Waiting Upon the Lord

President Ballard spoke about his concern for those who feel lonely in the most recent general conference. He related this about a recent meeting of the Twelve Apostles: “The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have counseled together in a spirit of prayer and with a yearning to understand how to help all who feel alone or feel they don’t belong. We long to help all who feel this way.” This is a rare insight into a time when the Twelve counseled together about a very particular subject, and I love to see that what they yearn for is indeed to help those who are in need. His message was that no matter what our circumstances, especially our current marital situation, we can have hope in Christ and that “in the Lord’s own way and time, no blessing will be withheld from His faithful Saints.” He emphasized the need that we have for unity and quoted this powerful statement from Paul given to the people of Athens: “And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). No matter how we might try to artificially divide ourselves—by marital status, race, occupation, gender, wealth, etc.—the message of the gospel is that we are each “a child of God, our Eternal Father.” That fact should unify us above all else.

               As we seek for unity, though, certainly we will all face times that we feel alone or forgotten, deprived of some righteous blessing that we yearn for from the Lord. I love one of the ways that President Ballard encouraged us in this talk when we feel we are waiting for divine blessings that haven’t come: “Waiting upon the Lord implies continued obedience and spiritual progress toward Him. Waiting upon the Lord does not imply biding one’s time. You should never feel like you are in a waiting room. Waiting upon the Lord implies action.” The scriptures often encourage us to “wait upon the Lord” but that doesn’t mean that we sit around waiting for something to happen. Instead, we act in faith the best we know how as we wait for the Lord’s blessing to come in His timing. One of my favorite verses in the scriptures about waiting on the Lord is this beautiful statement from Isaiah: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Just as President Ballard suggested, this implies action when we wait upon the Lord. As we wait on Him, He gives us strength to “mount up” and “run” and to do all the things He needs us to do. We are given vitality and power when we trust in the Lord and wait on Him. We don’t just sit around wishing and waiting for some desire to be fulfilled. The definition of the people of the Lord “are they who wait for Him” and He promises that those who do that “shall not be ashamed” (2 Nephi 6:13). As we wait for His promised blessings, working with “continued obedience and spiritual progress,” we won’t be ashamed by whatever it is we lack. We will have hope in Christ, united with all those who seek to follow, knowing that “our fondest desires and dreams can be fulfilled through Him.”