2 Nephi 4:26 - 4:30

2 Nephi 4:26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

Nephi now asked a very important question of himself: if he has seen and experienced so much, why is he despondent over his troubles in life. He has been shown that his children will be protected as they are righteous and repent of sins and will have forgiveness through the atonement of Christ. So why worry so much about his sins or theirs if he will just live as he should and repent when he sees the need too.

2 Nephi 4:27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

Because of what he has seen, why is he so easily tempted to commit sin? Why is it that he falls so readily so that he becomes despondent over his weaknesses which, in turn, causes him to morn. It is because he can’t believe just how easy it is for him to go against his knowledge of what is right. Why he is so angry at the devil for what he has tempted him to do in his life?

2 Nephi 4:28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

Therefore Nephi says to himself, remember what great things the Lord has done for him. Rejoice in the great gift of salvation that the Lord has given to him. Be happy and satan will cease to trouble him. This will happen when we can think only about our problems and not think about what Christ has done to help us overcome our shortcomings.

2 Nephi 4:29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

Satan wants us to get angry at people. Anger causes the spirit to leave us. We are not to allow ourselves to get mad at those who we feel have wronged us. As Jesus said, we are to pray for our enemies. We are to be loving and kind to even the meanest of those we come into contact. That’s how people are turned around — by love unfeigned.

Being angry also effects us emotionally. Anger causes us to lose the desire to be righteous. We don’t want particularly to be nice to people. We start to regard them with contempt and want little to do with them. In short, we are not examples of how to live so as to be a happy person.

2 Nephi 4:30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

We keep our focus of being loving to all by praying for our enemies. We praise the works of the Lord we see around us. We rejoice at the efforts the Lord has made from the beginning of the earth to see us progress towards ultimate happiness. Focus on what the Lord wants us to be like and all else will be put into its proper place and we will have to proper attitude towards all people, good or not so good.