“With God Nothing Shall Be Impossible”
I echo the testimony of our beloved associate, Elder Dallin H.
Oaks. With him and the other Brethren, I applaud the efforts of Latter-day
Saints throughout the world who willingly serve in building the kingdom of God.
Likewise, I respect those who quietly do their duty though deepening trials
come their way. And I admire those who strive to be more worthy by overcoming a
personal fault or who work to achieve a difficult goal.
I feel impressed to counsel
those engaged in personal challenges to do right. In particular, my heart
reaches out to those who feel discouraged by the magnitude of their struggle.
Many shoulder heavy burdens of righteous responsibility which, on occasion,
seem so difficult to bear. I have heard those challenges termed impossible.
As a medical doctor, I have
known the face of adversity. I have seen much of death and dying, suffering and
sorrow. I also remember the plight of students overwhelmed by their studies and
of those striving to learn a foreign language. And I recall the fatigue and
frustration felt by young parents with children in need. Amidst circumstances
seemingly impossible, I have also experienced the joyous relief that comes when
one’s understanding is deepened by scriptural insight.
The Lord has often chosen to
instruct His people in their times of trial. Scriptures show that some of His
lasting lessons have been taught with examples terrible as war, commonplace as
childbearing, or obvious as hazards of deep water. His teachings are frequently
based on common understanding, but with uncommon results. Indeed, one might say
that to teach His people, the Lord employs the unlikely.
Warfare, for example, has
been known since time began. Even in that ugly circumstance, the Lord has
helped those obedient to His counsel. Going into battle, all would assume the
obvious advantage of outnumbering an enemy. But when God’s disciple Gideon was
leading an army against the Midianites, “the Lord said unto Gideon, The people
that are with thee are too many …, lest Israel vaunt themselves …, saying, Mine
own hand hath saved me” (Judg. 7:2).
So the Lord directed Gideon
to reduce his numbers. He first decreased the troops from twenty-two thousand
to ten thousand.
Then the Lord said to Gideon,
“The people are yet too many” (Judg. 7:4). So another reduction was made.
Finally, only three hundred remained. Then the Lord delivered the victory to
the outnumbered few (see Judg. 7:5–25).
Even more widely known
than war is an understanding of childbearing. Everyone “knows” that old women do not
bear children. So upon whom did the Lord call to bear Abraham’s birthright son?
Sarah, at age ninety! When told this was to be, she asked a logical question:
“Shall I [which am old] of a surety bear a child?” (Gen. 18:13). From heaven came this reply: “Is
any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).
So decreed, she gave
birth to Isaac, to carry the crucial Abrahamic covenant into the second generation
(see Gen. 26:1–4, 24).
Later, for one of the
most important events ever to occur, the other extreme was chosen. As all knew
that an elderly woman could not bear children, it was just as obvious that a
virgin could not have children. But Isaiah had made this prophetic utterance:
“The Lord himself
shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).
When Mary was notified
of her sacred responsibility, the announcing angel reassured, “For with God
nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).
The expression deep water means
danger! That very hazard challenged the Israelites led by Moses at the Red Sea
(see Ex. 14). Later, they were led by Joshua to the
river Jordan at flood time (see Josh. 3). In each instance, deep water was
divinely divided to allow the faithful to reach their destination safely. To
teach His people, the Lord employs the unlikely.
Turning to our day, have
you ever wondered why the Master waited so long to inaugurate the promised
“restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21)? Any competitor knows the
disadvantage of allowing an opponent to get too far ahead. Wouldn’t the work of
the restoration of the Church have been easier if begun earlier?
Suppose for a moment
you are a member of a team. The coach beckons you from the bench and says: “You
are to enter this contest. I not only want you to win; you shall win. But the
going will be tough. The score at this moment is 1,143,000,000 to six, and you
are to play on the team with the six points!”
That large number was
the approximate population of the earth in the year 1830 when the restored church
of Jesus Christ was officially organized with six members (see James Avery
Joyce, sel., World
Population Basic Documents, 4 vols., Dobbs Ferry, New York:
Oceana Publications, Inc., 1976, 4:2214). The setting was remote and rural. By
standards of the world, its leaders were deemed to be unlearned. Their
followers seemed so ordinary. But with them, the work was begun. Assignments
had been revealed:
·
The gospel was to be preached to every kindred, nation, tongue,
and people.
·
Ordinary folk were to become Saints.
·
Redemptive work was to be done for all who had ever lived.
The great dispensation
of the latter days had commenced, and they were the ones to usher it forth!
Furthermore, the
Prophet Joseph Smith was unjustly held in the unspeakable isolation of a distant
prison. In such obscurity, then and there, he was told by the Lord that “the
ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name” (D&C 122:1).
If any tasks ever
deserved the label impossible, those
would seem to qualify. But, in fact, our Lord had spoken: “With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26; see also Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27). To teach His people, the Lord
employs the unlikely.
A century and a half later,
the burdening baton of that opportunity has now been passed to us. We are
children of the noble birthright, who must carry on in spite of our
foredetermined status to be broadly outnumbered and widely opposed. Challenges
lie ahead for the Church and for each member divinely charged toward
self-improvement and service.
How is it possible to
achieve the “impossible”? Learn and obey the teachings of God. From the holy
scriptures, heaven-sent lift will be found for heaven-sent duties. To so
achieve, at least three basic scriptural themes loom repeatedly as
requirements.
Faith
The foremost requisite
is faith. It
is the first principle of the gospel (see A of F 1:4). In his epistle to the Hebrews,
Paul so taught. He concluded that by faith the great deeds of Noah, Abraham,
Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and others were accomplished
(see Heb. 11:4–34).
Prophets on the
American hemisphere similarly taught the fundamental importance of faith.
Moroni said it included things “hoped for and not seen” and then warned his
skeptics, “Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until
after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). Then he spoke of leaders whose
faith preceded their miraculous deeds, including Alma, Amulek, Nephi, Lehi,
Ammon, the brother of Jared, and the three who were promised that they should
not taste of death (see Ether 12:13–20).
The Lord personally
taught this truth to his disciples: “If ye have faith,” he said, “nothing shall
be impossible unto you” (Matt. 17:20).
Faith is nurtured
through knowledge of God. It comes from prayer and feasting upon the words of
Christ through diligent study of the scriptures.
Focus
The second requisite I
have classified as focus. Imagine,
if you will, a pair of powerful binoculars. Two separate optical systems are
joined together with a gear to focus two independent images into one
three-dimensional view. To apply this analogy, let the scene on the left side
of your binoculars represent your
perception of your task. Let the picture on the right side
represent the Lord’s perspective
of your task—the portion of His plan He has entrusted to you. Now, connect your
system to His. By mental adjustment, fuse your focus. Something wonderful
happens. Your vision and His are now the same. You have developed an “eye
single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5; see also Morm. 8:15). With that perspective, look
upward—above and beyond mundane things about you. The Lord said, “Look unto me
in every thought” (D&C 6:36). That special vision will also
help clarify your wishes when they may be a bit fuzzy and out of focus with
God’s hopes for your divine destiny. Indeed, the precise challenge you regard
now as “impossible” may be the very refinement you need, in His eye.
Recently I visited the
home of a man terminally ill. The stake president introduced me to the man’s
family. His wife demonstrated such focus when she asked for a blessing for her
dying husband—not for healing, but for peace, not for a miracle, but for ability
to abide to the end. She could see from an eternal viewpoint, not merely from
the perspective of one weighted with the responsibilities of her husband’s
day-to-day care.
Elsewhere, a mother
with focus nurtures her son, crippled for the whole of this life. Daily she
thanks her Heavenly Father for the privilege of laboring in love with a child
for whom mortality’s vale of tears will be mercifully brief. Her focus is fixed
on eternity. With celestial sight, trials impossible to change become possible
to endure.
Strength and Courage
A third theme in the
scriptures requisite for significant accomplishment is difficult to summarize
in one word, so I shall link two to describe it—strength and courage. Repeatedly,
scriptures yoke these attributes of character together, especially when
difficult challenges are to be conquered (see Deut. 31:6, 7, 23; Josh. 1:6, 7, 9, 18; Josh. 10:25; 1 Chr. 22:13; 1 Chr. 28:20; 2 Chr. 32:7; Ps. 27:14; Ps. 31:24; Alma 43:43; Alma 53:20).
Perhaps this is more
easily illustrated than defined. Our pioneer forefathers are good examples.
They sang, “Gird up your loins; fresh courage take” (“Come, Come, Ye
Saints,” Hymns, 1985,
no. 30). They feared no toil and no labor. Among them were Johan Andreas Jensen
and his wife, Petra, who left their native Norway in 1863. Their family
included six-week-old tiny twin daughters. As handcarts were pulled in their
rugged journey, one of those little girls died along the way. The child who
survived grew up to become my Grandmother Nelson!
There are pioneers in
the Church today just as strong and courageous. Recently, I interviewed a
married couple three days after their release as full-time missionaries in a
large metropolis. “We are converts,” they said. “We joined the Church ten years
ago. Even though we just completed a mission, we want to go again! But this
time, we would like to volunteer for a more difficult assignment. We want to
teach and serve children of God who live in remote areas of the world!”
As I countered with
the grim realities of their request, they continued their expression of
commitment. “Our three children and their spouses will assist with our
expenses. Two of those couples have joined the Church already, and the third is
equally supportive. Please send us among humble people who love the Lord and
desire to know that His Church has again been restored to the earth.” Needless
to say, their petition was gratefully heard, and now they have received their
second call to missionary service.
Strength and courage
also characterize another couple. As faithful members of the Church, they had
always upheld its doctrines, including the twelfth article of faith. When their
country went to war, military conscription called the dutiful husband away from
his wife before either had learned she was to bear their child. He was captured
by enemy troops and taken as a prisoner of war. Months elapsed. Their baby
came. Still no word to know whether the new father was alive. A year after his
capture, he was permitted to write to his wife.
Meanwhile, though
countries apart, they each remained faithful to covenants made at baptism. Even
though clothed in prisoner’s stripes and able to speak the language of his
captors’ country only in a limited way, he became Sunday School superintendent
of the branch. He baptized four fellow prisoners during their confinement.
Three years after the war ended, he returned home to his wife and a son he had
never seen. Later, he served for ten years as the first stake president of his
country. Now he is a member of the presidency of one of our temples! His wife
stands faithfully beside him in the privilege of that sacred assignment.
You who may be
momentarily disheartened, remember, life is not meant to be easy. Trials must
be borne and grief endured along the way. As you remember that “with God
nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37), know that He is your Father. You
are a son or daughter created in His image, entitled through your worthiness to
receive revelation to help with your righteous endeavors. You may take upon you
the holy name of the Lord. You can qualify to speak in the sacred name of God
(see D&C 1:20). It matters not that giants of
tribulation torment you. Your prayerful access to help is just as real as when
David battled his Goliath (see 1 Sam. 17).
Foster your faith.
Fuse your focus with an eye single to the glory of God. “Be strong and
courageous” (2 Chr. 32:7), and you will be given power and
protection from on high. “For I will go before your face,” the Lord declared.
“I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your
hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).
The great latter-day
work of which we are a part shall be accomplished. Prophecies of the ages shall
be fulfilled. “For with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27), I testify in the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
“Shall Be”
cji
1/20/19
Awaken understanding
we shall be guided
all things are known
thus Father is there
we need but inquire
being worthy/obedient
thus we shall be guided
therefore nothing too
hard
nothing is impossible
with the Lord in our
life!
Copyright ©
2019 – cji
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