BEFORE THE STORM

"If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen an unusual photo I posted recently of my return flight from our France ministry trip. While travelling from Paris to Dallas, we had an emergency landing in Iceland! After four hours of flying from Charles de Gaulle airport to Dallas/Fort Worth, we suddenly saw the flight pattern on the little TV screen make a giant U-turn and we started heading back in the direction we just left. It was already going to be a long ten hour flight and to add an unexpected emergency land to the trip was not a part of my plan. 

As we sat on the tarmac for hours in Iceland awaiting our approval for takeoff, I texted my husband and my daughter. I let them know everything was OK, and that I'd arrive later than planned....but I would eventually get home. As we sat grounded at the Reykjavik Airport unable to disembark, I was reminded of a message I taught a few years ago titled, "Where Were You Headed Before the Storm Hit?". When pilots are learning to fly, and they encounter unexpected storms, delays, or emergency detours, they have three words drilled into them.....are you ready for this? Fly. The. Plane. It's deep, I know. In other words, don't panic. Don't crash. Don't get distracted. Don't give up. Don't land somewhere and assume you're supposed to stay there. Fly the plane and you'll eventually arrive at your original destination. And it's the same with your vision, your plan, your life. When you encounter a storm, a letdown, a setback, or an unexpected delay, you've got to stay focused. 

Storms happen to all of us. Financial storms, family storms, marital storms, physical storms, career storms; it's part of life. When a storm hits your life, you have to ask, "Where was I headed before the storm hit?" You can choose to let a storm defeat you or let it drive you to the next level. Think about how a shepherd leads his sheep. He doesn't take them from mountaintop to mountaintop. He leads them through the valley to get to the next mountaintop. It's in the valley where we grow, we develop character, strength, vision, and the skills necessary to prepare us for the next mountaintop. 

Whatever you're facing today, God can use it to lift you to a higher level. In the Bible, King David would be known as Shepherd Boy David if it weren't for Goliath. Think about that. Saul didn't promote David to the next level God had planned, Goliath did. That giant, that obstacle, that massive roadblock wasn't meant to destroy him, it was meant to promote him! The resistance you're facing today is preparing you. It's strengthening your character. It's building your trust and reliance in God. It's absolutely necessary in order to handle the growth you're about to have! 

My question to you is this: Where were you headed before this detour, this distraction, this supposed setback? Where were you headed before the divorce, the unplanned pregnancy, the bankruptcy, the job loss, the diagnosis, the heartbreak? You may have to chart an alternate course to get to your destination. It may not be the route you planned or the time frame you anticipated but you're still successful as long as you keep moving toward your intended destination. Don't ever lose sight of where you were headed. God doesn't change his mind about your destiny. Nor should you! I love this story I heard from the late Myles Munroe who was having lunch with Dr. Oral Roberts and Corrie Ten Boom in 1976. Dr. Munroe asked Corrie what her secret was to having such stamina at 82 years of age. Boom replied, "Son, remember to live according to your vision; never according to your eyes."  (Terri Savelle Foy, 1 July 2016 Newsletter)

When Peter in his eagerness walked on water towards Christ one stormy night his only desire was to be safe in the Saviour's presence. No doubt when he started to walk, believeing that he could, his sight was very much fixed on the person he wanted to be with but then he made one crucial mistake, for one moment he looked at the boisterous wind instead and no doubt felt the angry waves lapping at his feet and he grew afraid as he began to sink (Matthew 14:30). What happened to Peter's resolve to be reunited with his Master? Peter lost focus as he trusted his eyes more than his vision. When the storms of life hit, it is easy to only see the calamity that is unfolding in our lives. As our plane lands in some foreign land we never intended to visit, it very often obstructs the vision of our true destination.

When we walk out of the baptismal font newly washed and clean; or walk out of the temple freshly wedded to the companion of our choice, we often feel that we have made it and are on our way to celestial kingdom. Never in our wildest dreams do we envisage encountering any storms. We do not plan on divorcing when we marry; or plan to bury a child when we enter the labour ward to give birth; or schedule chemotherapy when we commit to live the Word of Wisdom. When we commit ourselves to the journey that will take us to eternal life, we often than not feel that we should, by virtue of our obedience, have a smooth ride. Obedience, however, is not the teacher but the pilot that lands the plane at the chosen destination. The trials of mortal life, though making it a bumpy ride, make the destination once reached, all the more sweeter for the lessons suffered are lessons learnt. The challenge before us is to keep the eternal perspective and remember where we were headed before the storm:

"If we looked at mortality as the whole existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put into proper perspective. Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected, and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith."

(Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p 97).

Being consistent in our obedience to 'small things' in everyday life will ensure that our vision stays clear and our eternal perspective focused: "Is our journey sometimes impeded when we forget the importance of small things? Do we realize that small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the direction of great ships? We need to have family and personal prayers, study the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon; hold family home evenings; follow the admonition of the Saviour to love one another; and be thoughtful, kind, and gentle within the family. Through these and other similar small and simple things, we have the promise that our lives will be filled with peace and joy" (Elder M. Russell Ballard, in CR Apr 1990 or Ensign May 1990, p 6,8). Once obtained, that peace and joy will see us through and past the storms of mortal life. It will become the governing force in our lives that will make the storms bearable and foreign lands memorable.

This is a false world and it will one day be done away with. You come with nothing into it and you go with nothing out of it. Except one thing - YOU. This world was constructed with obstacles, pitfalls, enticements and stumbling blocks. Your purpose while you are here is to learn to jump, push through, walk around, avoid and rise above. All this will be the making of the person you have to take back to eternity, YOU.

But learn that he who doeth

the works of righteousness

shall receive his reward, 

even peace in this world, 

and eternal life in the world to come.

D&C 59:23

IN THE FINAL HOUR

"And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them; and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea....."  (Mark 6:45-48)

Sailing into the calm of the Galilean sea as the Master had asked of them, the obedient disciples who would have fain stayed with Him following the miraculous feeding of 5,000, found themselves deep in the night enveloped by boisterous waves of the sea as the wind blew in a troubling storm. Doing all in their power to avoid a disastrous shipwreck, the disciples toiled all night against the contrary wind no doubt wishing the Master was with them to once again speak those memorable words to the raging sea: "Peace be still" (Mark 4:39). But the Master, seeing their struggle, whether from the shore or by the power of the spirit from the mountain on which he prayed, stayed away until the fourth watch of the night. 

There is great significance in the 'fourth watch' of the night for it denotes the final hour. Because of their Mediterranean neighbours, the Greeks and the Romans, the Jews in Jesus' time divided the night into military watches instead of hours. The first watch lasted from 6 pm to 9 pm; the second from 9 pm to midnight; the third from midnight to 3 am and the fourth watch was from 3 am to 6 pm, being the 'final hour' of the night (as cited in Student Manual, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p. 89). When the final hour came, Jesus walked over to the troubled ship amidst the foaming waves to test the faith of those on board for He walked as if He 'would have passed by them' (Mark 6:48). Already faced with a possible demise into the depths of the sea, the apostles 'cried out for fear' (Matt 14:26) and then a reassuring voice like a Father's to a child: "It is I, be not afraid" (Matt 14:27). Immediately Peter propelled by the love and the need of comfort from his Master, ignoring the boisterous waves that up to now threatened to engulf him into the depths of the sea, asked not that Jesus come into the boat but that He enable him to come to Him. And so Peter walked on water until the fear pulled him into the angry deep. But Peter knew where his saving grace lay and He called out: "Lord, save me!" (Matt 14:30). And of course the Saviour came saying: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matt 14:31). Peter, who had just witnessed and quickly forgotten the feeding of 5,000, failed to grasp the Saviour's admonition 'Fear not. Only believe' (Luke 8:50). 

"So then if, like Peter, we fix our eyes on Jesus, we too may walk triumphantly over the swelling waves of disbelief, and unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt; but if we turn away our eyes from Him whom we have believed - if, as it is so easy to do, and as we are so much tempted to do, we look rather at the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements than at Him who can help and save - then we too shall inevitably sink" (F.W. Farrar, The Life of Christ, quoted by Bruce R. McConkie in The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 362)

When the winds of adversity and the binding chains of sin are licking our feet like the threatening waves of a troubled sea, we must remember that Christ has power over all and that our faith in Him can calm the turmoil and empower us to weather the life's stormy seas.We do not need to be frightened that we will be overcome, destroyed or lost, if we only believe that He who has saved us from the sting of death promises to save us from the turbulence of mortality. All it would take is a small utterance on our behalf, like Peter of old: "Lord, bid me come unto thee" (Matt 14:28). And like the sea of Galilee that calmed as the wind ceased when Peter and his Lord entered the ship, so the turbulence of our lives will cease as the Saviour's calming influence is felt in our hearts through our belief.

When we are buffeted by the winds of life, enduring terrible trials, being afraid that we will be swallowed in the depths of the sea, the Saviour will come but most often than not, He will come in the final hour when the lessons have been learnt, the faith increased and hope illuminated. Until then he watches and waits and hopes against hope that we will hear Him say: 

"I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you." (John 14:18)

A PLACE OF REFUGE

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law; and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem".   Isaiah 2:2-3


The central theme of Isaiah's prophecies is the destruction and restoration of the House of Israel. Because of this, many of his prophecies had dual meanings. The beauty of his writing is not in the destruction of Israel, nor in his repeated call to repentance but the restoration of the splendor of Zion which would come about in our day and which Isaiah saw with prophetic clarity. He, as a prophet and seer, who witnessed the iniquities of Israel in his day, also witnessed the calamities and wickedness of this dispensation which could easily have weighed heavily on his heart yet what comes through his works the most is the beauty of Zion and the Millennial day. No dispensation of earth's history has ever had as much as we have. The Kingdom of God established to no more be destroyed, with all the rights of the priesthood, a true and only path to the salvation of man. I wonder if we know how incredibly important we are in the history and preservation of Israel and its spiritual destiny. We, of the tribe of Ephraim, the modern Israel, are the hope of the world as we progress the Kingdom and offer to the children of men a refuge from the storm.

The 'mountain of the Lord' spoken of by Isaiah refers to the restoration of Christ's church in this the last dispensation. President Harold B. Lee said: "The coming forth of His Church in these days was the beginning of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy when 'the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains'" (Conference Report, Apr. 1973, p. 5). Elder LeGrand Richards has said: "How literally (Isaiah 2:3) has been fulfilled, in my way of thinking, in this very house of the God of Jacob right here on this block! This temple (Salt Lake), more than any other building of which we have any record, has brought people from every land to learn of his ways and walk in his paths" (Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 143)

The question begs to be asked, are we spiritually sensitive enough to recognise the storms of from which we need protection or are we in our comfort zone being politically correct with the rest of the world that calls 'evil good and good evil' (Isaiah 5:20)? Do we long for the Millenial day when they that are proud no longer 'grind the faces of the poor' (Isaiah 3:15) and we co-exist in Zion splendor where all are equal in possession and stature? Do we strive to protect our children from the influences which are beckoning and threaten to destroy the moral fibre of our society? Do we appreciate and treat the Church as the spiritual haven that it is for ourselves and our families? If we don't recognise it as such now, there will come a day when we will be forced to. I know not of any more powerful words than these uttered by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, which he spoke at the Manti Temple in April of 1987:

"Before the Saviour comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake...

We will not be alone in our temples...

The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm; we will mount up as on eagles' wings; we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and clear as the moon.

When the Saviour comes He will honour His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him.

Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep, and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials known to man.

Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples".

TO RESCUE AND TO SAVE

 

After a few of the usual Sunday hymns, the church's pastor stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon that evening. briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.  In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak:

A father and a son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. 

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story.

Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life - to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out. "I love you son!", he threw the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells in to the black of night. His body was never recovered.

By this time, the teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for he next words to come out of the old minister's mouth.

The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line He is throwing out to you.

With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story", politely stated one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see, I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

- Author Unknown

The Father gave us the perfect example of sacrifice when He sent His only begotten Son so that we might through Him be saved. Such a sacrifice might be unfathomable to our finite minds but to Him, sacrificing the one that all might be saved was worth the momentary pain. Imagine as a parent standing to lose all your children to eternal death never to feel their presence again. By not sacrificing one, the Father stood to lose us all. This was unthinkable to Him who desires not only to save us but to make us equal to Him in might, power and glory. As a parent you want the very best for your children; the best house, the best job, the best companion, the best situations in life, and most of all you want them to be happy. Does your heart not break when your children are suffering? You want to save them from the dangers and harshness of this world and so you want to give them everything to ensure their well being and happiness. What we can give our children though is not even a tenth of a tenth compared to what the Father can give us. Paul said to the Corinthians that "....eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

If God so loved us that He would sacrifice his only begotten Son, should we not love one another "...for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).  This law was decreed by Him who has also loved us with a perfect love which enabled His sacrifice for the souls of men for "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). The Son, "having finished his preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:19), having saved them from the depths of the deep, has charged us to love and save one another, for if we labour all our days and save even one soul, how great shall be our joy with him in kingdom of our Father (D&C 18:15).

Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

- Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876