He Trieth Their Patience and Their Faith

A week ago we lost our dog. I had left the fence gate open slightly and he found it and disappeared. We didn’t realize it until a couple hours later, and so we spent much of the afternoon and evening driving around looking for him. His tag with our phone number on it had fallen off and we hadn’t yet gotten him a new one. My daughter who is particularly attached to the dog was upset about the situation and as we drove around in the dark that night she said in exasperation, “Does Heavenly Father even hear our prayers?” We had of course prayed multiple times, but in her mind it had done no good because we still hadn’t found the dog. As we prepared for bed, we sought to convince her that someone had likely picked him up and that they just didn’t know how to get ahold of us since he clearly wasn’t wandering around the neighborhood anymore. Shortly after that we got a text from a neighbor whom we had talked to several hours earlier when we were driving around. He told us he had had the thought to check on a neighborhood website where people post, and sure enough he found a posting of our dog. The person had turned the dog over to the local animal services, and we found on their website he was safe and sound, with a new name, and that we’d be able to pick him up when they opened again. So, our prayers had indeed been answered through multiple other people, even if we didn’t get the confirmation right when we wanted it. As is usually the case, we needed patience and waiting on the Lord’s timing—answers rarely come in the moment we demand.  

In his recent talk in general conference, President Holland spoke of the Savior’s ability to persevere and trust in the Father even when things do not seem to work out or go smoothly. He said, “Of the myriad ways He could have introduced Himself, Jesus did so by declaring His obedience to the will of the Father—never mind that not long before in His hour of greatest need, this Only Begotten Son of God had felt totally abandoned by His Father. Christ’s charity—evident in complete loyalty to divine will—persisted and continues to persist, not just through the easy and comfortable days but especially through the darkest and most difficult ones.” The Son always trusted in the Father even when in anguish He felt abandoned. To follow His example, we too must learn to trust in the Father even when we feel our prayers are not being answered. President Holland continued, “So, if sometimes the harder you try, the more difficult it seems to get; if, just as you try to work on your limitations and your shortcomings, you find someone or something determined to challenge your faith; if, as you labor devotedly, you still feel moments of fear wash over you, remember that it has been so for some of the most faithful and marvelous people in every era of time. Also remember that there is a force in the universe determined to oppose every good thing you try to do.” If everything always worked out quickly when we asked the Lord for help, our faith would grow little. Faith becomes strongest when it is stretched and tried. As Mormon commented when he told the story of the people of Alma who were put under bondage to the Lamanites: “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.” He continued, “Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people” (Mosiah 23:21-22). So, when our prayers seem unanswered, and we are tempted to question whether God really hears us, the right way forward as the Savior showed is to continue to trust in Him, knowing that our patience must be tried. James put it this way: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4). Yes, God does hear our prayers and answers them in His own time and His own way, and our hope is always to patiently put our trust in Him.