Hope in Christ.

The following is the talk I gave in Church this past week. We were asked to talk about hope in Christ.

From preach my Gospel: Hope is an abiding trust that the lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur.
I have a friend that recently started going back to church after a long time of inactivity. During this time he struggled with some problems and also indulged in anti literature. Now wanting to get his life and family back in order he has been trying to regain, but struggling with his faith. Over the past week we have been discussing miracles, and if miracles are real, or if they are just coincidence, or caused by human desire and capacity of our brain to do things that are not common in our everyday life.
One example he shared with me is the man who was in an accident and was told he would never walk again. This man refused to believe the doctors, and after a time was able to walk again.
Was this a miracle? Or was it simply human will?
Alma 32:21-Alma is teaching the poor who were not allowed to worship with their fellow men about faith and hope. “And now I as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true.
Faith is an action word, and the action is promoted by the hope for something. This man my friend shared the story about could have listened to the doctors. After all that would be the logical thing to do. This man who was told he would be confined to his wheel chair had the hope that he would one day walk again. Because of his hope, he was able to exercise the faith it required to lead him toward his goal to be able to walk again. I’m sure his results didn’t come right away. I’m sure it took confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance.
Alma 32:27-Alma continues to teach about faith. “but behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea even if ye can do no more than to desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
Alma continues to compare the word to a seed. Once you have that faith, if you will nourish it, it will grow, until it becomes a perfect knowledge.
Alma 32:41-Alma teaches us what it takes to nourish the seed. ” But if ye will nourish the word, yea nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
Now going back to my friends question, was this man’s recovery a miracle?
A miracle is defined as: " an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. Miracles are an important element in the work of Jesus Christ. They include healings, restoring the dead to life, and resurrection. Miracles are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith is necessary in order for miracles to be manifested"
I don’t know if this man was religious, or had faith in Christ, but what I do know is he had a hope that he would walk again. His hope lead to faith, his faith lead to action, and his action lead to the glorious miracle that he was able to walk again.
It is my opinion that having faith and hope in its self is a miracle, especially in these times. We live in a time where people are trying to disprove God by using logic. We are taught to think logically, and God is not always logical, at least not always in our eyes. With God all things are possible.
Preach my Gospel continues to say: “When you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement. The scriptures often describe hope in Jesus Christ as the assurance that you will inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom.”
Pres Foust-Hope, an anchor of our soul
Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope.
Today I am going to share with you some of my own personal experiences concerning hope, and overcoming trials we have faced recently. It was not something I had intended to share when we were first given this talk, but the though kept coming to me that I needed to. I hope there is someone out there that really needed to hear this today.
Brett and I have been married for just under a year, and during this time, we have faced many joys and many trials over this short period of time.
This past summer was a challenging time for Brett and I. We’d just moved here to Lehi from Provo. Brett was looking for work, and I was pregnant. Shortly after moving in, I began to have complications with the pregnancy. I was put on bed rest for a while, and unable to work. After a short time of being on bed rest I was able to get up and around again. That following weekend we received a call that no one wants to receive. Brett’s sister had called to let us know his father had passed away. It was unexpected to all of us. We’d seen him earlier that week and he seemed fine. The next week was particularly hard. We had all the events preparing for the funeral, and I began to have complications with the pregnancy yet again. On the night of the viewing I began to have a lot of pain, and eventually had to leave to go to the emergency room. We lost our baby that night. I know I’d always told myself that there was nothing that could be done, and these things just happen sometimes. Well as any mother can tell you, it is never easy to lose a child, no matter how small. I guess the nice thing about the funeral being the next morning; no one asks you why you are crying. My tears were not just for the loss of my baby, but also for Brett and his family and the loss of their father.
It was a pretty hard time for me, and it was very hard to not get discouraged. I wanted to blame myself for what happened. The next few weeks were full of uncontrolled emotions. I felt empty. I felt like dreams were lost. I found it hard not to question the Lord. I had received blessings telling me that my child would be ok. I wondered if my faith wasn’t strong enough. I wondered why we had to have everything thrown on us all at once.
My mom would tell me that the lord will only try as far as we are able to handle. She would tell me how strong she thought we must be to go through all of this at one time. I didn’t feel strong.
Then I began to reflect on the things I’d been taught all my life. I was reminded about how heavenly father loves the children. I thought of the blessings I’d received that my baby would be ok. I realized that sometimes the way we interpret blessings is not always what the Lord means by them. I realized my child was ok. I knew he was with our father in heaven. I reflected on the concept of eternal life, and remembered that if we live faithfully, those who are lost to us would one day be returned to us. I also remembered the words of another blessing I’d received a few days before we lost this child. I was told that the Lord intends for me to be a mother. I didn’t know at the time that these were the words I would need to hear in preparation for the events that were about to occur. This gave me hope. This gave me desire to move forward to continue in faith. I felt comforted because there was hope. I felt peace because there was hope.
While reflecting on the passing of Brett’s father, I was reminded of something our sealer had talked to us about on our wedding day. We had no idea that these were words of comfort that we would need to reflect on so early in our marriage.
He told a story of 2 missionaries. They were traveling to a zone conference when they were hit by another car. It was a bad accident and neither of the Elders survived. As you can imagine this came as quite a shock, and was devastating to the other missionaries. Shortly after the missionaries had passed away an Apostle came to the mission. He told the rest of the missionaries that these two Elders were not dead, but that they had been transferred. As I’m sure you can imagine it took the other missionaries by surprise. He continued to talk about the need of missionaries in the spirit world, and that these two Elders had a new mission call, to preach the gospel to the spirits there.
Elder Joseph F. Smith quotes from the book of peter in D & C 138: 10- “For this cause was the gospel preachel also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh,,but live according to God in the Spirit.
President Smith continues reflect on Christ’s visit to the spirit world between his death and resurrection. He talks about those who were there that learned of him and followed him, and how they rejoiced to see him. He taught them the gospel.
Vs 28-And I wondered at the words of Peter-Wherein he said that the son of God Preached unto the spirits in prison, who sometimes were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah-and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time.
29-And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
30-But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to the that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
From the brief period I knew Brett’s father, I know that he was a great man here on earth. He influenced many lives here on earth, and I know like these Elders that passed away on their missions, that Arlo was given a new mission call. That he is teaching those who have not received the beautiful gift of the gospel here on earth. He is bringing the gift that we have been able to enjoy here on earth, to those who have not been so blessed, as we have.
President James E. Foust –Hope, an anchor of the soul.
you, I, and everyone can enjoy the hope that comes from the knowledge that God truly lives. Such hope springs from the belief that if we have faith, somehow He will help us through our challenges—if not in this life, then surely in the life to come. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” In the eternal scheme of things, wrongs will be righted. In the perfect justice of the Lord, all who live worthily will be compensated for blessings not enjoyed here.

2 Nephi 31:20-Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold thus saith the Father; ye shall have eternal life.

Our happiness here on earth depends on how we respond to the trials we face in life. My mom would tell me, as I’m sure many of your moms have. “Whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” I know that at times those are not the words we want to hear. We want someone to just make it better. But these words are true, “whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. I can testify that no matter the trail or adversity we face in this life, we will never be tried beyond our capacity. We have the wonderful blessing of having the knowledge of Christ, our redeemer. I know that with hope we can see miracles; I know that with hope we can take comfort in our temporary losses. I know that with hope whatever trails we face we can find peace in this life, and hope for our life to come.
One of my favorite hymns Be Still my soul talks of finding comfort through Christ:
Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side; with patience bear thy cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; in every change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend, thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope they confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still my soul: the hour is hasting on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, loves purest joys restored. Be still my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

John 14:27- 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.