It's fascinating that these righteous disciples were afraid to tell Jesus what they wanted. They feared that their unusual request would be met with a reprimand. Yet, their desires were righteous, and, in fact, the Lord said they were more blessed because they desired to bring souls to Christ. How many times are we like these three Nephites? Do we fear to ask the Lord for unusual things? Are our prayers cut short because we dare not ask for what we really want?
This passage teaches us an important lesson. The Lord is interested in the desires of our hearts. Therefore, if our desires are righteous, he is not going to reprimand us, even if we ask for blessings which are unprecedented or unusual. We must remember that the Lord giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (James 1:6).