TRUST IN THE LORD

All my life my favorite scripture has been: "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."

So, what does it mean to TRUST IN THE LORD? I can tell you what it means to me -- and what it doesn't mean. It does NOT mean that if you trust in the Lord that your life will be easy, or that everything will all work out right. It does not mean that your prayers will be answered immediately, or in the way that you wanted them to be. It doesn't mean that you will understand everything. I have seen people who have doubted, and even left the Church because they did not understand certain principles or scriptures. They might have thought that, if something didn't quite make sense to them, then it must not be true.

In his well-known Conference address, "But if Not", Dennis E. Simmons said, "Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him."

When you trust in the Lord, it should NOT be based on signs and miracles. While miracles can be faith- promoting, they should not be the basis of our testimony. We may not receive the miracles we so desperately want and need, but we must continue to trust in the Lord. Laman and Lemuel saw many signs and miracles, but they did not put their trust in Heavenly Father.

Nephi, on the other hand, did just that. In 2 Nephi 4:30 he wrote: "Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say, O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation." Then in verse 34 he goes on: "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of the flesh." Nephi, at that time, was lamenting to himself, as he suffered greatly over the wickedness of his enemies, but also struggled with his own shorcomings.

What DOES it mean then, to TRUST IN THE LORD? I love this scripture found in 2Nephi 31:20. "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men." How beautiful are these words! Steadfastness in Christ. Perfect brightness of hope. Love of God, and of all men.

TRUSTING IN THE LORD means having a sure foundation in Jesus Christ. In Helaman 5:12 we read, "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 storm shall 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 wheron if men build they cannot fall."

We will all have trials in this life, we will all feel discouragement, even despair. In Alma 36:3 we read, "Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." What a glorious promise!

Hardly anyone on earth has known the trials and afflictions that Job had to face. Robert D. Hales explains in his October 2011 Conference talk: "Job's experience reminds us what we may be called upon to endure. Job lost all his possessions, including his land, house, and animals; his family members, his reputation, his physical health, and even his mental well-being. Yet he bore a powerful testimony 'For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; And though...worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' "

I recently read the true story of two sisters, Betsy and Corrie Ten Boom, in the book, "THE HIDING PLACE". I have read it several times with the same results. First, feeling shamed that I even complain about the relatively small trials that I have, and then -- at the same time UPLIFTED by their complete trust and faith in the Lord as they suffered unimaginable humiliation, heartache, and misery in concentration camps during the Holocaust. One of the sisters, Betsy, at last succumbed to death. Yet, through it all they always praised the Lord and expressed their gratitude to him for even the tiniest of blessings. Corrie's love for and trust in the Lord ultimately helped her to even forgive those guards who had hurt them and humiliated them the most.

TRUSTING IN THE LORD means that we are able to FORGIVE, because He has told us that, if we do, He will forgive us. If we are unwilling to forgive others, we are saying that He did not enough. We need to not only believe IN him, but we need to BELIEVE HIM, that He truly paid the price for our sins, that He made up the difference that we are incapable of doing for ourselves. And, because He lives again, we know that we will also live again, and be with our loved ones who have passed on before. Families are forever.

TRUSTING IN THE LORD means trusting in His Plan. It is knowing that He is in charge. I have taken great confort in the scripture found in D&C 101:16, "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted..., for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." That has truly been the answer to many prayers for me in the past.

TRUSTING IN THE LORD means trusting in His timing. But, if you are like me, we want our prayers to be answered NOW! After many years of suffering with chronis bronchitis, pheumonia, and fibromyalgia, last year I became extremely ill. I prayed for months to get well, had Priesthood blessings, and my name was placed in the Temple. But nothing seemed to help. Though I still had a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, I began to doubt God's love for me. I felt that He was not listening to my prayers, and that I had been forgotten. It was in the midst of this period of time that I heard the Conference talk by Pesident Uchtdorf. I realized that Heavenly Father was truly speaking directly to me, as he said, "What you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or disouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. He wants you to know that YOU MATTER TO HIM." And he assured me, "You are not forgotten."

Dear Family, the previous was from a talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting last November. There was more to it, but I thought you might have gotten tired of reading it. Maybe I'll add more next month, or not. I'd like to invite you all to contribute to the family blog, by writing anything uplifting, helpful, or inspirational that you'd like to share, even if it is only a song, a scripture, or a story. I want to bring us closer to each other though writing. I love you all. Mom