Have Faith in Me!

Our lives have many hills, valleys and long, flat areas of experience. Some of it is just day-to-day, hence the long, flat areas. These flat days are good and provide a rhythm for our daily experience and growth. Some are valleys that are full of sunshine and flowers and we love these. These are the best parts of our lives. Some days are hills and occasionally even a mountain that seems as tall as Mount Everest. These are the ones that provide us huge growth spurts but at a cost.

These hills and mountains can come from inside ourselves; from outside of ourselves, such as family or extended family problems; or even from large events such as catastrophic storms, earthquakes, wars, etc. No matter where they come from, they have an effect of almost stopping our hearts. They cause deep soul searching and often involve painful thoughts.

A woman shared a problem with me the other day that really struck my heart. She had learned of a great tragedy that was occurring within her family that had the potential to have huge consequences and possibly great tragedy. She told me that for several days she wrestled with this problem, praying constantly for help on what to do, how to do it, and when to do what. She had to look within herself as well. As she was pacing up and down in her front room, she heard these words: “Have faith in me.” It stopped her in her tracks. She paused and then heard the words again: “Have faith in me.” She knew where those words were coming from and knew that she had to change something within herself.

She knelt on her knees, and pled, “Give me that type of faith.” After she finished her prayer and stood up, she said to herself many times, “Have faith! Have faith! Have faith! Have faith in HIM.” Several hours later, she said she felt absolutely inspired to contact a family member who in turn stepped into the situation, and then it was as though one door opened after another.

There is a slogan in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that is important for the alcoholic or even for the alcoholic’s family to use. “Let Go and Let God”. It seems fairly easy for us to say that we will just let it go, and let God handle it. It is not. First of all, we are to do all that we can do, which involves studying the problem out, being prayerful about the problem, and coming up with ideas on how to solve it. Sometimes, though, the problem is so huge that it is almost beyond us to solve. This is why AA found this statement so powerful. All the willpower didn’t seem to stop the problem of addiction. The necessary addition was to involve the power of God. When that happened, miracles happened.

It is the same with us. Sometimes we have a problem that is so big that we need to lay it at the Lord’s feet, and say, help! We have done all that we can do, and we need help! What we are asking for is the Lord’s intervention. It will always come. Sometimes it comes in ways that are totally unexpected. Sometimes it is slow, and sometimes it is fast, but it comes. When he tells us, “Have faith in me”, there are layers upon layers of learning that begin to happen. It will change us and it will change our relationship with him.

Our God tells us to “Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.” (D & C 19: 23) I think we should put our hand in the hand of God, as Neal A. Maxwell said, “and prepare for a great adventure.” “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?” (Morm. 5:23.)

Look up when you hit your mountains and hills. You are never alone. You are never without hope. We have our God. We have hope. O happy day.