2 Nephi 31:3

As Nephi writes his record, he informs us that he delights “in plainness.”  How does God work with us?  Nephi answers this question.  “For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto en according to their language, unto understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3).

The key to verse 3 is that God speaks to us in our own language, using terms, idioms, concepts, etc. with which we would be familiar.  Earlier, Nephi wrote:

But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.

Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.

2 Nephi 25:7-8

Alma₂ also made the same point when contending with Zeezrom.

Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea, doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people, yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of the earth; wherefore they have come unto us.

And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard.

Alma 13:22-23

Moroni testified that he had seen Christ.  “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;” (Ether 12:39).

High Nibley explains:

If the Book of Mormon said only what we wanted it to we wouldn't need it. But we do need it. It is written "according to the plainness of the word of God" (Jacob 2:11), "in plainness, even as plain as word can be" (2 Nephi 32:7). It needs no handbook (not even this one) to explain its meaning. "I glory in plainness," said Nephi (2 Nephi 33:6), "for my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work ... for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding" (2 Nephi 31:3). So that leaves us pretty much without excuse.[1]

Mark Alan Wright discusses the importance of language and how the Lord deals with us.

Language is not limited to the words we use; it also entails signs, symbols, and bodily gestures that are imbued with meaning by the cultures that produced them.³ As with spoken language, symbolic and gestural languages are culturally specific and can be fully understood only by those entrenched within that particular culture. The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi appears to have understood this concept and noted that the Lord "speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding" (2 Nephi 31:3). This is echoed in modern revelation, as Doctrine and Covenants 1:24 declares: "Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding." More recently, the late LDS apostle Marion G. Romney reaffirmed, "Revelation comes to men in an unlimited number of ways.”[2]

I remember the experience I had when I first prayed about the Book of Mormon.  I was 14 years old, studying the Book of Mormon in Seminary.  I prayed and waited for an answer.  I didn’t expect a vision, or anything like that.  Still, I expected there might be whistles and bells, and something very special.  Nothing came.  I received no answer.  Looking back, it’s not surprising that I didn’t get an answer.  That’s not the way the Lord works.

Of course, I was disappointed.  Why wouldn’t the Lord answer my prayer?  Was I too young?  Why?  I realize now there were probably two reasons.  The first was I wasn’t ready.  I hadn’t spent much time actually studying the Book of Mormon.  I just wanted an answer.  The second reason is that I wouldn’t have recognized anything short of something spectacular as an answer.

As I’ve grown and learned more about the ways of the Lord.   Now I realize that random thoughts or stray idea; recalling something at a useful time are answers.  A calm, peaceful feeling is answer. 

The Lord works with me using “language” I would understand.  The promise Nephi makes has been fulfilled in my life.

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[1] Prophecy in the Book of Mormon: The Three Periods, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 14, 2014.

[2] "According to Their Language, unto Their Understanding": The Cultural Context of Hierophanies and Theophanies in Latter-day Saint Canon, Mark Alan Wright, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 14, 2014.