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The promises of the fathers...

Malachi gets quoted for saying that the hearts of the children will turn to their fathers (ancestors). Joseph Smith said that Moroni quoted the verse differently, stating that the hearts of the children will turn to the promises made to their fathers.

What are these promises?

Abraham was promised incredible things. He was promised that if he lived worthy he would have posterity like the sands of the sea, and that in his seed the entire world would be blessed. We usually think of this as meaning through the gospel and the spreading of the missionary work. I think that's true, but I also think that it is literally true, too. Through the power and authority of the Priesthood, worthy members of the Church can bless others, which blessings are literal and not figurative. Abraham was also known as the friend of God. I can think of no greater blessing that may be attained or sought in this life.

How did Abraham qualify for these blessings?

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son for obedience to God's will. This is something that I do not think I would be willing to do. On one hand, Abraham must have known that the Lord would not require this thing of him - he had, after all, been promised that his seed would bless the earth. On the other hand, the Lord requires the sacrifice of ALL things - even (and especially) our pride and our own will to His. This is perhaps the most difficult thing we are called to endure. We are individuals and have been given agency - the freedom and ability to choose. No one can ever take that away. But then God requires us to "abandon" that agency to His will, often expecting us to step out into the darkness and trusting in Him. It is extremely uncomfortable when these choices are presented to us, but in my experience these times are ALWAYS and invariably followed by an increase of blessings. It's almost as if the Lord wants to see how much we really trust Him before giving us access to blessings that He has in store. It is also interesting to note that the Lord knows how we will react - we're not proving anything to Him. We are proving it to ourselves.

And therein lies perhaps the greatest blessing of all.

Once we abandon our own selfish natures and desires, completely and wholly giving ourselves to Him, we find ourselves free all over again. Not only that, we now have the confidence we need to go forth with faith and accomplish mighty things. It is in this way that the meek inherit the earth. It is in this way that weak things become strong. And it is in this way that the small and simple among us are able to confound the wise.

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