THE MASTER'S TOUCH

 

He Hears Me by Greg Collins

I know You have seen my tears,

I know You have heard my silent thoughts,

I know You have felt my hidden pain,

I know You have understood my soul.

 

You have spread Your healing balm

With Your Master’s brush

On my sorrowing fragile heart:

I am Your priceless work of art.

 

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

FAITH TO BE HEALED

 

"I am convinced that no soul has ever been whipped into this mortal existence; that each one of us came willingly, cheerfully, and gladly; even though we might have known that we were to inherit a body that was crippled, maimed, and deformed, still we were glad to come.....We knew that it meant sorrow, pain, and ultimately, death, and yet we rejoiced in the prospect to come. We saw beyond the valley of the shadow of death, with all of its pain, with all of its suffering, the grand vistas of the eternities, providing for man's eternal and endless progress, on, up and up, until we should attain unto what God is. Yet we knew that we could never ascend until we had descended and had been given a mortal tabernacle, and the union of the spirit and the body had become an accomplished fact. So by the attraction of it all we came gladly and willingly, for our eyes were not so much centred upon the sorrows and troubles of life as upon the grandness of that which lies beyond." (Melvin J. Ballard, "Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard", p. 179)

It is staggering to think we rejoiced to come despite all we would suffer in mortality. Quite clearly we focused more on the grand result rather than the process and I feel we did this for one reason, that reason being our faith in the sustaining and saving power of Christ. Because of this faith we do not need to suffer as much as we do in this life. When the Saviour visited the Nephites post resurrection He told them that their faith was sufficient for Him to heal them (3 N 17:8). Mormon records that they brought to Him ‘their sick and ‘afflicted in any manner’ (v9), which suggests physical and mental sicknesses, and the Saviour healed them all. After all the healings and miracles He performed among them, the Saviour told them it was because of their exceeding faith which He had never seen among the Jews (3 N 19:35).

Some people who turn to God receive an immediate healing and for some it comes over time. Some never receive a total healing but are given strength to bear their mortal frailties. I don't know why. I do know that our part is to exercise utmost faith to receive the healing. I also know that there is a plan for each of us and that we all need to experience suffering at some time to become like Christ who suffered it all. To receive the desired end some need an instant miracle to convince them of Christ's power and love; some need to learn lessons that come through continuous suffering with increments of His sustaining power; and some need to learn to trust and believe and be proved by their patience. I also believe that nobody's acknowledgement of the Saviour's power will go unanswered and their faith not honoured, sometime, somewhere. My heart goes out to those who are in the waiting room. I know something of that place. My belief is though that you will not be left there forever, just don't be afraid, but only believe.

I pledged my life into thy hands

When by example you showed me how;

I promised my pains to endure

When I was with You and even now.

You dried my tears when I barely coped

And carried me when I could walk no more;

You fed me truths I needed to know

And nurtured my flight into the unknown.

I found you at every turn

In the shadow of my heart;

With eager haste I approach Thy throne

And offer my meagre part.

• CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: A Thread of Faith by Howard Lyon)

WORDS OF POWER

 

I am particularly passionate about words and faith. I believe in the beauty of words and I believe in their power. Consider Enoch who was called to his holy calling when he was ‘slow of speech’ (Moses 6:31). The Lord promised him that He will give him ‘utterance’  and He will ‘justify’ all his words (Moses:32-34). So Enoch trusted, his weakness turned into his greatest strength and he became  so powerful that when he spoke the people trembled and could not stand in his presence (Moses 6:47). Enoch fulfilled his calling admirably.

 

Worthy spoken words have the power to resonate with the spirit of God and empower us to achieve things we could not ordinarily do on our own.   An  example of this is calling upon the power of the Atonement to enable us to overcome a certain weakness or to receive a healing. I have had experience to this end and can testify that the power of the Atonement, when prayed for, can heal you, as does hearing His word which ‘heals the wounded soul’ (Jacob 2:8). The vibration of the words with which we plead for help attracts the power we are asking for and need.  When we pray, we create a pathway for manifestation of that which we want in our lives. Admonition to pray is prolific in scriptures for exactly this reason.

 

Spoken word and faith are inter-related. The great exemplar in this is the Saviour himself, who created the world and man by the power of His word (Jacob 4:9; Mormon 9:17; Genesis 1; John 1:1). I believe when the Saviour spoke the words of creation, He spoke by the power of faith. This is evident to me through a small incident in His mortal life when He came upon a fig tree that had no fruit to feed His hunger. He cursed the tree and the tree withered the moment He spoke  (Matthew 21:18-21). When His disciples marvelled at what they saw, Jesus told them that if they had faith and doubted not, if they said the word for mountains to move, it would be so (v21). 

 

Dare to create the life that you want, especially the life that God would want you to have. Be afflicted for nothing but in prayer with gratitude ask for everything (Philippians 4:6). Read how the Book of Mormon came to be because of faith and prayers of ancient prophets who wrote it (D&C 10:44-52). If prayer can achieve something so significant, it can procure what you need to become your best self.

 

Aim higher than you have ever aimed before. The Saviour wants you to be like Him, in every way. He would have you learn to harness the power of faith that you might rise to godhood through your power of creation.  That power is already in you……He made sure of it.

 

 

How godly You were

When You planted the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

How noble and honourable

When You gave me hope

Through the water’s gate;

I bequest to You my earthly deeds

And fly to You

With my arms of faith. 

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Arms of Faith by Yongsung Kim)