GOD'S PURPOSE, OUR SACRIFICE

Ever since Sheri L. Dew came to our attention through her calling on the Relief Society General Board,  I have wondered why she has never married. Surely living in the heart of Zion would mean a myriad of marriage opportunities. Sheri Dew has been a faithful member of the Church all her life and she has served God valiantly throughout her life. This must mean that the Lord would desire to bless her with a husband. Apparently Sister Dew was of the same opinion. She says that her solution to this heartbreak was to exercise so much faith that the Lord would have to give her what she wanted - which was a husband. She went on to say: "Believe me, if fasting and prayer and temple attendance automatically resulted in a husband, I'd have one" (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003). Well, the Lord didn't give Sister Dew a husband but He did heal her heart and taught her the value of the Atonement.

Pondering on Sister Dew's life and years of service, it became obvious to me why she has never been blessed with a husband and a family. This became very clear to me when I read this story she related at a BYU fireside:

"This summer I was invited to speak on the subject of the family to a gathering of United Nations diplomats. I agonized over what to say to such a diverse group. In the end I simply shared my personal experience. I explained that my parents had taught me as a child that personal virtue was essential for a happy marriage and family and that in my youth I had made promises to God that I would live a chaste life.

I then acknowledged that I was about to turn 50 and that, though I had not yet married, I had kept my promise. "It hasn't always been easy to stay morally clean", I admitted, "but it has been far easier than the alternative". I have never spent one second worrying about an unwanted pregnancy or disease. I have never had a moment's anguish because a man used and then discarded me. And when I do marry I will do so without regret. "So you see", I concluded, "I believe a moral life is actually an easier and a happier life".

I worried about how this sophisticated audience would respond to a message about virtue and abstinence, but much to my surprise they leapt to their feet in applause - not because of me but because the Spirit had borne witness of the truth of that message". (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003)

God needs willing servants. Men and women who would sacrifice everything, even their heart's desire for fulfillment of God's purposes. Sister Dew's speech, "You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory" was addressed to the BYU students back in 2003.  She explained to them how important they were in God's plan and had been selected especially to come to earth in this 11th hour to conquer the enemy of all righteousness. I wonder if Sister Dew realises that she was really speaking of herself during this talk for I suspect that she was born to lead others in believing that a life of purity is a better way.  In an age where sexual purity, not valued and sexual promiscuity reigning supreme, God needed someone strong and powerful to stand as a witness to the Church and the world that His ways are better that our ways.  I will go so far as to say that I believe that Sister Dew had covenanted in her pre-existence that she will sacrifice her desire for a husband so that she can combat the forces of evil during her life by her example.This is His purpose, this is her mission. And so it is for us. Sometimes we push and agonise and plead and complain, wanting the life we do not have when in reality we had covenanted that we will do something entirely different so that God's purposes can be accomplished through us.

The greatest scriptural example of this is Abraham who waited on the Lord until it seemed there was little chance that he would ever have the desire of his heart. Abraham desired the blessings of the 'fathers', meaning the priesthood which was passed down from father Adam to the rightful heirs or first born male children who were righteous enough to receive it.  These blessings of the priesthood he did not only desire for himself but for his posterity also which meant he would have to have an heir to pass the rights of the priesthood to. As time passed it became obvious that heir was not forthcoming. In desperation, his wife Sarah complied with the custom of the day which dictated that if a woman did not provide children for her husband in the first 10 years of marriage, she had to give him another wife so he would have offspring. She gave Hagar to Abraham and Hagar bore him a son but the Lord had promised Abraham a rightful heir to the blessings of the 'fathers' meaning the child would have to come through the first wife. So the promise was made and not fulfilled for 37 years. By this time Sarah, who was infertile to begin with was also well past the child bearing age.  Why such a long wait?  Why not give Sarah a son when she could have conceived normally, without divine intervention? Among other explanations that might come to mind,  Church Father Ambrose offered the most plausible one:  "An aged woman who was sterile brought (Isaac) to birth according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth". (Didymus the Blind, On Genesis 2:41, in Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary, 2:45).

Usually the main focus in this story is on Abraham and little consideration is given to Sarah. Imagine being a married woman longing for a child. Many women find themselves in that boat. Now imagine being a woman in Sarah's time. Not only is your husband longing for a child which is his heart's desire but you have to give him another wife so she can fulfill your responsibility to give him children. How worthless would you feel? There was great stigma attached to being barren in Sarah's time. On top of that if you did not have a son, you were basically in a very precarious situation indeed. Sons had the responsibility to care for their mothers should their fathers not be around. As women were not providers and had no legal rights, they desperately needed sons. Even though Abraham was rich, Sarah did not stand to inherit his fortune. That honour would go to the nearest male relative if her husband had no sons by another woman. Sarah languished for 37 years in the waiting room of her heart so that a greater purpose can be fulfilled for she was required to pave the path of belief. The sacrifice sublime, the purpose priceless: "Sarah's miraculous conception, intentionally arranged by the Almighty as a miracle that had never been seen since the Creation, is surely one of the clearest similitudes of the birth of Him who would fulfill the promise to Abraham and Isaac that in their seed all nations of the earth would be blessed" (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People, p. 192). What an incredibly important role Sarah played and she lived up to it in every sense of the word.

One of the covenants we make in the temple is a covenant of sacrifice. We basically promise we will give our all for the kingdom of God and the establishment of Zion. Some may say that's a tall order. It's an order, however, in similitude of the sacrifice of the Son that God's purpose in Him might be fulfilled. And what is this purpose? To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). When we stood in the grand council in pre-mortal life, we covenanted that we will be a part of this purpose (D&C 138:55,56), that we would labour for the salvation of the souls of men and sacrifice all that it would take to do so. This meant that we placed others before ourselves and had a strong desire to make the plan of salvation successful. I also believe we wanted to bring honour and glory to the Father as opposed to the one who wanted all glory for himself. This is what we voted for and what we fought for. I imagine Sheri Dew was there with her hand raised to the square and you and I stood beside her.

If your heart is filled with broken dreams and unfulfilled desires and more questions than you have answers for, do not be dismayed. God has a purpose for you and in time that purpose will reveal itself if you are faithful. The Saviour, as committed as He was to the Father, struggled with the concept of sacrifice also and asked for the cup to be passed from Him (Matt 26:39) but he did not shrink back and drank the bitter dregs anyway. In time the bitterness of your cup will be turned to sweetness in equal measure. Trust in the Saviour's ability to enable you to make your offering on the altar of sacrifice. If the Atonement was the ultimate sacrifice, it can empower us to lay our hearts down as a token of our faithfulness. Place your trust in it and seek its' power. You are a child of God bound by the covenant, a daughter, a son, a noble offspring of the Father of us all. God's purpose will be done through you and for you and in the end you will be crowned with glory and be granted thrones, principalities and dominions in the Celestial Kingdom of our Heavenly Father with the promise of eternal increase therein. You wanted this when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. You were among that happy throng and your voice was heard. Honour it and be true to it.

THE WAITING ROOM

It would seem there is no end to lessons we can learn from Abraham's life.  He who sought to worship the one, true, living God all the days of his life has inadvertently become a blessing to all his posterity after him. The admonition to 'look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you...." (Isaiah 51:2) should be heeded by all true followers of Christ who love and desire to honour Him through the life that they live.

One of the greatest examples of Abraham is his enduring faithfulness in expectation of his promised blessings. Abraham waited on the Lord until it seemed there was little chance that the Lord would keep his promise but Abraham knew that God cannot lie and that somehow the desire of his heart would one day be fulfilled. Abraham desired the blessings of the 'fathers',  meaning the priesthood which was passed down from father Adam to the rightful heirs or first born male children who were righteous enough to receive it.  These blessings of the priesthood he did not only desire for himself but for his posterity also which meant he would have to have an heir to pass the rights of the priesthood to.

The Lord entered into a covenant with Abraham sealed with a binding oath that his heir would 'come out of his own bowels' (Genesis 15:4).  In reference to this event, Paul states to the Hebrews, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself" (Hebrews 6:13). To better understand Abraham's ability to never give up on the Lord's promise it is important for us to have a basic understanding of ancient and extremely serious process of oath swearing:

"According to the ancient pattern, the subject bound himself to the master by passing between the separated parts of a dead animal.  As he passed between the parts, he swore an oath, while pointing at the dead animal, that he would fulfill the terms of the contract.  Failure to do so would invoke the same consequence that befell the animal.  This type of simile cursing was common among the Hebrews in both the Old World and the New World."  (Dave Hadlock, Lesson 2 God Will Provide Himself a Lamb, Meridian Magazine)

Genesis 15 describes the same process of oath swearing between Jehovah and Abraham. Abraham was instructed to divide into pieces 'an heifer of three years old, and a she goat...and a ram...and a turtledove' (Genesis 15:9-10).  When the sun went down that night, Jehovah, symbolised by the burning lamp, passed between the pieces of the carcass of the dead animals promising Abraham that he would fulfill his part of the covenant or incur the curse of the dead animals.  From this Abraham knew that the Lord would not go back on his promise.

So the Lord had promised Abraham a rightful heir to the blessings of the 'fathers' and then promptly placed him in the waiting room, for 37 years.  Why such a long wait?  Why not give Sarah a son when she could have conceived normally, without divine intervention?  Church Father Ambrose offered a plausible explanation:  "An aged woman who was sterile brought (Isaac) to birth according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth". (Didymus the Blind, On Genesis 2:41, in Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary, 2:45).

"Sarah's miraculous conception, intentionally arranged by the Almighty as a miracle that had never been seen since the Creation, is surely one of the clearest similitudes of the birth of Him who would fulfill the promise to Abraham and Isaac that in their seed all nations of the earth would be blessed". (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People, p. 192)

So Abraham had to wait in order for the power of God to be made manifest.  A painful sacrifice for the sake of a higher purpose.  And so it is with us, his descendants. Sometime in our lives we will be placed in the waiting room so we can come to believe in a God of miracles. In the meantime, we have to trust that the timing of his miracles is always right.  Often we hear that we receive blessings in the 'Lord's time' and not ours.  It is important to understand that the 'Lord's time' is really our time.  The Lord will not give us anything that we are not ready to receive because then it would be to our detriment.  What good would it have been to give the young Joseph the plates of gold immediately following the first vision, when he was just 14 years old? How unprepared would Joseph have been for such a stewardship and responsibility.  Preparation and growth is crucial in mortality where our wisdom and foresight is so finite.  The receipt of our promised blessings is therefore largely determined by us.

There are two recurring themes throughout the Book of Mormon.  One is that the Saviour is merciful and the other is that He always fulfills his promises. If you are in the waiting room at this moment for whatever reason, be comforted and  "cast not away therefore your confidence, which had great recompense of reward.  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise". (Hebrews 10:35,36)  He who has promised, will deliver. The promise is this:

"Verily, I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Saboath, and are recorded with this seal and testament - the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord".  (D&C 98:1-3)

The children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years before they came into the promised land.  Lehi was commanded to flee Jerusalem with his family in 600 BC but they did not see their promised land until nearly 11 years later. Joseph Smith had the first vision in 1820 and did not obtain the plates until 1827. There are many others who had to experience the waiting room, like Abraham of old, because of significant events in their lives.  A significant event very often necessitates spending time in the waiting room.  The tricky part is not to get discouraged, fearful, doubtful or impatient to the point of retreat.  When we receive a promise through personal revelation that something is right for us, we need to develop tenacity beyond our ordinary capacity until the promise is fulfilled.  Following every worth while and life changing revelation comes the adversary's attempt to discredit the promise you have received.  Do not be dismayed.  If something is true for you, hold fast onto the witness you have received and dispel the powers of darkness by your willingness to believe. Remember how you felt when the spirit of revelation was upon you and do not distrust the experience you had.

"...once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing.  If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.  Don't give up when the pressure mounts.  Certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness.  Face your doubts.  Master your fears.

.....mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land' (D&C 103:20)

What goodly land? Well, your goodly land. Your promised land.  Your new Jerusalem.  Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey.  Your future.  Your dreams.  Your destiny.  I believe that in our own individual ways, God takes us to the grove or the mountain or the temple and there shows us the wonder of what His plan is for us."  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, Ensign March 2000, p. 9)

It is easy to fall prey to fear and doubt whilst waiting for fulfillment of your promises.  Fear is destructive and paralyzing to your faith.  You stand to lose your heart's desire if you allow fear to abort the process of deliverance.  "After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel His love and hear the word of the Lord, go forward.  Don't fear, don't vacillate, don't quibble, don't whine.  You may, like Alma going to Ammoniahah, have to find a route that leads an unusual way, but that is exactly what the Lord (did) for the children of Israel.  Nobody had ever crossed the Red Sea this way, but so what?  There's always a first time.  With the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet.  In the words of Joseph Smith, "Brethren (and sisters), shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward and not backward.  Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, Ensign March 2000, p.10)

Who are you that the Lord would pay such attention to and honour his promises to you?

 "For ye are children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched-out arm.
"Therefore let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers: Mine angels shall go before you, but not my presence.
"But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land." (D&C 103:17,19-20)

You have not been forgotten.  In the words of the famous hymn:

"Unanswered yet?  The prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years.
Does faith begin to fail, is hope departing
And think you all in vain those falling tears?
Say not the Father hath not heard your prayer;
You shall have your desire, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Though when you first presented
This one petition at the Father's throne,
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking,
So urgent was your heart to make it known.
Though years have passed since then, do not despair;
The Lord will answer you, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet?  But you are not unheeded;
The promises of God forever stand;
To Him our days and years alike are equal;
"Have faith in God"; it is your Lord's command.
Hold onto Jacob's angel and your prayer
Shall bring a blessing down sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say ungranted;
Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done;
The work began when first your prayer was uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the incense burning there,
His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet?  Faith cannot be unanswered;
Her feet were firmly planted on the Rock;
Amid the wildest storm prayer stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries,  "It shall be done" sometime, somewhere.
(Charles D. Tillman, pub. 1883)