1 Nephi 4:6

6  And I was ^aled by the Spirit, not ^bknowing beforehand the things which I should do.

      "I was led by the Spirit..."

            -do you think he knew it at the time or is this phrase the benefit of the perfect hindsight?  We often move forward in our endeavors according to our own best informed and logical intelligence, unaware that the Spirit has a voice in those mental/intellectual processes. Especially in righteous people, the influence of the Spirit is so intertwined with their thought processes and decision making that we can navigate the world without a clear and recognizable distinction between our thoughts and His thoughts.  This is actually a compliment to us and a demonstration of God's trust.  At some point Nephi just started walking toward and into Jerusalem, there may or may not have been a point where the Spirit told him to go down a specific street.  He confesses that he did not know where this course of action (walking into the city) would lead him or what he would eventually do (see next phrase) but one of his qualities was his recognition that his course was being navigated by the Spirit, regardless if this took the form of his own thoughts or if the Spirit was more imposing by whispering "take a left here, now go down this street", etc.

   "... not knowing beforehand..."

            -This is the essence or core of faith.  It is to proceed with confidence in a decision based on principles of righteousness when the end is unfathomable, to proceed even until one has passed             the point of no return when it becomes impossible to turn back because of the

enormity or gravity of pursuit to such a point has made any deviation or escape impossible on

anyone’s efforts other than the Lord.  This is perfect faith under perfect dependence.  It

requires pure courage.

            -This is a huge verse.  We could study and ponder it for a lifetime and still not discover all the truths and ways in which God works from its words.

            -sometimes following the spirit means not having a thought out and logical plan of action (realize here that the first two attempts, formulated with a tactical plan, resulted in failure).  It means venturing out into the unknown and sacrificing the human need/desire to be in control and master of your own destiny.  It requires GREAT faith and courage.

            -why do you think the Lord did not tell Nephi, or does not tell us, before hand the things we will do? Why are we left “in the dark”?

·         complete submission and total dependence on Him is a cardinal lesson of mortality.

-Nephi did not become paralyzed in inaction because he did not have a knowledge of how to accomplish God’s commands, just as we often do not know how a situation will be resolved and success achieved.  But we are to continue in the course we feel directed towards and will find that as we step into the dark it will become illuminated and we will know that our path was prepared even before we start upon it.

            -There is great uncertainty and anxiety in this circumstance.  Life is full of adventures, decisions and trials that we must face and commence not knowing beforehand the way to proceed or the things which we must do.  Upon serious consideration, we see that life itself is an unknown voyage… we do not know what rough waters we will happen upon... but the Master of the sea, earth and skies does –and he has shown us that he has power to calm the storms.