The Prince of Peace

In his most recent general conference address Elder Cook spoke about the need for personal peace. He said this: “While we will never retreat from efforts to achieve universal peace, we have been assured that we can have personal peace, as Christ teaches. This principle is set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants: ‘But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.’” This scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 59:23 reminds me of a corollary found in Isaiah’s words: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20-21). The ancient prophet emphasized again in another chapter: “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea…. There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked” (Isaiah 48:18, 22). If we want true internal peace, we have to seek righteousness and to cleanse ourselves from wickedness. Ultimately peace comes, though, not just from our own righteous choices but by relying on He who is the “Son of Righteousness.” He can, like He did for the Nephites, “heal [us]” and make it so we can “have peace with him” (2 Nephi 26:9).  To find peace in our lives we must learn to focus on Him as Elder Cook taught: “The Savior can provide protection and peace to guide you ultimately to safety and shelter from life’s storms.”

                When I struggle with feelings of anxiety and self-doubt I often find myself quoting Paul and Nephi in my head: “O wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:24, 2 Nephi 4:17). Perhaps understanding that we are all “wretched” compared to the goodness and glory of the Lord is good from time to time for us to remember, even as King Benjamin taught: “Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 2:25). And yet, Nephi’s psalm taught us that we should not remain there in that state of mind—that is not the feeling that the Lord wants us to have. He showed us that to overcome feelings of low self-worth and depression we must focus on the Lord and His greatness instead of our weakness. He declared, “My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep…. Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul…. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.” And then he prayed as we all should earnestly pray, especially in those moments when we recognize our nothingness before Him: “O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul?... May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite!... O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies!... O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever…. Therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God” (2 Nephi 4:17-35). Ultimately I believe the most powerful way to find peace is to plead for it to God with the same intensity and earnestness of Nephi. We must learn to pour out our souls to Him and commit, like Nephi, to ever let our voice ascend to Him. As we focus on the Lord and the Savior’s ability to heal and transform us, we can overcome all the darkness that seeks to drag us down. Ultimately it is He alone, through our earnest seeking, that can provide us peace. As Elder Cook testified, “Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, leads and guides His restored Church. His life and atoning mission are the true source of peace. He is the Prince of Peace.”