Trusting in God
Trusting in God
By Kathy Penrod
My husband, Tim, had finished his undergraduate work and we were parents of the most adorable little boy. We were living in the typical rundown apartment that young families often find themselves in. Tim had just spent a year student teaching for the seminary program. After his year of student teaching, we got the word that he was not hired. We were devastated! We had planned on this. We put ALL our eggs in this basket and we didn’t have a back-up plan. I remember the feeling of discouragement and confusion that came with that denial.
My brother was working for a good company at the time and, after spending some time talking with him, we were sure Tim could get a position with this company. But it would require moving to a different state. We made a list of pros and cons and everything, on paper, seemed to point towards moving and taking this job. It logically made sense.
However, the spirit worked on our hearts and we felt the need to stay where we were. It was an unsteady time and neither of us were sure what the future would bring. But we knew we were following God’s plan for us and so we trusted in it.
Over the course of the next few years, Heavenly Father guided us from one place to the next, one job to another until Tim had a thriving, state-wide business. Using his Counseling and Business degrees, he wasn’t just going to work, he was making a huge impact on families and individuals. It was easy to look back and see how Heavenly Father had guided us and we were so grateful we had trusted in His plan.
Often, Heavenly Father directs us to do something that is hard and may not make sense at first. But, if we will trust Him, we will be able to look back one day and see how His plan made a positive change in our life.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught:
No matter what our mortal experience may entail, we can trust God and find joy in Him.
In the Book of Mormon, there is a story of a group of people, called the Jaredites, who had to learn this lesson.
They were commanded to leave the Old World and travel to the Promised Land. The only way to do that was in ships. After building the ships, their leader, known to us only as the brother of Jared, sought the Lord’s help in lighting the vessels. So the brother of Jared prepared stones and asked God to touch them to make them light up. This way, they could use the stones in the ships to light the interior.
Their journey wasn’t easy. And it must have taken a great deal of faith to take that first step into the ship. But the Jaredites trusted in God’s plan for them. In Ether, chapter 6, we read:
5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.
6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.
9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.
10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.
There are so many lessons we can learn from this excerpt of scripture!
In verse 5, it says that God caused a furious wind to blow them towards the promised land. How many times in our lives is there a furious wind? If we trust God, that wind will “blow” us to our destination.
Sometimes this wind can cause a mountain of waves to break upon us. The path towards Heavenly Father and our eternal destination is never easy. Sometimes we follow Heaven’s direction only to find a tempest in our way. But trust God. In verse 10 it says that as the Jaredites were driven forth, no monster of the sea could break them, no whale could mar them and they had light continually. This is the same for us. Even though the going can get tough, we cannot be broken if we stay true to God. We will have light continually if we will just trust Him.
Finally, in verse 9, it says that the Jaredites praised God and gave thanks to Him. Even in this difficult trial where tempests were raging around them. They focused on the One who could save. We can also give praise and thanks to God every day of our life. Even when there is a furious wind that blows us. As we focus on Him, we will be able to more fully trust His path.
Elder L. Todd Budge said:
We live in a world where the monster waves of death, physical and mental illness, and trials and afflictions of every kind break upon us. Yet, through faith in Jesus Christ and choosing to trust in Him, we too can have light continually, whether above the water or under the water. We can have the assurance that God never does cease to blow us toward our heavenly home.
Let us put our trust in the One True God. He will bring us to the most desirable outcome. And then one day, we will be able to look back and see how He has guided us.
