked of us. We just have to ask. The brother of Jared points our that it is a commandment that we call upon God for the things we desire.

Chapter 3:2 “…O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.”

Continued in verse 4 and 5, “And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man…”

“Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.”

Sometimes it is difficult to see how our trials and experiences are beneficial. Sometimes we fail to see things in an eternal prospective, noticing only the immediate hardship or disaster.

When a young missionary was sent home from his mission due to medical reasons, his stake President offered wise council hoping to keep the missionary form getting discouraged he said “Don’t make Jesus Christ drag you kicking and screaming to your greatest blessings. “

We are often called to go places and do things we may not understand at first, but it is important that we try to see things from the Lords perspective. It is important that we seek understanding from the Lord so that we are not fighting against his will.

What made the Brother of Jared so successful in his journey? What did he do differently that provided him the opportunity to see our Savior?

I believe that there are three key elements to the brother of Jared’s success that we can apply to our own lives that will better prepare us to say, “I will go where you want me to, I will be what you want me to be.”

First: Increased Faith

I believe that each of us has faith, we may all be at different levels of faith, but none of us would be here today if we did not have faith.

The brother of Jared repeatedly makes the statement “I Know”. He came to this knowledge after learning from many experiences that the Lord is true to his word when we are obedient to his commandments.

Of the brother of Jared’s faith Moroni said, “And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting.”

It is possible for each of us to develop this same knowledge, it is possible for us to know, nothing doubting. We must first be diligent in our faith and resolve to be more obedient.

Second: Increased Obedience

In the beginning of their journey, the Lord led the Jaredites to the sea, where it says they lived for 4 years. However, during this 4 years they failed to be obedient and did not pray unto God. The brother of Jared was chastened by the Lord and commanded to repent. The Lord also offered a reminder that they must continue in obedience and said, “…but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man…”

As we read the story of the brother of Jared we can see his increase obedience. In fact the brother of Jared shows exact obedience after each time he is given a task from the Lord.

Chapter 2:18, After building the barges he says “…O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.”

We may find it difficult to act in exact obedience, but we must try. It is more important that we look forward with faith and trust in the Lord believing that he will provide a way for us to fulfill his commandments then it is for us to know how we will accomplish the task.

Third: Increased Trust and Reliance

In the story of the brother of Jared there is an instance where the Lord does not provide the instruction on how to solve one of the problems that arises. We all have these moments in our lives when we are faced with problems and the Lord requires that we first find a solution then ask for his assistance.

The Lord will never leave us completely alone, he has promised that we will have his spirit to be with us to guide and direct us. In the brother of Jared’s situation the Lord even does a little brain storming session with him, where he points out some of the solutions that will not work.

The brother of Jared could have wined and complained about the problem, he could have got upset and angry that the Lord was not willing to provide the solution, but instead he went to work to create a solution.

He trusted and relied on the Lord for everything, he new that if he did his part the Lord would also do his part.

We will all have opportunities to say, “I will go where you want me to go, I will be what you want me to be, dear Lord” And many times the timing may not seem right, and the task may seem unbearable, but the Lord has need for each of us. He needs for each of us to be more Faithful, Obedient and to increase our Trust in him.

It is my testimony that the Lord can do more with our lives than we can. God does not wish to modify our behavior, his goal is to transform our natures. To helps us become not only who he wants us to be, but to become the person he needs us to be!

I testify that God lives, He loves us, and he is determined to help us as much as we allow him too. That is why he gave his only begotten to the world.