Today I'd like to share two stories with you about having faith in Jesus Christ. They're not my stories, but they very much apply to us.
The first one comes from a talk by Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is his experience with a young man and his wife.
"John is a worthy priesthood holder and served faithfully as a full-time missionary. After returning home from his mission, he dated and married a righteous and wonderful young woman, Heather. John was 23 and Heather was 20 on the day they were sealed together for time and for all eternity in the house of the Lord...
The first one comes from a talk by Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is his experience with a young man and his wife.
"John is a worthy priesthood holder and served faithfully as a full-time missionary. After returning home from his mission, he dated and married a righteous and wonderful young woman, Heather. John was 23 and Heather was 20 on the day they were sealed together for time and for all eternity in the house of the Lord...
"Approximately three weeks after their temple marriage, John was diagnosed with bone cancer. As cancer nodules also were discovered in his lungs, the prognosis was not good...
"Heather noted: “This was devastating news, and I remember how greatly it changed our perspectives....This was the worst day of my life, but I remember going to bed that night with gratitude for our temple sealing. Though the doctors had given [John] only a 30 percent chance of survival, I knew that if we remained faithful I had a 100 percent chance to be with him forever.”
"Approximately one month later John began chemotherapy...three months later John underwent a surgical procedure to remove a large tumor in his leg...
"Two days following the operation, I visited John and Heather in the hospital. We talked about the first time I met John in the mission field, about their marriage, about the cancer, and about the eternally important lessons we learn through the trials of mortality. As we concluded our time together, John asked if I would give him a priesthood blessing. I responded that I gladly would give such a blessing, but I first needed to ask some questions."I then posed questions I had not planned to ask and had never previously considered: “[John,] do you have the faith not to be healed? If it is the will of our Heavenly Father that you are transferred by death in your youth to the spirit world to continue your ministry, do you have the faith to submit to His will and not be healed?”
Pause there. What are your thoughts as you read those questions? When I first heard this, it was not what I was expecting. The usual question is, "Do you have the faith to be healed?" Why would we think about the alternative? God has the power to heal all illnesses, and if we trust in him, that means we will be healed...right? What would our faith be if we believed that we might not be healed?
Before I answer those questions, or finish of Elder Bednar's story, I'll turn to the second story. This one happened way before any of us were born, it is found in the Old Testament in the Bible. It is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold...Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
"That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
"Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
"Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar...There are certain Jews...Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
"Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
"Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ...
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
"But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Think about their response for a minute. If Elder Bednar had asked them the same question he asked the young couple, what would their response be? From what I can tell, it would be a solid, resounding "YES." They were willing to submit to the Lord's will instead of insisting on their own.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had faith that God had the power to preserve them. They knew his power and they trusted that he could save them. But their second sentence holds weight as well, and shows even greater faith. They were still going to choose the right, even if God didn't save them.
Heavenly Father isn't one to give us instant gratification. Sometimes the best blessings, the best lessons, come after trials of patience and faith. There will be times when the Lord will let us fall so that we may pick ourselves up again and learn from the experience. We must remember that His plan is the only plan that will bring the greatest growth, happiness, and knowledge.
Faith isn't simply believing that we can be lifted from our trials, true faith is more than that. Faith in Christ means trusting in His will completely. Meaning we take all of our ideas, thoughts, and plans and we place them on His altar holding nothing back. That is what these two stories have in common, the people in them found the faith to believe in Christ and trust in his judgement, even if it meant they passed from this world because of it. They met the challenge and conquered it.
So what happened to them once they found the faith to submit their will to Christ? John's cancer was defeated for a time, but then it came back. From Elder Bednar's talk, he is still going through this trial. As for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, they were preserved from the fiery furnace to become great leaders in Babylon.
These two stories have ended well, from what we can tell. But there are plenty of other stories like Abinidi (See Mosiah 17), Nephite women and children (See Alma 14:8), and Joseph Smith (See Doctrine and Covenants 135) who put their trust in the Lord and perished because of their belief. Their faith was equal to each other, even though the result was different.
We face opposition and trials in our lives, the point isn't for us to plead for instant relief of the pain that tears apart our hearts, the point is for us to humbly submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon us. (Mosiah 3:19) We can do it, because we will not be alone in our trials. We will receive strength to endure as we are obedient to the commandments and as we have faith that we will receive His aid.
I know that Christ has the power to heal all sickness, remove all trials, and lift all burdens. But I also know that in many cases he will not so then we can learn, grow, and become more like Him. I know that we are not alone in our struggles, we have the greatest advocate on our side, and He will help us every step of the way as we look to Him for guidance.
"Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
"Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? ...
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
"But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
Think about their response for a minute. If Elder Bednar had asked them the same question he asked the young couple, what would their response be? From what I can tell, it would be a solid, resounding "YES." They were willing to submit to the Lord's will instead of insisting on their own.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had faith that God had the power to preserve them. They knew his power and they trusted that he could save them. But their second sentence holds weight as well, and shows even greater faith. They were still going to choose the right, even if God didn't save them.
Heavenly Father isn't one to give us instant gratification. Sometimes the best blessings, the best lessons, come after trials of patience and faith. There will be times when the Lord will let us fall so that we may pick ourselves up again and learn from the experience. We must remember that His plan is the only plan that will bring the greatest growth, happiness, and knowledge.
Faith isn't simply believing that we can be lifted from our trials, true faith is more than that. Faith in Christ means trusting in His will completely. Meaning we take all of our ideas, thoughts, and plans and we place them on His altar holding nothing back. That is what these two stories have in common, the people in them found the faith to believe in Christ and trust in his judgement, even if it meant they passed from this world because of it. They met the challenge and conquered it.
So what happened to them once they found the faith to submit their will to Christ? John's cancer was defeated for a time, but then it came back. From Elder Bednar's talk, he is still going through this trial. As for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, they were preserved from the fiery furnace to become great leaders in Babylon.
These two stories have ended well, from what we can tell. But there are plenty of other stories like Abinidi (See Mosiah 17), Nephite women and children (See Alma 14:8), and Joseph Smith (See Doctrine and Covenants 135) who put their trust in the Lord and perished because of their belief. Their faith was equal to each other, even though the result was different.
We face opposition and trials in our lives, the point isn't for us to plead for instant relief of the pain that tears apart our hearts, the point is for us to humbly submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon us. (Mosiah 3:19) We can do it, because we will not be alone in our trials. We will receive strength to endure as we are obedient to the commandments and as we have faith that we will receive His aid.
I know that Christ has the power to heal all sickness, remove all trials, and lift all burdens. But I also know that in many cases he will not so then we can learn, grow, and become more like Him. I know that we are not alone in our struggles, we have the greatest advocate on our side, and He will help us every step of the way as we look to Him for guidance.
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