Be Not Troubled

In a BYU devotional many years ago, Elder Holland quoted these words of the Savior He gave to His apostles before going to Gethsemane: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). He then made this statement, “I submit to you that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed.” He further explained His observations, “The Lord has probably spoken enough such ‘comforting words’ to supply the whole universe, it would seem, and yet we see all around us unhappy Latter-day Saints, worried Latter-day Saints, and gloomy Latter-day Saints into whose troubled hearts not one of these innumerable consoling words seems to be allowed to enter. In fact, I think some of us must have that remnant of Puritan heritage still with us that says it is somehow wrong to be comforted or helped, that we are supposed to be miserable about something.” I know that all too often I allow the stresses and pressures of work and family and other demands diminish my own peace and increase my worry and gloom.

                Indeed as Elder Holland said, the Lord has given many “comforting words” which invite us to be at peace, find joy, and let go of our worry and anxieties. We find these in particular in the Doctrine and Covenants. He gave this promise to those who serve Him: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come” (68:6). In another revelation He similarly said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (78:17-18). To Thomas B. Marsh He encouraged, “Let thy heart be of good cheer before my face” (112:4). To all who follow Him He declared, “And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (61:36).

For those who worry about the difficult signs of the times that we will see, He responds, “Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled” (45:35). As persecutions increased for the Saints in Missouri in 1833, the Lord comforted the Saints with these words, “Let not your hearts be troubled; for in my Father’s house are many mansions, and I have prepared a place for you; and where my Father and I am, there ye shall be also” (98:18). He urged His Saints not to fear: “Therefore, be ye strong from henceforth; fear not, for the kingdom is yours…. if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (38:30). He said again, “Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full” (101:36). He promised His Saints that He would be with His people: “Therefore, continue your journey and let your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end” (100:12). He said again, “And behold, and lo, I am with you to bless you and deliver you forever” (108:8). Over and over He promised His Saints that He would be with them and that He would deliver them, encouraging them to be of good cheer and not to fear. To truly follow the Savior we must let His peace transcend our worries and cares so that we can indeed “lift up [our] heart and rejoice” (25:13).