Help in Time of Need

President Monson once spoke about a scene from the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in general conference. He said, “You will remember that [Alice] comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, ‘Which path shall I follow?’ The cat answers, ‘That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.’” Perhaps at times we all feel a little bit like Alice, not knowing which way to go or what path to take in our life. Each of us is faced with choices that help determine the course our lives will take, and we must first decide where we want to end up in the long run if we are to make those choices properly. We need to know where we want to go. Joshua gave this famous statement to his people towards the end of his life: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve;… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). His words invite us to make a choice to follow God and keep His commandments. Similarly, the prophet Elijah said to the Israelites at a time when many were serving the false gods of Baal: “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). President Nelson made this statement about this choice: “My decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision I have ever made. During medical school, I gained a testimony of the divinity of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Since then our Savior has been the rock upon which I have built my life. That choice has made all the difference! That decision has made so many other decisions easier. That decision has given me purpose and direction. It has also helped me weather the storms of life.” Making that decision once indeed makes a lot of other choices easier, and it is the path that leads to the greatest stability, peace, and joy in this life. This is the invitation that the Savior gave: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Life is surely hard for everyone, but our best way through it is to yoke ourselves to the Savior and His gospel.     

               I love this invitation from Lehi to his sons to choose for themselves to follow the Savior: “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit” (2 Nephi 2:27-28). As we choose the Savior, we are choosing liberty and eternal life. We are also choosing to yoke ourselves with Him who can help us in all our difficulties and times of need. I love these words from the apostle Paul: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). I know that indeed the Lord will give us grace and mercy and help in our times of need as we come to Him boldly and with sincerity. And the more we connect ourselves to Him, the more we will have access to His power and help and strength. President Nelson taught this about the blessing of yoking ourselves to the Savior through our covenants: “Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed.” He further explained what that means for those who make covenants with Him: “Hesed is a special kind of love and mercy that God feels for and extends to those who have made a covenant with Him. And we reciprocate with hesed for Him. Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him. Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant.” As we remember our covenant we made with the Savior at baptism and choose to yoke ourself to Him through daily prayer, scripture study, partaking of the sacrament, and keeping His commandments, we will have His help in time of need.