Steady in the Storms

How do you say “this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” with a smile on your beaming face? President Eyring just did that.

It has never been more important than it is now to know how to build on that sure foundation.

According to King Benjamin we build upon that sure foundation if we find a way in this life to have our natures changed.

Most parents look for that day when their children will be less childish. …Being like a child is not being childish.

Young people who are not submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and willing to submit are not childlike.

The prayer that works is “I only want what you want. Just tell me what that is.”

For those of us who are concerned for ourselves and for those we love, there is hope in the promise God has made of a place of safety in the storms ahead.

Here is a word picture of that place. It has been repeatedly described by living prophets. For example, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, an inspired and loving father told his sons how to strengthen themselves to stand steady in the storms ahead of them: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, … whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

The misery and endless woe of which he spoke are the terrible effects of sins should we not fully repent of them. The growing storms are the temptations and the increasing attacks of Satan. It has never been more important than it is now to understand how to build on that sure foundation. For me, there is no better place to look than in the last sermon of King Benjamin, also recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Notice that misery and woe are only the promised effects of sins that we do not fully repent of. If we follow the path of complete repentance we need not suffer more misery and endless woe.

{King Benjamin} invited his people and us to build on the only sure rock of safety, who is the Savior. He made clear that we are free to choose between right and wrong and that we cannot avoid the consequences of our choices. He spoke directly and sharply because he knew what sorrow would come to those who might not hear and heed his warnings.

King Benjamin makes it clear how we can receive the hope to hear those words if we find the way in this life to have our natures changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is the only way we can build on the sure foundation and so stand firm during the storms of temptations and trials ahead.

That is the goal that we are looking for—to have our natures changed. As parents we are looking for our children to have their natures changed while encouraging growth in those parts of their nature that lead toward lasting happiness.

Most of us want to be strong. We may well see being like a child as being weak. Most parents look for the day when their children act less childish. But King Benjamin, who understood as well as any mortal what it meant to be a man of strength and courage, makes it clear that to be like a child is not to be childish. It is to be like the Savior…Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and at peace in times of peril.Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and at peace in times of peril.Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and

I have learned from many experiences that the Holy Ghost speaks most often in a quiet voice, heard most easily when one’s heart is meek and submissive, like that of a child. In fact, the prayer that works is “I want only what You want. Just tell me what that is. I’ll do it.”

By speaking quietly the Spirit trains us to be quiet and meek and preserves our agency. Speaking forcefully can shock us into obedience but then it is instinct rather than choice that is driving the action. When our natures have been changed our instincts will have come to match the actions of choice that led to the change of nature.

When the storms in life come, you can be steady because you are standing on the rock of your faith in Jesus Christ. That faith will lead you to daily repentance and consistent covenant keeping. Then you will always remember Him. And through the storms of hatred and wickedness, you will feel steady and hopeful.

More than that, you will find yourself reaching out to lift others to safety on the rock with you. Faith in Jesus Christ always leads to greater hope and to feelings of charity toward others, which is the true love of Christ.