Introduction
Over the course of the past three
weeks, several people have delivered messages from this pulpit that revolve
around a single, centralized topic. My comments today also pertain to that
theme. I hope that they will be beneficial in some way and that they augment
the testimonies which have already been shared. I have struggled somewhat in my
preparation for this assignment, particularly because I am unsure whether I
possess the linguistic talent necessary to properly communicate the points that
I have felt impressed to share today. As such, I have particularly sought the
companionship of the Holy Spirit this morning so that each of us may
“understand one another,” be mutually “edified, and rejoice together” (Doctrine
and Covenants 50:22). For my remarks, I will attempt to use various scriptural
accounts as evidence for three core truths that are both interrelated and
cumulative. That is to say, the three truths I will examine are closely related
to each other and each one builds off of the one that preceded it. I will then
attempt to share how these three truths have been manifest in my own life.
Truth #1: Our Faith Allows God’s Power To Enter Into Our Lives
For my first point, I begin in the
New Testament where we read that shorty after concluding His Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus was approached by “two blind men…crying, and saying, Thou Son of
David, have mercy on us” (Matthew 9:27 King James Version). Turning to confront
them, Jesus asked, “believe ye that I am able to do this?” to which they
responded “yea, Lord” (verse 28). Jesus then, “touched their eyes” telling them,
“according to your faith be it unto you” (verse 29). We then read that, “their
eyes were opened” (verse 30).
Jesus’ comment to these two men is
repeated, in one form or another, no less than six times in the books of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus restored sight to a blind man in the city
of Jericho telling him, “thy faith hath saved thee” (Luke 18:42, see also Mark
10:52). To a woman who begged Him to administer to her daughter which was “vexed
with a devil” Jesus said, “great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as though
wilt” (Matthew 15:22, 28). And so it continued throughout Jesus’s ministry.
Each time He would repeat the same basic phrase with only slight variation. He
said it to a woman whose “sins [were] many” but who had bathed His feet with
her tears (Luke 7:47); He said it to the one leper among nine who returned to
give Him thanks (Luke 17:12-19), and He said it to a woman, “which had an issue
of blood twelve years” (Mark 5:25) who reached out and touched His garment.
This oft-repeated phrase from our
Savior: ‘thy faith hath made thee whole’ or ‘thy faith hath saved thee,’ is
strikingly significant and tremendously meaningful; and yet it is somewhat
curious. Why would Jesus say to so many different people, and in so many
different circumstances, that they were ‘saved’ or ‘made whole’ by their faith?
From the scriptural account, doesn’t it seem abundantly clear that these people
were really healed by God’s power, as manifest through Jesus Christ? If their own faith were the healing power,
then why did these people need to visit Jesus for the healing to take place?
The answer, and the first truth that
I hope to share today, is that our faith allows God’s power to enter into our
lives and bless us. I repeat, our faith is the force which allows God’s power
to enter into our lives and bless us. These people who came to Jesus did not
heal themselves by their faith. Rather, their faith made it possible for God to
use His power to heal them. In other words, God’s power is what performed the
healing, but it was the receiver’s faith that allowed God’s power to “have full
sway” over them (Alma 42:30).
The significance of this point is
immense. It means that faith is a necessary ingredient to the reception of
God’s power in our lives. Do you seek to rid yourself of the guilt associated
with your sins? Do you desire to overcome the frustration associated with your
repeated weaknesses? Perhaps you seek peace amidst the turmoil around you. For
whatever reason you seek God’s help, you must know that the force which will
bring His power into your life is your own faith. As you exercise faith in Him,
His power will enter in and bless your life.
For some, exercising faith may mean
continuing to attend church to worship the Savior despite the offense that was
either given or taken and which hurt them deeply. For others, exercising faith
may mean kneeling down for the first time in a long time to rekindle a
floundering relationship through prayer. Or perhaps for you exercising faith
will mean stepping through the door into the bishop’s office to relieve
yourself of unnecessary baggage. Whatever it means for you personally, I
promise you that exercising faith will always bring the power of God into your
life and you will be blessed as a result.
But you must realize that God’s
ability to help you is, at least in some ways, dependent on you exercising
faith in Him. As said Moroni, “for if there be no faith among the children of
men God can do no miracle among them” (Ether 12:12). If the people who sought
Jesus for a blessing had come to Him without exercising faith in Him, He would
not have healed them. Remember that upon returning to the place where He grew
up Jesus, “could there do no mighty work…because of their unbelief” (Mark
6:5-6). Furthermore, if you desire to receive some kind of sign before you
exercise faith, you will only find yourself frustrated because you have the
equation backward. “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow
those that believe. Yea, signs come by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants:
63:9-10).
So this is the first point that I
hope you take with you today: the spiritual truth that our faith allows God’s
power to enter into our lives and bless us.
Truth #2: Our Faith Does Not Have To Be Perfect To Receive God’s Power
My second point is also taught in the
New Testament. There we learn that as Jesus descended from the Mount of
Transfiguration, He encountered a man who had brought his son to Jesus’
disciples for healing. After the disciples’ attempts were unsuccessful, the man
turned to Jesus saying, “if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and
help us” (Mark 9:22). Jesus responded by saying, “if thou canst believe, all
things are possible to him that believeth” (verse 23). “And straightway the
father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou
mine unbelief” (verse 24). Then we read that Jesus “rebuked the foul
spirit,…took [the child] by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (verses
25-27). The account of this man’s experience teaches several lessons about
faith, only one of which I will speak of today.
By this man’s own admission, he had
only a limited amount of faith. He fully acknowledged that although he believed
in some aspects of Jesus’ teachings, there were other parts that he either
didn’t know of or hadn’t yet fully accepted. Hence his statement, ‘I believe’
which was immediately followed by saying, ‘help thou mine unbelief’. And yet despite his faith being limited and
incomplete, this man’s son was healed nonetheless. From this account, we can
clearly see that if it is our faith that allows God’s power to enter our lives,
as we just examined, then we must know that perfect
faith is not what is required. Indeed, Jesus did not tell this man, ‘all
things are possible to him who hath perfect faith.’ Instead Jesus said, ‘all
things are possible to him that believeth’ and this man believed, at least
partially, and that was enough.
In another passage from the New
Testament, Jesus taught that “if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove”
(Matthew 17:20). Note that Jesus did not say, ‘if ye have perfect faith.’ No, He said, ‘if ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed.’ This suggests that faith
is extremely efficacious. When exercised, it is extremely successful in
producing the intended result.
For us, this means that we don’t have
to have perfect faith in order to allow God’s power to enter into our lives and
bless us. Faith to the point of allowing God’s power into our lives is not
something that is reserved for the bishop or stake president. You don’t need to
hold a significant calling in the church or have numerous scriptural passages
memorized. You don’t have to disprove every seed of doubt you’ve ever had or
have a thriving testimony of every aspect of the gospel. No, just as the father
who approached Jesus, you are not required to have perfect faith in order to receive
God’s power to bless your life. Instead, you need only believe.
Do you believe in God and that He is
your Father; that He loves you? Do you believe in Jesus Christ and in His
atonement; that He died for your sins? If the answer is ‘yes,’ then I submit to
you the possibility that you have at least as much faith as the father in the
scriptural account we’ve examined. If this is true, and I believe it is, then
you have ample faith to allow God’s power to enter into your life and bless
you. All that you have to do is live in accordance with your existing faith.
Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “the
size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue – it is the
integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you
already know” (Holland, 2013, para 9). Or in the words of Alma, if you believe
in God and you believe in Jesus Christ, do you let that belief “work in you”
(Alma 32:27)? Does that belief “enlarge [your] soul” and “enlighten [your]
understanding” so that it “beginneth to be delicious to [you]” (verse 28)?
If you can identify with these
descriptions, now or at any time previously in your life, then you should be
comforted. By its very nature, “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of
things” (Alma 32:21). So if your faith is imperfect then you should relax and
know that you are on the right course.
Recall that when Jesus visited the
Nephites after His resurrection, there came a point when, “cast[ing] his
eyes…on the multitude,” he saw that “they were in tears, and did look
steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with
them” (3 Nephi17:5-6). Seeing this, Jesus said to them “have ye any that are
sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or
halt, or maimed, or leprous…or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them
hither and I will heal them…for I see that your faith is sufficient that I
should heal you” (verses 7-8). For these people, simply having the heartfelt
desire to be with Jesus produced enough faith to allow God’s power to enter
their lives and heal them. In a similar manner, I believe that each of us here
in this building today, have come here out of a desire similar to that
evidenced by these people anciently: we want to be with our Savior. Is not our
faith, then, ‘sufficient’ as was theirs?
This is the second point that I hope
you take with you today: the spiritual truth that while our faith allows God’s
power to enter into our lives and bless us, our faith does not have to be
perfect to receive God’s power.
Truth #3: Our Faith May Not Always Result In Reception Of The Desired Blessing, But True Faith Is Trust In God Regardless Of The Outcome
The third and final point I will
examine is taught throughout the scriptures, although it is rarely stated
directly. Even though it is illustrated beautifully in the third book of Daniel
in the Old Testament, I will examine it this morning as taught by Paul in the
11th chapter of Hebrews as well as by touching on some passages from
The Book of Mormon.
In his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul
recites a lengthy list of the miracles that were wrought through the power of
faith. He says that “by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see
death” (Hebrews 11:5), “by faith Noah…prepared an ark to the saving of his
house” (verse 7), “through faith…Sara…received strength to conceive
[Isaac]…when she was past age” (verse 11) and “by faith [Moses] forsook Egypt”
and the people of Israel “passed through the Red sea as by dry land” (verses 27
and 29). Paul continues by saying that “through faith” the ancient prophets
“subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of
weakness were made strong” and “waxed valiant in fight” (verses 33-34).
But then Paul pivots and turns his
discussion to the experiences of people whom he simply refers to as “others”
(verse 35). “And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance;…and others had
trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wandered about…being destitute, afflicted, tormented” (verses
35-37).
Contrasting the two groups of people
Paul wrote about leads us to ask why one group performed miracles as a result
of their faith while the other group did not. Why did the faith of Enoch, Noah,
Sara and Moses result in the miraculous intervention of God’s power, while the
faith of the people Paul called ‘others’ did not?
Or, to use a different scriptural
example, while imprisoned in the city of Ammonihah why was Alma the Younger
granted power according to his faith to “[break] the cords with which [he had
been] bound,” to cause “the earth [to shake] mightily” and “the walls of the
prison…[to fall] to the earth” (Alma 14:25-27) while roughly eight years prior,
Aaron’s imprisonment in the land of Middoni had required him to remain in
bondage, forgo the toppling of the prison walls and instead wait until one of
his brothers could rescue him (see Alma 20:28)?
Or still further, after having had
his brothers “lay their hands upon [him]” and “bind [him] with cords” as “they
sought to take away [his] life,” the prophet Nephi prayed “O Lord, according to
my faith which is in thee, wilt thou…give me strength that I may burst these
bands with which I am bound” (1 Nephi 1:16-17). Doubtless Nephi desired the
power to forcefully break his bonds in a spectacular sign of God’s power that would
persuade his brothers to cease persecuting him. Yet, we read that no such
dramatic display took place. Instead, we simply read that “the bands were
loosed from off [his] hands and feet” (verse 18). Was Nephi’s faith
insufficient to facilitate the dramatic display he desired, forcing him to
instead settle for a simple loosening of the knots?
In each of these instances, why was
the faith of some faith TO, as in faith TO deliverance, or faith TO forcefully
demonstrate God’s power, while the faith of others was faith NOT to, as in
faith NOT to deliverance, or faith NOT to burst their bonds?
We can easily conclude that the
differentiating factor in each of these scriptural accounts was not the level
of faith of the participants. After all, they were all prophets and Paul’s
account provides no evidence whatsoever that the ‘others’ he referred to lacked
faith. To the contrary! Paul extolls the ‘others’ saying that the world “was
not worthy” of them (verse 38) and that they “obtained a good report through faith”
(verse 39). Likewise, the scriptural account of Aaron provides no indication
that he lacked faith, saying that he was “patient in all [his] sufferings”
(Alma 20:29). And the Lord had told Nephi “blessed art thou…because of thy
faith” (1 Nephi 2:19). These points lead us to believe that all of these people
had enough faith to allow God’s power to enter their lives and bless them,
especially when we remember that a person’s faith does not have to be perfect
to receive God’s power. This being the case, if the level of faith was not
responsible, then what was the differentiating factor that caused the faith of
some to be faith TO, and the faith of others to be faith NOT to?
The answer is that the results of our
faith are dependent upon the will of God. As a consequence, our faith may not
always result in reception of the blessing that we desired, but true faith is
trust in God regardless of the outcome. It has been my experience that
sometimes when we exhibit faith, God’s power enters our lives in an immediate
and forceful manner. In these instances, we receive power from heaven and our
circumstances are changed. In short, the faith we exhibit is faith TO, as in
faith TO deliverance, or faith TO overcome our affliction. And yet, I have
observed that other times when we exhibit faith, God’s power enters in quietly
and peacefully instead of immediately and forcefully. During these times,
instead of receiving power to change our circumstances and work mighty
miracles, we are instead given patience and asked to have faith NOT to, as in
faith NOT to be delivered, or faith NOT to overcome our affliction. We are
asked to submit ourselves to God’s will for “God moves in a mysterious way, His
wonders to perform” (Bradbury and Cowper, 2013, para 1).
This is the third and final point
that I hope you take with you today: the spiritual truth that while our faith
allows God’s power to enter into our lives and bless us; and while our faith
does not have to be perfect to receive God’s power; our faith may not always
result in reception of the desired blessing, but true faith is trust in God
regardless of the outcome.
Summary
To briefly summarize, we have seen
scriptural evidence which teaches us that it is our faith that allows God’s
power to enter into our lives. This was taught directly by our Savior during
his earthly ministry as He repeatedly used the phrase, ‘thy faith hath made
thee whole’ or some slight variation thereof. We have also examined evidence
which shows that our faith does not have to be perfect to receive God’s power. This
was embodied in the phrase, ‘Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief,’ as well
as in Jesus’ teaching that ‘faith as a grain of mustard seed’ is enough to move
mountains. Lastly, we have uncovered evidence which shows that our faith may
not always result in reception of the desired blessing. But whether our faith
is TO and we are miraculously delivered, or whether our faith is NOT to and we
are asked to endure our afflictions, true faith is trust in God regardless of
the outcome. Although several more points could be highlighted which flow
seamlessly from the three we have already examined, what has been said thus far
suffices. As such, I now attempt to illustrate these three principles of faith
with a personal example.
Personal Account
I do not often share the account of
which I speak because it is sacred to me. And yet, there have been times when I
perceive that the Holy Spirit has directed me to share it. I believe that this
is one of those times.
Mid-summer 2010, my wife and I began receiving
impressions that the time was nearing for us to expand our family. These
impressions came more in the form of spiritual promptings than personal
desires; as if it were our responsibility to bring another child into our
family. This is primarily because we were unsure if this was the proper time to
have another child, despite our plans to eventually do so. For example, at that
time we were both working full-time jobs, Brittany was busy trying to finish
her Bachelor’s degree, and I was deeply engrossed in my Masters program. In
addition, I was serving as Ward Executive Secretary and my wife had the
monumental task of teaching Sunday School to the oldest group of teenagers
every Sunday. We led busy lives, but the busyness was appropriate and in line
with gospel teachings. We were both “anxiously engaged” in good causes (D&C
58:27).
As these promptings continued, they
weighed on us heavily. We discussed them frequently and prayed about them
fervently over the course of several weeks. We eventually decided to follow the
promptings we had received and begin preparing to have a second child, despite
our doubts regarding the timing. We decided to exercise faith even though the
logistics didn’t fully align. Almost immediately after making this
determination, our lives became even busier as I was called as Elders Quorum
President and Brittany was given the opportunity to leave her job as a Teacher and
become a Program Director. Both of these changes increased the demands on our
time dramatically, leaving us once again questioning whether this was an
appropriate time to have another child. But just as before, the promptings persisted.
As a result, we pressed ahead determined to have faith in this “[thing] not
seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
When we discovered that Brittany was pregnant
late in September, we found that great
joy filled our lives. As the pregnancy proceeded, we began making the necessary
adjustments to accommodate this new addition to our family. We determined that
Brittany would stop working and I reorganized my church responsibilities to
have more time at home. Our living space became even more cramped than it had
been previously and we tightened our finances until it was painful. In short,
we worked hard to accomplish more than we had previously with fewer resources.
At times this was difficult, requiring us to exercise our faith just as we had
before. But, as we gave birth to our son in May of the following year,
everything felt as if it were in its “proper order” (Alma 41:2). As we took
Drew home with us, we quickly identified with the words of Ammon, “behold, my
joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice” (Alma 26:11). This
new addition filled our home with immeasurable peace and fulfillment, really
more than we had previously thought possible. Drew had such a remarkable aura
around him.
Brittany and I both realized that despite
our initial hesitation, we had exercised faith by following the promptings we
had received and by making the associated sacrifices. As imperfect as our faith
was, we had nonetheless placed our “trust in the Lord” (Proverbs 3:5). As a
result, an exquisite blessing had been brought into our lives. In other words,
our faith had allowed God’s power to enter our lives and bless us even though
we had not exercised perfect faith. This is direct evidence of the first two
points we have discussed.
Several months later, and much to our
horror, Drew began experiencing difficulties. Because this is not the proper
place to discuss these in detail, I simply say that his life was threatened by
what was eventually determined to be an unknown variation of an extremely rare
metabolic disorder. Over the course of the next month, our lives stopped and
every second was spent at the hospital near Drew’s bedside. During this time, Brittany
and I both spent countless nights, either collectively or individually,
pleading in prayer for our son’s life. We knew that God had the power to heal
him and we sought that blessing with every ounce of our souls. I know that many
in this congregation did the same.
An overwhelming amount of faith was
exercised in pursuit of healing Drew, both by my wife and I as well as by
family and ward members. And yet despite this, as Brittany and I prayed aloud
at his bedside late one night in an attempt to discern God’s will, we both came
to know in a personal and unequivocal way, that Drew would be “taken home to
that God who gave [him] life” (Alma 40:11). We came to know that the faith
which had been exercised by everyone involved in this situation, would not be
faith TO, as in faith TO deliverance or faith TO healing. Instead, the faith required
would be faith NOT to, as in faith NOT to be delivered and faith NOT to be
healed. In other words, even though the requisite faith had been exercised, it
would not result in reception of the desired blessing. Instead, we would be
asked to submit ourselves to God’s will. As we had done previously, Brittany
and I placed our trust in God and acquiesced so that God’s will could proceed. Our
son, Drew, died shortly thereafter.
Since our son’s passing, Brittany and
I have come to realize that although our desires were not realized, if we truly
have faith in God, as we profess to, then we must accept His will even when it
contradicts our own. In other words, true faith is trust in God regardless of
the outcome.
Conclusion and Testimony
While our family’s experience with
Drew’s birth, life and death illustrate the three points of faith we have
discussed today, each of you have similar experiences that are just as
profound. Some have had loved ones pass away, as we have. Some have had family
members choose for themselves to ignore the principles of the gospel. And still
others have had trials of addiction, abandonment, mistreatment or doubt. And
yet despite these, you are here today. You continue to exercise faith, as
imperfect as it may be. Throughout our grief from our son’s death, Brittany and
I have been strengthened by the faith that we have seen in many of your lives.
Your examples have inspired and encouraged us. We have much to learn from each
of you. In so many ways, we are the least among you.
I testify that God lives and that He
loves you. His Son, Jesus Christ, is your Savior; He did for your sins. The
truths which will lead us to salvation are found in His teachings. Among them,
indeed the “first [principle]…of the Gospel,” is the principle of faith. I bear
testimony of the points regarding faith that I have shared today (Articles of
Faith 1:4). I personally know that exercising faith will allow God’s power to
enter your life and bless you. I plead with you to continue to do so, even if
your faith is imperfect, because perfect faith is not required. And even when
your faith does not result in reception of the blessing you desired, I testify
that true faith is trust in God regardless of the outcome. And true faith,
exercised consistently, always yields the same result, “even the salvation of
your souls” (1 Peter 1:9). In the words of Elder Jeffrey R Holland, “Some
blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for
those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come” (Holland, 1999). I personally witness that
this is true.
In the
name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
References
Bradbury,
William B, Cowper, William (2013). God
Moves in a Mysterious Way. Retrieve September 11, 2013 from The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ website:
https://www.lds.org/music/text/hymns/god-moves-in-a-mysterious-way?lang=eng
Holland,
Jeffrey R (1999). “An High Priest of Good
Things to Come”. Retrieved September 17, 2013 from The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ website:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng
Holland,
Jeffrey R (2013). “Lord, I Believe”.
Retrieved September 10, 2013 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints’ website: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng
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