KNOWING GOD

 

 

In his message to the unbelievers, Moroni points out that those who do not believe in the revelations of God, prophecies, gifts and healings, do not understand the scriptures nor do they know the unchangeable God ‘in whom they should trust’ (Mormon 9:8,19,20). This certainly includes those of us who have the Gospel but do not really ‘know’ God.

This is what I found interesting in Moroni’s message. Having listed all the things that prove that God is a God of miracles, Moroni brings prayer into the equation by saying that ‘whatsoever we ask the Father in the name of Jesus, doubting nothing’ will be given us (v 21). This is a plain indication that answers to prayers are included in the category of miracles, because they are one of the major ways of knowing God.

However, asking for ‘whatsoever’ comes with a warning: we should ask for what we stand in need of and that which will enable us to serve God (v 27,28). This is about submitting ourselves to God’s will. This is a scary concept for some of us because we feel that God’s will means denial of things that we want. In actuality, God’s will means something so much better:

 “Many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is giving up not self but selfish things – like our roles, our time, our pre-eminence, and our possessions.

“No wonder we are instructed by the Saviour to lose ourselves (Luke 9:24). He is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new self. It is a question not of one’s losing identity but of finding one’s true identity.”  (Neal A. Maxwell, “If Thou Endure It Well”, p 51).

This is a sobering thought in our self-centered world where individuality and identity has become an obsession. However, nobody knows better who we truly are than God whom we should know enough to trust. We are His greatest miracle.

He will move heaven and earth to ensure we become who we are meant to be. He will chart our journey always for our ultimate good. If we know Him, we will trust Him and we will be able to let go of our self-perception according to our limited earthly knowledge.

The Saviour, in His hour of agony, trusted this process to the Father when He said, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42). He now sits on His throne that He was destined to possess in the beginning. We likewise, were destined to be priests and priestesses, kings and queens to reign with Him forever and ever…..if we will but allow God to make of us what we are meant to become and be wise in the days of our probation that we ‘may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day (vs 6, 28).

I will trust in Thee

My God and my King

To make of me what I am

Meant to be.

I will look up to heaven

And believe in Thy throne;

I will trust in the strength of Thine arms

To carry me home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(ART: Not My Will by Yongsung Kim)

DIVINE HUMILITY

 

I can relate to the poverty stricken Zoromites who were cast out of their synagogues by the rich and well to do citizens of Antionum who deemed them as dross because of their poverty (Alma 32:2,3).

I was a single mother for 20 years without a home to call my own. All my single friends in my age bracket have a home of their own but I don’t. I used to cringe to meet Church friends I hadn’t seen for a long time because their first question was: “Where are you living now?” This has bothered me for many years than I care to admit. I haven’t been cast out of the Church or discriminated against in any way but I felt for many years that I was nothing and nobody because I basically had nothing. This also made me feel that I had nothing to show for my life despite the fact that I am educated, have worked most of my adult life, have served unceasingly in the Church for 40 years  and have brought up two children single handedly. At times I felt like I was mingling with the dust of the earth….

I have learnt three things because of the financial poverty  I have lived with throughout the years:

-        Like the poor Zoromites, my impoverishment brought me ‘to a lowliness of heart’ (v 12), to taste humility. I have many, many times reflected on this with gratitude.  Belonging to a lower socio-economic class detached me from the world and its materialistic mentality.  It has been a freedom I have appreciated greatly.

-        Being detached from the world and its materialism helped me realise over the years that I am my greatest asset because in the end, I will take myself with me. It made me reflect many times on what kind of quality of eternal life I will one day have and so my commitment to Christ and His gospel increased exponentially. This is another thing I greatly appreciate.

-        This is the greatest blessing of all – my needs and my trials turned me to God over and over and they kept me by His side. I am now convinced that this is the life I wanted long before I was born because being by God’s side is what matters to me the most.

Through my needs and trials God has revealed himself to me in miraculous ways. I have lived in some beautiful places and had everything given to me that I could not provide for myself including furniture, household goods, car….. Sometimes He has used other people but in such ways that I always understood that it could only have come from Him.  I will share here just one occasion out of many which might seem small but to me it is the most miraculous of all. When I was a new single working mother, I was struggling financially in a huge way. One week I didn’t have enough money to put gas in my car. Before I went to work one morning, I prayed for $20 for this purpose. I went to work and forgot all about it. At lunch time my co-worker came to me and put $20 on my desk. When I asked why, he told me he was returning to work from lunch and saw a $20 bill on the ground. He picked it up and didn’t know what to do with it because he thought he didn’t really need it. As soon as that thought entered his head, I came into his mind and he knew he had to give me that money. So, you see, it was like manna from heaven!

I couldn’t understand for many years why the difficulties of my life but now I can see how superbly crafted it has been. I have let go now of feeling inadequate because I am not like my friends. Looking back over my life, I would not trade the experiences I have had that led me to the closeness to God I feel today. Those poor Zoromites had no idea how lucky they were…they might have been ostracized by their rich counterparts who lost the plot but this merciless act paved the way to their salvation.

I failed to understand

Why such deep trials in my life,

I expected better in my arrogant pride.

How merciful You were Father

To help me see the purpose of the tide;

That through my bruised and aching heart

You kept me fervently by Your loving side.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Life After Death by B. Laura Wilson)