IN the Covenant of Christ, Nephi’s prayer is a roadmap that outlines the escape from the valley of sorrow and back to the path to God:

Then, if I’ve seen such great things, if the Lord — who descends from His high position to help mankind — if He has visited me with so much mercy, then why does my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, why does my body cower and my strength fail me because of my difficulties? Why should I ever submit to temptations because of weaknesses? Why should I let any temptation by the Evil One have a place in my heart to cause me regret and trouble my soul? Why am I angry with myself because of my enemy? 

Wake up, my soul! Don’t focus on sin any longer! Rejoice, my heart; don’t give any attention to the enemy of my soul anymore. Don’t get angry because of my enemies. Don’t lose resolve to obey God because I face troubles. Rejoice, my heart; pray to the Lord, saying: O Lord, I’ll praise You forever. My soul will rejoice in You, my God and the rock of my salvation. O Lord, redeem my soul! Rescue me from my enemies! Make me shudder when sin appears! May the gates of hell always be shut in front of me because my heart is broken and my spirit contrite.

O Lord, don’t shut the gates of Your righteousness in front of me, let me walk in Your pathway and stay on Your safe road. O Lord, cover me in the robe of Your righteousness, help me to escape from my enemies, clear the path in front of me! Don’t let any obstacle hinder me, but clear the way in front of me so I can go on safely, and hinder my enemy.

O Lord, I’ve trusted in You and will trust in You forever. I won’t put my trust in the scholarly arrogance of man, because I know those who trust in arrogant fools are cursed. Indeed, those who put their trust in the vain teachings of a man and trust them as if they were truth are cursed. Yes, I know God will give freely and abundantly to those who ask; yes, God will give to me if I don’t ask improperly. Therefore I’ll lift up my voice to You; yes, I’ll cry to You, my God, the rock of my righteousness. I’ll never stop calling out to You, my rock and my everlasting God. Amen (2 Nephi 3:8).

Nephi lamented submitting to temptations because of weaknesses. He lamented being angry with himself because of his enemy. Nephi voiced that letting any temptation by the Evil One have a place in his heart caused him regret and trouble in his soul.

To rise from these lamentations, Nephi laid out a roadmap back to the correct path:

Rejoice instead of focusing any longer on sin! Don’t pay any more attention to the enemy of the soul, who is the accuser! Let go of your anger towards your enemies! Resolve to obey God and don’t let the troubles you face deter you from doing that!

Could it be that by seeking to be covered by the Lord’s robe of righteousness, Nephi was asking for a cloak of charity? And in doing so, Nephi could “escape from [his] enemies” by forgiving and throwing a cloak of charity over them. In that way, God would clear the path in front of Nephi. By removing “any obstacle [his offenses and resentments] to hinder” him, through the act of interceding on behalf of his enemies (his brothers), Nephi could then continue to “go on safely” into the Lord’s presence.

Then spoke Jesus, saying, Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavily loaded, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 6:8).

We currently labor under the burden of unforgiveness and it is a heavy load to bear. How can we lay down those burdens at the feet of the Savior and take His yoke upon us?

Love your enemies also, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, so you may become the children of your Father who is in heaven…I want you to be perfect, just as I or your Father who is in heaven is perfect (CoC 3 Nephi 5:31).

The question was asked of Denver:

“How do I know it’s not just wishful thinking when I hear the Lord say, ‘Your sins are forgiven?’ How do I get past the distrust in my own ability to reach God and believe that He can reach me?”

He answered the following:

Well, first of all, the adversary doesn’t forgive sins. So, if you’re hearing a voice that’s forgiving you of sin, that’s undoubtedly a benign, good source because the adversary’s not interested in that. The problem that you’ve got is that then you decide not to cast it out of your memory, but you want to continue beating yourself over it. Lay it aside! Just forget it! If I— “I the Lord forgive whom I will forgive,” and “He remembers it no more” (see T&C 45:9 RE). If the Lord’s not going to bear it in His remembrance, why are you? Why do you want to contextualize yourself in that way? Why do you want to think of yourself in corrupt terms? I’m thinking about all the great stories in literature where people in horrible circumstances managed to escape those circumstances, and go on to be good and virtuous and noble. And then you think about the Count of Monte Cristo who escaped, but never ever could get beyond his plot for revenge, his desire— I mean, he could and should have moved on in a wholesome way, and he moved on in a vengeful way. It’s one of the great themes of problems in literature. Move on; forget about it. The Lord remembers it no more; you ought not entertain it (2020.03.22 Youth Q&A Session).

Repent, forgive, forget. That is the Lord’s way. It’s not to continue thinking of yourself in corrupt terms. Can it be said then that the Lord also does not wish for us to continue thinking of each other in corrupt terms and that He desires us to forgive each other and then forget? That He desires us to move forward in a wholesome way and let go of vengeance or unforgiveness?

“There remains great work yet to be done. Receive my covenant and abide in it, not as in the former time when jarring, jealousy, contention, and backbiting caused anger, broke hearts, and hardened the souls of those claiming to be my saints. But receive it in spirit, in meekness, and in truth. I have given you a former commandment that I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. And again, I have taught that if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses. How do I act toward mankind? If men intend no offense, I take no offense, but if they are taught and should have obeyed, then I reprove and correct, and forgive and forget. You cannot be at peace with one another if you take offense when none is intended. But again I say, Judge not others except by the rule you want used to weigh yourself.”

He told us this at the time He offered us His covenant. Becoming this is the distant place that is high and lifted up. This is what we “ought” to have learned. This is who God wants His people to be. The idea of becoming “one” as a group is easy to say, but hard to do. Everyone can explain the idea. In our minds the idea is easy. It is learning how to implement unity and agreement without bullying, arguing, manipulating or condemning others who differ that seems so hard for us (Interpreting Build a House pg. 5-6).

The question has been asked “How long are we going to stay involved in this conflict?” and the answer given several times was, “For as long as it takes.” I agree and would add to that what the Lord said, “For as long as it takes to ‘forgive and forget.’”

The Lord is so eager to free us from Satan’s grasp – to free us from our own personal hell created by resentment, hostility, and enmity – that He put the key in our hands. We truly can free ourselves at any time and rise up. We hold ourselves hostage.

Jesus Christ, while crucified and hanging, said “… Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do — meaning the soldiers who crucified him.”

In the Sermon on the Mount:

You have heard that it has been said by them of old time that you shall not kill, and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God [a reflection of the God of the Old Testament]. But I say unto you that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, or Rabcha, shall be in danger of the council. And whoever shall say to his brother, You fool, shall be in danger of hellfire (RE Matthew 3:18).

For if you forgive men their trespasses who trespass against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses (RE Matthew 3:30).

The Lord taught that you can take any group of people and turn them into Zion itself if they would live the Sermon on the Mount (That We Might Become One Pg. 8).

…all of us have an obligation there, to join in the same thing, repenting, turning to face God. The more we face Him, the more light we take in, the more differently we behave, individually and in connection with each other (That We Might Become One pg. 9).

I believe that there are many of us who desire to not break any more hearts or harden any more souls. We are eager to learn how to come to unity and agreement without bullying, arguing, manipulating and condemning. We desire to start with a clean slate – to forgive ourselves and those around us, and then to forget. We desire to face God so that we each can take in more intelligence which is light and truth – and “light and truth forsake the evil one.” I believe that Nephi’s prayer is our prayer.

Everyone is free to engage in whatever conversations they desire. I have engaged on a Slack group for almost a year and I desire now to move forward by forgiving and forgetting. I believe that many of us desire to forgive and forget and move on to creating a place where we can freely help and do things that lift others. We desire to engage in conversations built on intellect, knowledge, education, and wisdom based in the scriptures – for from that foundation can we pick up, once again, the task of accomplishing the work of God and the Restoration (2025.04.13 God’s Covenant People).