“I know not by what method rare
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that he has given his Word
Which tells me prayer is always heard
And will be answered soon or late
And so I pray and calmly wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought
But leave my prayers with him alone
Whose will is wiser than my own
Assured that he will grant my quest
Or send some answer far more blessed."
But this I know, God answers prayer.
I know that he has given his Word
Which tells me prayer is always heard
And will be answered soon or late
And so I pray and calmly wait.
I know not if the blessing sought
Will come in just the way I thought
But leave my prayers with him alone
Whose will is wiser than my own
Assured that he will grant my quest
Or send some answer far more blessed."
-- by Eliz M. Hickock
I have
come to realize over the past several years that when trials come and I
complain, I get no where. However, when I put my trust in the Lord and
fully understand that he knows what is best for me; I am more capable of moving forward with faith and hope,
knowing that He has blessings in store for me far greater than what I desire.
In a 1995 General Conference address, Richard G. Scott said,
"When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do. Yet, when you pray with real conviction, “Please let me know Thy will” and “May Thy will be done,” you are in the strongest position to receive the maximum help from your loving Father.
Life is an experience in profound trust-- trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings for happiness now and for a purposeful supremely happy eternal existence. To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience." (Elder Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord," October Conference, 1995)
I know trials in life are not something the Lord made
happen. It's just a part of life. No amount of complaining or "Why me?" questions will help me get through them. I have to ask the questions that create opportunities for spiritual growth and then trust God to give me the answers when he sees fit to give them.
There have been times when I have desired to be healed and yet I wasn't. I thought that maybe I didn't have
enough faith to be healed, but what I didn't see was that for me it was
never about the faith to be healed. I have faith. It's about the
experience of becoming stronger spiritually from my faith to endure. The
Savior showed me that same faith in the Garden of Gethsemane. There
he took upon himself the sins, pains, sorrows, and sicknesses of
everyone that would ever live on this earth. Why? Because it was the
Lords will, he said in the Garden to the Father, "Father if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine,
be done." (Luke 22:42) He knew the Father could take it from him, but he was willing to do what
the Father asked, because he knew that it was the only way we could
make it back to live with them again someday.
The suffering we must
endure refines us. We each have our own personal experience in this
life. It's like having our own tapestry. Each design being intricately
woven to create a unique masterpiece. We don't know what the final
picture will look like, but we trust that with each challenge we
faithfully endure, our tapestry is turning into something magnificent. Far
more magnificent than anything we can comprehend.
Knowing this and knowing that the Savior atoned for me has brought me an immense amount of peace. As I kneel in prayer each day, I feel warmth surrounding me, I know that my Savior is there and he knows me personally. He knows my pain, because he felt it when he atoned for me. I know that when the trials come and the pain is hard to bear, I can turn to him and he will bring me comfort and peace. He will lighten my load and show forth moments of tender mercies, to help me endure. I know that he would heal me in a second, if that was what was meant to be, but it isn't. He wants me to learn courage, faith, grace, patience, and compassion through long-suffering, because he wants me to be more like him.
I know that promised blessings are waiting for me. I know that while I wait I must not give in to feelings of anger, sorrow, and self-pity. I must move forward steadfastly with hope for better days. I must give of my time and talents to others and express gratitude to a loving Father in in Heaven who grants me daily breath. I must continually seek his guidance through prayer and scripture study. I know that my redeemer lives and will not leave me comfortless. He is always there for me through the good and the bad moments in life. He is the giver of life, the giver of peace, the one and only way to eternal life.
Knowing this and knowing that the Savior atoned for me has brought me an immense amount of peace. As I kneel in prayer each day, I feel warmth surrounding me, I know that my Savior is there and he knows me personally. He knows my pain, because he felt it when he atoned for me. I know that when the trials come and the pain is hard to bear, I can turn to him and he will bring me comfort and peace. He will lighten my load and show forth moments of tender mercies, to help me endure. I know that he would heal me in a second, if that was what was meant to be, but it isn't. He wants me to learn courage, faith, grace, patience, and compassion through long-suffering, because he wants me to be more like him.
I know that promised blessings are waiting for me. I know that while I wait I must not give in to feelings of anger, sorrow, and self-pity. I must move forward steadfastly with hope for better days. I must give of my time and talents to others and express gratitude to a loving Father in in Heaven who grants me daily breath. I must continually seek his guidance through prayer and scripture study. I know that my redeemer lives and will not leave me comfortless. He is always there for me through the good and the bad moments in life. He is the giver of life, the giver of peace, the one and only way to eternal life.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy
paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage" (Mosiah 7:33).
"But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage" (Mosiah 7:33).
