We need to recognize our ultimate inadequacy before we truly discover the completely adequate Savior who we can lean on.
Roughly 2,000 years ago, the Savior came down from the mountain after teaching the Beatitudes and other gospel principles. As He walked, He was approached by a man sick with leprosy. The man showed reverence and respect as he knelt before Christ, seeking relief from his affliction. His request was simple: “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
The Savior then extended His hand and, touching him, said, “I will; be thou clean.”
We learn here that our Savior always wants to bless us. Some blessings may come immediately, others may take longer, and some may even come after this life, but blessings will come in due time.
If I didn’t think that my Savior desired to bless me and save me there would be no reason for faith. That being the case I have to wonder what I should be expecting.
The leper did not make his request in a pretentious or demanding manner. His words reveal a humble attitude, with high expectations but also with a sincere desire that the will of the Savior be done. This is an example of the attitude with which we should come unto Christ. We can come unto Christ with the certainty that His desire currently is and always will be the best for our mortal and eternal lives. He has an eternal perspective that we do not have. We must come unto Christ with a sincere desire that our will be swallowed up in the will of the Father, as His was. This will prepare us for eternal life.
What is my attitude? Is it hopeful it simply resigned?
Sometimes—in one way or another—we too can feel broken, whether due to our own actions or those of others, due to circumstances we can or cannot control. In such moments, we can place our will in His hands.
How do I do that right now? As in, what would that look like?
Whatever our circumstances might be, we can exercise our faith to come unto Christ and find a God we can trust. As one of my children, Gabriel, once wrote:
According to the prophet, God’s face is brighter than the sun
and His hair is whiter than snow
and His voice roars like the rushing of a river,
and next to Him man is nothing. …
I am crushed as I realize that even I am nothing.
And only then do I fumble my way to a god I can trust.
And only then do I discover the God I can trust.
A God we can trust emboldens our hope. We can trust Him because He loves us and wants what is best for us in every circumstance.
We too can feel the touch of the Savior’s loving, healing hand. What joy, hope, and gratefulness come to our souls in knowing that He wants to help us to be clean! As we come unto Him, God will come to our rescue, whether to heal us or to give us the strength to face any situation.
At any rate, accepting His will—not our own—will help us understand our circumstances. Nothing bad can come from God. He knows what is best for us. Perhaps He will not remove our burdens right away. Sometimes He can make those burdens feel lighter, as He did with Alma and his people. Ultimately, because of covenants, the burdens will be lifted, either in this life or at the holy Resurrection.
I would be happy to be Strengthen so that my burdens no longer felt like they border on being unbearable.
He can heal us and lift us up because He has the ability to do it. He took upon Himself all the pains of body and spirit so that His bowels would be filled with mercy in order to be able to help us in all things and to heal us and lift us up. The words of Isaiah, as cited by Abinadi, put it beautifully and movingly:
“Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. …
“… He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
If you feel that in any way you are not clean, if you feel broken, please know that you can be made clean, you can be mended, because He loves you. Trust that nothing bad can come from Him.
The Savior is a God we can trust. He is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, of whom I testify in His holy name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
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