The Lord Alone Shall Be Exalted

2 Nephi 12:11 - "And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day."

Elder Henry B. Eyring - “I began to read in 2 Nephi 12 and thought: ‘The Lord is speaking to me. What is it He wants to tell me directly?’ Then I came to a verse in the Isaiah passages that jumped out as if it were already underlined: ‘And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.’ This is describing a day when the Savior will come, a day we all look for and want our students to prepare for. This scripture says that in that day, all of us who thought we were special and wonderful will seem smaller, and the Lord will be exalted. We will see better who He is, how much we love Him, and how humble we should be… I understood why Isaiah told me it would be helpful to foresee the day when the Lord would be exalted and to know how much I depend upon Him. We need Him, and the faith we have in Him makes us see Him as great and exalted and ourselves as small and dependent”

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Transcript

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Welcome to Speak This Peace, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps.

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One of the greatest spiritual dangers we face is believing that we are more capable, more important, or more self-sufficient than we really are. The world teaches us to build ourselves up, trust in ourselves, praise ourselves, and seek recognition. But the gospel teaches us something very different. It teaches us that every blessing we have comes from God, that every strength we possess comes because of Him, and that without Him we are spiritually weak and dependent. Isaiah often warned about pride because pride keeps us from seeing the Lord clearly. When we become too focused on ourselves, our abilities, our status, or our accomplishments, we slowly stop looking upward. But Isaiah also pointed forward to a future day when the Savior will return. On that day, every false idea about greatness will disappear. Every worldly achievement will seem small compared to the glory of Jesus Christ. In that day everyone will know that he alone is worthy of honor, worship, and praise. Nephi twelve eleven and it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from Elder Henry B. Iring, we will consider what it means to humble ourselves before the Lord and live with a focus on Jesus Christ. Isaiah describes two attitudes in this verse lofty looks and haughtiness. Both describe pride. They describe the tendency to place ourselves above others, to trust in our own wisdom or to believe we do not need the Lord as much as we really do. Pride can appear in obvious ways, but it can also be very subtle. We may not openly brag or seek attention, but pride can still influence our thoughts. Pride can cause us to rely more on our plans than on God's plans. It can make us believe that success comes entirely from our own effort. It can cause us to become easily offended, resist correction or compare ourselves to other people. Isaiah teaches that eventually all pride will be brought low. Everything that seems impressive in the world today will someday fade away. Wealth, popularity, titles, possessions, and recognition will not matter when we stand before Jesus Christ. The things that seem so important now will look very small compared to his glory and power. That does not mean the Lord wants us to feel worthless. Humility is not the same as thinking bad about ourselves. True humility means seeing ourselves honestly, it means recognizing that we are children of God, deeply loved by Him, but also completely dependent upon Him. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot overcome sin by ourselves. We cannot find lasting peace without Him. When we understand who Christ really is, we begin to see ourselves more clearly. We become more grateful, more teachable, and more willing to follow Him. Elder Henry B Iring explained how this verse affected him personally. I began to read in Sec Nefi twelve and thought The Lord is speaking to me. What is it he wants to tell me directly? Then I came to a verse in the Isaiah passages that jumped out as if it we already underlined, and it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. This is describing a day when the Savior will come, a day we all look for and want our students to prepare for. This scripture says that in that day all of us who thought we were special and wonderful will seem smaller, and the Lord will be exalted. We will see better who He is, how much we love Him, and how humble we should be. I understood why Isaiah told me it would be helpful to foresee the day when the Lord would be exalted, and to know how much I depend upon Him. We need Him, and the faith we have in Him makes us see Him as great and exalted and ourselves as small and dependent. Elder Irene teaches that thinking about the Savior's return can help us become humble now. If we truly picture the day when Jesus Christ comes again, we realize that everything in this world is temporary. We realize that our own greatness is not the point. The point is his greatness. When the Savior comes, no one will care about status, fame, appearance, income, or earthly success. The only thing that will matter is our relationship with Him. Did we trust Him? Did we follow Him? Did we love Him? Did we put Him first? Thinking about that future day can change the way we live right now. It can help us let go of pride. It can help us stop seeking the approval of the world. It can help us focus more on worship, gratitude, and obedience. In our day it is easy to develop lofty looks. Social media encourages us to build an image of ourselves, the world encourages us to constantly compare, compete, and prove ourselves. We are often told that success means being admired, noticed, and praised. But this verse reminds us that none of those things will last. What will last is our faith in Jesus Christ. We can apply this verse by asking ourselves simple questions. Are we giving the Lord credit for the blessings in our lives? Are we praying with real humility? Are we willing to admit when we are wrong? Are we more concerned about what people think of us than what God thinks of us? Are we trusting our own strength more than in his? Humility grows when we remember how much we need the Lord every day. We need him in our families, we need him in our struggles. We need him in our decisions. We need him when we are discouraged, afraid, confused, or tempted. The more we recognize our dependence on him, the more grateful we become for his mercy and help. As we learn to see him as great and exalted, we become less focused on ourselves. We become more willing to serve, repent, forgive, and follow. We stop trying to make ourselves look important, and we start caring more about honoring him. So here is today's challenge. Take a few minutes today to think about what matters most if the Savior came tomorrow. Think about what pride, distraction, or self-focus may be keeping us from seeing him more clearly. Pray and ask Heavenly Father to help us become more humble, more grateful, more dependent on Jesus Christ. Then choose one specific way to put the Lord first today. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.