Easter brings thoughts of the Savior, His life, His atonement, His
resurrection, His love. He has risen from the dead “with healing in his
wings.”
Oh, how we all need the healing the Redeemer can provide. Mine is a
message of hope for you who yearn for relief from heavy burdens that have
come through no conscious act of your own while you have lived a worthy
life. It is based on principles embodied in the teachings of the Savior.
Your challenge may be a serious physical disability, a struggle with
lingering illness, or a daily wrestle with a life-threatening disease. It
may have roots in the death of a loved one, the anguish caused by another
bound by sin, or come from abuse in any of its evil forms. Whatever the
cause, I testify that lasting relief is available on conditions established
by the Lord.
Help from the Lord always follows eternal law. The better you understand
that law, the easier it is to receive His help. Some of the principles upon
which His healing is predicated follow.
It is important to understand that His healing can mean being cured, or
having your burdens eased, or even coming to realize that it is worth it to
endure to the end patiently, for God needs brave sons and daughters who are
willing to be polished when in His wisdom that is His will.
Recognize that some challenges in life will not be resolved here on earth.
Paul pled thrice that “a thorn in the flesh” be removed. The Lord simply
answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect
in weakness.” He gave Paul strength to compensate so he could live a most
meaningful life. He wants you to learn how to be cured when that is His will
and how to obtain strength to live with your challenge when He intends it to
be an instrument for growth. In either case the Redeemer will support you.
That is why He said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; … For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light.”
When you feel you can do no more, temporarily lay your challenges at His
feet. The scriptures tell you how. For example, when the oppressed people of
Alma “did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of
their hearts,” the Lord blessed them, saying:
“I will … ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that … you
cannot feel them, … that ye may know … that I, the Lord God, do visit my
people in their afflictions.
“And … the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens
with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the
will of the Lord.”
Submitting “cheerfully and with patience” to all His will lets you learn
precious if difficult lessons and eternal truths that will yield blessings.
The example of Alma and Amulek is enlightening. While striving to do good
among the people of Ammonihah, they were taken captive. Amulek trusted his
more seasoned companion, Alma, who led him to greater confidence in the
Lord. Forced to observe women and children consumed by fire, Amulek said,
“Perhaps they will burn us also.” Alma answered, “Be it according to the
will of the Lord”—a vital principle. “But … our work is not finished;
therefore they burn us not.”
The chief judge and others over many days smote, spit upon, starved,
questioned, and harassed them with mocking words and threats. Though
commanded to speak, they withstood, bound and naked, in silence waiting
patiently for the Lord to inspire them to act. Then “the power of God was
upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose.” Alma cried, “Give us strength
according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And
they broke the cords with which they were bound.” The earth shook; the
prison walls were rent. All who smote Alma and Amulek were slain, and they
were freed. On another occasion Alma prayed, “O Lord … , have mercy on this
man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.”
These two examples give the essential key to healing. The Lord will give
relief with divine power when you seek deliverance in humility and faith in
Jesus Christ.
Don’t say, “No one understands me; I can’t sort it out, or get the help I
need.” Those comments are self-defeating. No one can help you without faith
and effort on your part. 9 Your personal growth requires that. Don’t look
for a life virtually free from discomfort, pain, pressure, challenge, or
grief, for those are the tools a loving Father uses to stimulate our
personal growth and understanding. As the scriptures repeatedly affirm, you
will be helped as you exercise faith in Jesus Christ. That faith is
demonstrated by a willingness to trust His promises given through His
prophets and in His scriptures, which contain His own words. You may not
fully understand how to do this yet, but trust that He will help you use
your agency to open the doors for His healing to occur. Faith in Christ
means we trust Him; we trust His teachings. That leads to hope, and hope
brings charity, the pure love of Christ—that peaceful feeling that comes
when we sense His concern, His love, and His capacity to cure us or to ease
our burdens with His healing power.
Is there a potentially destructive pattern in your life? When discouraged do
you feel overwhelmed and in desperation seek for others to solve your
problems, overlooking your own capacity to make much improvement? Do you
understand the necessity to do what you can so that the Lord can do what He
will to help you?
Your access to the Savior’s help comes in different ways. The most direct
and often the most powerful way is through humble, trusting prayers to your
Father in Heaven, which are answered through the Holy Ghost to your spirit.
Yet this help is sometimes difficult to initiate and hard to recognize when
you are learning how to pray with faith. If so, begin elsewhere. Trust
someone near to you; then as you learn, that trust will extend to God and
His healing. Begin with a friend or bishop who understands the teachings of
the Savior. Often they have personally obtained healing through application
of truth with faith in the Redeemer. They can show you how. Or start by
reading, pondering, and applying the teachings of the scriptures. They are a
very powerful source of assistance. While examples and anecdotes will help
to understand principle, you will find that power comes from scriptural
doctrine, as these quotes illustrate:
• “I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.”
• “Come unto me with full purpose of heart.”
• “Return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may
heal you.”
• “Turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him,
and serve him with all diligence of mind, [and] if ye do this, he will,
according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.”
Even if they had unlimited time and resources, which they don’t, priesthood
leaders could not provide all of the help. They are agents of the Lord, and
His law requires that you do your part. They will show you the way. They can
provide priesthood blessings. Your faith, purity, and obedience and that of
the priesthood holder have great effect on the pronouncement and realization
of the blessing. Healing can occur in the act, yet more often it occurs over
a period of time determined by the faith and obedience of the individual and
the will of the Lord. I feel that the pace is generally set by the
individual, not by the Lord. He expects you to use other resources
available, including competent professional help when indicated; then He
provides the balance needed according to His will.
Love is a potent healer. Realizing that, Satan would separate you from the
power of the love of God, kindred, and friends, who want to help. He would
lead you to feel that the walls are pressing in around you and there is no
escape or relief. He wants you to believe you lack the capacity to help
yourself and that no one else is really interested. If he succeeds, you will
be driven to further despair and heartache. His strategy is to have you
think you are not appreciated, loved, or wanted so that you in despair will
turn to self-criticism, and in the extreme even to despising yourself and
feeling evil when you are not. Remember the wisdom of the Lord “is greater
than the cunning of the devil.” If you have such thoughts, break through
those helpless feelings by reaching out in love to another in need. That may
sound cruel and unfeeling when you long so much for healing, but it is based
upon truth. Paul taught, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the
law of Christ.”
Love comes by learning how to give it to another in a spirit of trust. If
you feel deprived of love, that is difficult. Yet sustained concern and
support of others will engender their interest and love. You will feel
needed. You become an instrument through which the Lord can bless another.
The Spirit will let you feel the Savior’s concern and interest, then the
warmth and strength of His love. President Kimball said: “God does notice
us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another mortal that he
meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.”
Challenge comes as testing from a wise, knowing Father to give experience,
that we may be seasoned, mature, and grow in understanding and application
of His truths. When you are worthy, a challenge becomes a contribution to
growth, not a barrier to it. Yet no matter what the source of difficulty and
no matter how you begin to obtain relief—through a qualified professional
therapist, doctor, priesthood leader, friend, concerned parent, or loved
one—no matter how you begin, those solutions will never provide a complete
answer. The final healing comes through faith in Jesus Christ and His
teachings, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and obedience to His
commandments. That is why human reaction to challenge in life that engenders
hatred, despondency, distrust, anger, or revenge must be supplanted by the
tender mercies of a loving Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son.
When anguish comes from evil acts of others, there should be punishment and
corrective action taken, but the offended is not the one to initiate that
action. Leave it to others who have that responsibility. Learn to forgive;
though terribly hard, it will release you and open the way to a newness of
life. Time devoted by one injured to ensure the offender is punished is time
wasted in the healing process.
In summary, do what you can do a step at a time. Seek to understand the
principles of healing from the scriptures and through prayer. Help others.
Forgive. “Submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”
Above all, exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
I testify that the surest, most effective, and shortest path to healing
comes through application of the teachings of Jesus Christ in your life. It
begins with an understanding of and appreciation for the principles of moral
agency and the atonement of Jesus Christ. It leads to faith in Him and
obedience to His commandments, and that brings healing.
If you are caught on a plateau of spiritual healing and don’t seem to be
making progress, if you seem to be constantly dependent on another mortal
for support, look up in faith to Jesus Christ. I know that the Master loves
you and will heal you according to your faith in Him. In the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
© 1994 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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