----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Francis Harper
The Numbers Will Be Few
“. . . they have all gone astray, save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ” (2 Nephi 12:16). “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love which he hath bestowed upon all who are the true followers of his Son Jesus Christ, that ye may be become the sons of God, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; . . .” (Moroni 7:53).
The true followers of Jesus have always been, and always will be few in number. The people eagerly followed Jesus until he said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye desire to keep my sayings, neither because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). “. . . From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” (John 6:66-67).
Nephi, son of Lehi, wrote: “It came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God and its numbers were few . . . Nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; And their dominions upon the face of the earth were small . . .” (1 Nephi 3:226-228).
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 3: 230-231).
Jonathan said to his armor-bearer “. . . there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). This is as true today as it was in the day Jonathan and his armor-bearer, who with the help of God, “delivered the Philistines into the hand of Israel” (1 Samuel 14:12).
Gideon was called of God to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon felt unequal to the task: he said: “O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am least in my father’s house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:15-16).
Gideon was not fully convinced that God would save Israel “by mine [Gideon’s] hand as thou hast said. Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth . . . then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said” (Judges 6:37).
Next morning the fleece was wet and the earth was dry, but Gideon asked for one more sign: “let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night . . .” (Judges 6:39-40).
Gideon was convinced that God would be with him and Israel would be saved from the hosts of Midian. “And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their [Israel’s] hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand saved me” (Judges 7:2). Gideon’s army was reduced from 32,000 to 300! “By the three hundred men . . . will I save you” (Judges 7:7).
Nearly all in Gideon’s army were “fearful and afraid;” lacking in faith. Less than 1% were alert, full of faith, and prepared to serve! Only two and God would have been enough to defeat the enemy, as it was with Jonathan and his armor-bearer!
Dear Ones,
An inspired message was given by Elbert A. Smith in Lamoni, Iowa, on November 4, 1917, which is still timely and appropriate for us to consider today. “Again, at this time [2020], you are admonished that you be not unduly concerned because you are few in numbers as compared with the world. That is not your concern, but be concerned only that your righteousness be very great. For a few righteous men can accomplish very much, and a little leaven leaveneth a great lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6, Galatians 5:9).
“I have many forces at work in the world, saith the Lord. I have many spiritual forces at work that you not of. You see but the smaller part of my work, and the world perceives it not at all. Therefore be not concerned because you are few in number, but let each one look to himself, and to the condition of his own heart and life. Be humble and righteous and full of love, casting out the spirit of hatred, that you may stand in holy places and receive the blessings of the Lord” (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p 646).
The prayers of a few can change a nation. I had purchased an airline ticket to Nepal a month or so before the planned departure on May 1, 2006. In the meantime, the political situation there continued to deteriorate. I received a letter from the SEAAM Board [Southeast Asia/Australian Mission], advising that I should not travel there. Those assigned to the US Embassy in Kathmandu were being sent home. The king had ordered his army to enforce blackouts and curfews. The Maoists were blockading the major cities. In spite of these conditions, R.C. Baral and I had been given assurance that God would intervene on our behalf. But time was running out.
After consultation and prayer with Brother Baral on Monday, April 24, we decided that I should delay the cancellation of my ticket for one more day. We prayed that the political situation in Nepal would improve. I have discovered that God is never in a hurry, nor is he ever late. We continued to wait.
At 11:20 p.m., 3 hours after our prayers, King Gyanendra called a press conference and on television he announced his abdication and apologized to his people for all the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon them. He announced they were free to write a new constitution and form a parliament. Responding to the king’s proclamation, the Maoists promised to lay down their arms after a decade of terrorist activities by them. Some might call this sudden turn of events on the eve of our decision-making a coincidence. I, however, called it the precise timing of the Lord.
An additional witness, confirming that it was indeed by the Lord’s own hand that the door to do missionary work in Nepal had been opened, was given when my Nepalese brother called me from Rangoon, as he had promised. The time of his call was at 8:03 p.m., but as I reached for the phone, I noticed the digital clock in my den read 3:33! The Lord has often used this number to communicate with me. Due to an interruption of power, and my neglect to reset the clock, it was nearly five hours slow. Although the time displayed was incorrect, the message was clear and the timing precise!
The Lord had answered our prayers. Further proof of this was given when my brother explained that a Nepalese king never apologizes to his subjects. The Lord had softened the heart of the king. We had been given a powerful witness that with God, all things are possible. The fervent prayers of two had changed the lives of thirty million people!
I knew the Lord was saying, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it . . .” (Revelation 3:8). Whenever the Lord opens a door, we can proceed with confidence. We always need the assurance that he is going with us. With him by our side, success is guaranteed; without him our efforts are in vain.
I had prayed, as Moses prayed, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15).
My Love to All,
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