1 Nephi 1:5

Lehi prayed with all his heart for his people, who would later try to take his life.  Why?  What grace allowed him to do that?  I love the definition for Grace in the Bible Dictionary.

It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts. 

Lehi also demonstrated charity, as defined in Moroni 7:47-48

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.

Because Lehi was worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost by making consistent righteous choices in his life, he was close to God, he was heeding His Spirit, he was blessed with certain gifts of the Spirit, including charity.  He could feel Christlike love for his people, and in part, see as He sees, love as He loves, and love people even when they don't deserve it. That is the enabling power of grace that helps us become and continue to be better than we were and better than we could ever hope to be on our own, to love those who aren't loveable and to forgive those who trespass against us.  In short, to become like Him.

1 Nephi 1:1

1 Nephi 1:1  Nephi had many afflictions. Why did he consider himself highly favored of the Lord?

How can I feel "favored of the Lord" in the midst of my afflictions?

 Nephi continued that he "had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." In the Oct 2088 General Conference, Elder Bednar said,

"Revelation is communication from Heavenly Father to His children on earth. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61). The mysteries are those matters that can only be known and understood by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 211)." [italics added]

 The mysteries of God are known via revelation through the Holy Ghost, which bears record of the Father and the Son. If Nephi had the companionship of the Holy Ghost (and he did), then he had access to gifts of the Spirit, which include peace and comfort, which he would have needed to pass through his afflictions.

Nephi kept a record of his life. What purpose does keeping a journal serve? To remember what has passed, revelations we have received, evidences of God's love and tender mercies in our lives, testimonies, a witness to those who may later read it, a warning, an example...

Of record keeping (personal journal), President Kimball said,

"Accordingly, we urge our young people to begin today to write and keep records of all the important things in their own lives...Your own private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you. Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity. Experiences of work, relations with people, and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant." "The Angels May Quote From It" also the BoM Student Manual

President Kimball also said that "remember" might be the most important word, "when you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is?  It could be 'remember.' Because all of (us) have made covenants...our greatest need is to remember."