2 Nephi 4:16 - 4:20

2 Nephi 4:16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

Nephi loves to see how the Lord works in the lives of men. His delights to know that we are not on our own in mortality. He marvels at how just carefully planned is all the events in our lives that show us the Lord is aware of each of us and our needs.

2 Nephi 4:17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

But in spite of knowing just how merciful the Lord is to all of us and how much He wants to help us individually, Nephi is so very sorry that he has to have so much help from the Lord. He wished he were better so the Lord would not have to spend so much time working with him individually.

This marks the beginning of what I call the Psalm of Nephi. I consider these verses until the end of the chapter as some of the most sublime verses in all of the scripture and are just as insightful of man's condition as are the Psalms of David in the Old Testament. I don't know about you, but I put myself in these verses just as Nephi did. I marvel just how weak I am in spite of all the wonderful experiences and things I have seen and heard in my years in the Church.

2 Nephi 4:18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

Nephi is so sorry that he is so easily tempted by his weaknesses to sin. It depresses him know just little it takes for him to do that which is not pleasing to God.

2 Nephi 4:19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

When he wants to be happy, the thought of how easy it is for him to stupid things comes to him to make him depressed again. How can he be happy when he knows just how unreliable he is in keeping the commandments of God. But in spite of his disgust at himself, he knows that the Lord will be patient and not forsake him if he keeps trying. All of us fall into this category.

2 Nephi 4:20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

Nephi gained this confidence as he considers the past 30 or so years he has been trying to do as the Lord as asked him. That is, leading his people and the protection he has received from the evils of his older brothers. He still marvels at the events that the Lord caused to happen to preserve his life in the desert and on the seas.