Keeping Faith, In the Storm
And now as I said concerning faith — faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.
Alma 32:21
“Be of Good Cheer. The future is as bright as your Faith”
Thomas S. Monson
I am sure that you have heard of the saying be careful what you wish (pray) for. Three weeks ago I began studying about Faith in Jesus Christ. Well whenever you try to improve and try to come closer to Christ, Satan is always there doing all that he can to push you down and make you discouraged and give up. These past few weeks have been no different. Even though they have been very difficult I am very humbled and grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that can turn Satan’s beating into a blessing and growth in testimony.
What can you do when it feels like your faith is being tested on every front and you feel that it might be failing. You study and pray but for one reason or another nothing seems to be sticking. Your depression is worsening and your anxiety is so bad that you have a hard time even opening the curtains. The world around you is in chaos. Those that you love most dearly are going through trials and you are helpless to help. All you want is to make everything better but you have no power or ability to lighten the load on their shoulders. You are doing your best to do the “primary answers” say your prayers, read your scriptures and go to church, but you keep stumbling. You feel defeated and are ready to give up, to quit trying.
Last week as I was laying in bed trying to figure out why things seemed to be falling apart around me and how I could “fix” everything. I was desperate for peace and comfort that felt like it would never come. When someone that I love started to tell me how they felt abandoned by God. My heart sank as I prayed to know what to say to help comfort their aching soul. Then a scripture in D&C (Doctrine and Covenants) came to mind.
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
As I read, it felt like everything slowly shifted and was put in perspective. Everything did not magically get better and trials were not ended, but as I prayed to know how to help my loved one my prayers were also answered. As I continued to talk to them and to bear testimony that they were not abandoned and that they were loved, my heart was filled with peace, and in that moment I knew everything was going to be okay. I didn’t know how or when, but all would be well and all would be for our good.
Having faith in Jesus Christ does not make everything perfect. It does not protect us from hard times. It does not always mean that miracles will happen. But having faith in Jesus Christ DOES give us comfort, assurance, and confidence that as we continue on the journey back to our Heavenly Father that our trials will be for our good, that we will come out brighter and stronger on the the other side.
I love the analogy of the refinery’s fire. A Silver Smith takes a raw material and makes it into something beautiful. But it doesn’t just happen. That piece of raw metal that piece of silver has many imperfections and impurities in it. The silver smith must heat the metal in the fire, he must pound and shape, over and over again until he can see himself in the metal only then does he know that it is done.
In our lives we are fallen we are natural men and women, we have many faults and imperfections. We have weakness and bad habits, we are selfish. Bad things happen, Satan is all around us, the world is a scary place. But if we let the Savior into our lives he can help turn the bad times into times of learning and growth. Through the end of our trials we can come out more pure. When we close ourselves off from our Savior we can become cold and bitter, selfish and unfazed by those that are hurting around us. When we let the Savior in he can help us change our hearts and the way that we look at the world. Instead of bitter and proud , we can be humble and teachable. We can seek to help those around us and have charity in our hearts. Instead of living in despair we can have hope. There is a quote from President Monson that I love, “Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.” In our times of trouble I hope that we can remember the scripture in Helaman 5:12
… remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty stormshall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
We can continue to have faith even during the hard times in our lives, the times when it is tested to what seems our very limits. Sometimes it is not until after the trial of faith that miracles happen. They may be big they may be small and they might be hard to recognize. But they happen. Sometimes the most powerful of all is a change of heart in ourselves.
We are all in this together. As we reach out in love to those around us we can help lift each other’s burdens. We can be the Saviors hand and have sympathy and compassion to those around us. Being a shoulder to cry on , or giving someone a pat on the back. Always be loving and kinder then you think is necessary you never know what battles someone is fighting. “Be of Good Cheer!” “Thine afflictions shall be but a small moment”.
One of my all time favorite quotes is from Jeffery R. Holland, “ DON’T YOU GIVE UP. DON’T YOU QUIT. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in Good things to come.”
Hold on! Don’t you quit! There is hope. Do not let Satan convince you that you are not good enough, that you are not worthy, or that you do not have faith. You are strong, You are more then enough! And you have more faith then you may realize. There is a song that they teach in primary called Faith the first verse is:
Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day.
Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray.
Faith is like a little seed:
If planted, it will grow.
Faith is a swelling within my heart.
When I do right, I know.
Christ does not ask us to be perfect right now he asks us to try, to try and be a little better everyday. Walk in Faith, Faith in him. Trust that he loves you. Know that he loves those that you love and care for. You may not be able to to take away pains or burdens from those that you hold most dear, but the Savior knows theirs pains, theirs struggles, he has been there before and he can help them. He can help you! His hand is always outstretched to help you along your journey. He has felt your pains and he can not and will not forget about you! You are never alone when you are searching for his love and guidance. He will not abandon or forsake you. You are loved! You are needed! Keep trying! Keep praying, continue forward in Faith. “Be of Good Cheer! The future is as bright as your Faith!” Just take one step as a time. We can all get through this together.
Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate all of your love and support! References are below. Thank you again, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
Alma 32:21
Be of Good Cheer, Thomas S. Monson April 2009 General Conference
D&C 121 1–2, 7–8
Helaman 5:12
Like a Broken Vessel. Jeffery R. Holland October 2013 General Conference
Faith, Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, words by: Beatrice Goff Jackson
