Signs Follow Those That Believe

This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson says this: “Signs or miracles alone do not produce lasting faith. Early in 1831 Ezra Booth, a Methodist minister in Kirtland, decided to be baptized after he saw Joseph Smith miraculously heal the arm of Booth’s friend Elsa Johnson. And yet, within just a few months, Booth lost his faith and became critical of the Prophet. How could this be, considering the miracle he’d witnessed? Ponder this as you read Doctrine and Covenants 63:7–12. You might also consider why some people receive signs ‘for the good of men unto [God’s] glory’ (verse 12) and others receive them ‘unto … condemnation’ (verse 11). Based on what you’ve read, how do you think the Lord wants you to think and feel about signs?” Booth clearly had not been converted to the gospel and the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph; rather he had been impressed by a sign and that impression eventually wore off.

                I remember one time on my mission where my companion and I gave a priesthood blessing to help an investigator named Hugo who was had bad asthma and lung problems because of his smoking. Three days later I wrote this in my journal: “In the middle of the day Hugo called us to tell us ‘the news.’ He said that since the blessing he has stopped smoking and his health is a lot better…. We were quite excited to say the least and I hope he will now start to progress in his testimony of the Gospel.” I had hoped that this would be a turning point in his spiritual journey, but it actually did little to motivate him to move forward with a commitment to the gospel and we ended up not teaching him for much longer after this. He had indeed witnessed a miracle in his life—he recognized it—but it did not provide him faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is a principle of action; and seeing signs and miracles alone will not produce that motivating power in us. As President Kimball put it in the title of his famous book: Faith precedes the miracle.

                The Lord said this about signs and faith in the above-mentioned verses: “Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning; But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe. Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God. Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God” (Doctrine and Covenants 63:8-11). The Lord put it this way to Moroni about where our focus should be: “Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name” (Ether 4:18). We should seek after repentance, faith, and baptism, and then signs will follow in the timing of the Lord. But if we seek first for signs then we will “see signs, but not unto salvation.” Seeking to only witness miracles without actively developing our commitment to the Lord will likely lead us to follow the path of Ezra Booth who left the faith. But as we seek to build faith in Jesus Christ we will be developing the power to do whatever He needs us to do “for the good of men unto [His] glory.”