ANGUISH

 

Hope Deferred by Chris Brazelton

My soul is rent with anguish

In this vale of sorrow and tears;

I dim, I dim like a candle,

hoping the wind will set me free.

My pleas ascend to Thee,

Seeking Thy mercy to rescue me.

 

-     CATHRYNE ALLEN

IN PRAISE OF GOD

 

Here is what I admire the most about Nephi. Cast your mind on the journey to America when his brothers bound him with bands that caused terrible swelling of joints and caused Nephi unbearable pain (1 Nephi 18:12-15) . I am sure most of us would at this point wonder why God was not protecting us from our adversaries if we were obeying all of His commands. But not Nephi. He knew God had a purpose (1 Nephi 18:11) so there was only one solution to this in his mind and that was to praise God. And not just once. He records that he praised God all day long, despite the pain which would have had the power to discourage the strongest among us (1 Nephi 18:16).

Praising God in the midst of one’s pain and suffering would have to be the next level of gratitude, and the next level of acceptance, and the next level of endurance. Nephi rose to the challenge well and showed just how strong was his commitment to God and his conviction that the life he was pursuing was aligned with His will. According to Joseph Smith, this is called true faith in God (Lecture 3, Lectures on Faith). And who can better testify to this fact than Joseph Smith??? Well, there is one person….and we all know who that is. Had the Saviour not been willing to live His life in alignment with the Father’s will, all would now be lost. I do not see anywhere in the scriptures that there were more than two volunteers to bring us back….the other one does not bear thinking.

One interesting point about this alignment….it comes with an attachment called ‘opposition’. Nephi’s brothers opposed him at every turn to the point where they sought his life. Joseph endured persecution from the time Moroni visited him at age 14 until he was killed. And what of Christ? For the three years of His ministry, the Jewish Council was calling for His blood until in the end they succeeded.

The sincere followers of truth who are seeking to align themselves with God’s will in every possible way will have the jaws of hell at their heels. Like Nephi, we have bands that bind us today. They are threatening our way of life and our happiness. Not until the Millennial peace, will this life ever be without its' opposing threats to our spiritual and physical well-being. What would happen if instead of whining and constant demands we are making to God, we just praised Him during prayer? Would we come to the point where like Nephi, we could praise Him all day long? Would hopelessness not lose its' grip on us as our thoughts are continually focused on the Prince of Peace rather than the turmoil that surrounds us?

When you have nothing to say to God, praise instead. When your heart is heavy, praise. When you are doubting, praise. When you cannot see clearly, praise. When you don’t understand, praise. When you are hurting, praise. When you are waiting, praise. When your cup is full, praise. When gratitude overwhelms you, praise. When in mercy you see His hand, praise. Practice, for one day you surely will kneel at His feet and the words of praise will spill from your tongue like a holy flame. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Peace Is Coming by Jon McNaughton)

IN PRAISE OF GOD

I was  becoming saturated with the ills of the world and heading fast towards the road of hopelessness. And all this whilst, what I thought, was my greatest effort focusing on Christ. The induced isolation, the limitations, the lack of freedom, worldly mayhem; it all meant just one thing to me: an insufferable world.

Whilst reading Psalms one morning I came upon this scripture: "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving" (Psalms 69:30). As you know, most Psalms were written by King David. David was a man of war. In most of Psalms he pleads with God to save him from his enemies. At one stage he says that those that hate him without a cause are more than the hairs of his head! (Psalms 69:4).  David's life was one of turbulence. It ended in loss of exaltation due to sin. This however did not incite hopelessness in him. He knew he would not be exalted but he praised the God of Israel knowing that the Lord would not leave his soul in hell for the murder of Uriah and that he would still receive the gift of resurrection.  The gift of resurrection for the less valiant is to this day scripturally known as 'the sure mercies of David' (Isaiah 55:3). I reflected on the life of David and found his praise of God in the midst of his turbulent life quite inspiring.

Another such valiant example worthy of mention is found in the life of Nephi who lived under constant threat of his life by his brothers. Cast your mind on the journey to America when they bound him with bands that caused terrible swelling of joints and caused Nephi unbearable pain (1 Nephi 18:12-15) . I am sure most of us would at this point wonder why God was not protecting us from our adversaries if we were obeying all of His commands. But not Nephi. He knew God had a purpose (1 Nephi 18:11) so there was only one solution to this in his mind and that was to praise God. And not just once. He records that he praised God all day long,  despite the pain which would have had the power to discourage the strongest among us (1 Nephi 18:16).

Similarly, we have bands that bind us today. They are threatening our way of life and our happiness. Not until the Millennial peace, will this life ever be without its' opposing threats to our physical circumstances. To divert myself from the road of hopelessness I wondered what would happen if instead of whining and constant demands I was making to God, I just praised Him during prayer? Would I come to the point where like Nephi, I could praise Him all day long? Would hopelessness not lose its' grip on me as my thoughts are continually focused on the Prince of Peace?

During this the most difficult year many of us have ever known, may our minds be cast on the Lord of love who left us with this promise as He headed towards His crucible on Calvary: "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 (John 14:27).......for I am thy God....fear thou not; for I am with thee.......(Isaiah 41:10)