The importance of Nephi's desires cannot be underestimated. Nephi was successful in his petitions to the Lord because of his great faith (verse 19) and desire. For the Lord, granteth unto men according to their desire (Alma 29:4). The other important lesson from this verse is that Nephi did not follow his father with blind faith. He asked the Lord for help and it was necessary that his heart was softened. Thus, he had obtained a witness for himself which helped him not to rebel like unto his brothers. In our moments of rebellion, we should follow Nephi's example and ask the Lord to soften our hearts.
"I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart"
The great authors of the Book of Mormon were all called in their youth. In this verse, Nephi intimates that he received a personal visitation from Jehovah. This great blessing was also given to Jacob, Mormon, and presumably Moroni. Lehi said of Jacob, 'thou hast behold in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh' (2 Nephi 2:4). Mormon declared, 'being fifteen years of age...I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus' (Mormon 1:15, see also Moroni 8:2). In this respect, the authors of the Book of Mormon were like the translator, Joseph Smith who 'tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus' at the age of 14.
"Vision makes all the difference in the world. Why was Nephi's reaction to his father's willingness to follow the Lord's direction and lead his family into the wilderness so different from that of his elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel? Could it be because Nephi went to the Lord privately and asked for his own witness or vision of the Lord's directive to his father? 'And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers' (1 Nephi 2:16). Nephi sought his own vision, and the result was that his heart was softened. He had a clearer view of where his family was headed, and he was able to commit to follow the Lord. As Solomon explained, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish' (Proverbs 29:18)." (Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, p. 23.)
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