I have thought a lot in the past about how Laman and Lemuel, after seeing an angel, within moments managed to find a way to murmur. Certainly that is shocking but it's painfully obvious as well. As I considered it a little more, word for word, I was thinking about the statement they make, "How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?"
For the first time ever, I realized that they are not questioning the existence of the Lord, they are questioning his abilities. It's not a statement about whether or not he's there, it's can he really do what he says he can do.
I think there are so many of us that actually have a pretty unshakable belief in God, in the Savior, in the things Jesus actually did on earth. We feel comfortable with that because we have felt comfort from them. We have felt the Spirit whisper, or even holler, that they are there, that they care. But too many of us, whether we recognize it or not, are actually doubting their power. Because we can't imagine how they could possibly rescue us, or fix something, or provide something, or arrange something, we don't believe it can happen. We don't doubt their existence, we doubt their power. And honestly, I'm not sure that's much better than doubting their existence altogether. Or perhaps we doubt that we are worthy to have that power exercised on our behalf . . . and again, there it is, questioning their omnipotence - as if there is a limited supply of divine power and wasting it on me is somehow diminishing what remains in the power supply for everybody else.
But to believe that they are, must include a belief that they are also who they say they are. And faith in that provides eternal hope and joy.
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