I Shall Come Forth As Gold

The Come, Follow Me manual for this week says this: “At the heart of this debate was a question many people have asked: Why do righteous people sometimes suffer? Although we don’t have all the answers, in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we have some truths that can help us make sense of adversity and suffering.” The same section highlights these words of Job that he said to his friends as he was suffering from all the afflictions that came suddenly upon him: “On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:9-10). We certainly do not understand all of the reasons that adversity and suffering come to even the righteous, but these words of Job highlight one thing that we do know: our sufferings can refine and purify and strengthen and improve us. Other scriptures teach a similar principle. For example, when the righteous people of Alma were suffering under the hand of Amulon, Mormon commented, “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day” (Mosiah 23:21-22). In other words, the Lord will chasten and try us so that we will improve in patience and faith. He allows trials to come upon us so that we can learn to put our trust in Him. To the Prophet Joseph, languishing in Liberty Jail, the Savior said this: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7). That experience, as hard as it might be, is meant to be for our good and to strengthen and ultimately bless us. These famous words of the Lord to the prophet Moroni also teach a similar principle: “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27). Surely that “weakness” includes the trials that we face, and the Lord gives them to us to help us be humble and become strong. We can “come forth as gold” out of our trials.

            That said, we must also readily acknowledge, as this lesson does, that we do not have all the answers. Despite this general understanding that our trials can give us experience and be for our good, we should be careful not to suggest that we understand why everything happens or that we can easily get through difficult times with this knowledge. President Kimball said this in teachings that are referenced by the lesson: “The daily newspaper screamed the headlines: ‘Plane Crash Kills 43. No Survivors of Mountain Tragedy,’ and thousands of voices joined in a chorus: ‘Why did the Lord let this terrible thing happen?’… A young man died in the mission field and people critically questioned: ‘Why did not the Lord protect this youth while he was doing proselyting work?’ I wish I could answer these questions with authority, but I cannot. I am sure that sometime we’ll understand and be reconciled.” I am impressed that he would state so openly, even as an apostle of the Lord, how he is unsure in these things. President Kimball continued, “But for the present we must seek understanding as best we can in the gospel principles. Was it the Lord who directed the plane into the mountain to snuff out the lives of its occupants, or were there mechanical faults or human errors?... Was the death of the missionary untimely? Answer, if you can. I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits.” We do not know sometimes why the Lord allows terrible tragedies to happen, and it is usually not clear how much He lets happen and how much He actually causes to take place. Sometimes as mortal parents we willingly cause pain to our children, such as when we give them a vaccine to prevent measles later on in life. Other times we might let bad things happen, such as when we allow them to face natural consequences for their choices that we could prevent but choose not to in order for them to learn. Perhaps it is the same for our Father in Heaven.   

After admitting his uncertainty in these matters, President Kimball continued, “Whatever the answer to this question, there is another I feel sure about. Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not. We should be able to understand this, because we can realize how unwise it would be for us to shield our children from all effort, from disappointments, temptations, sorrows, and suffering. The basic gospel law is free agency and eternal development. To force us to be careful or righteous would be to nullify that fundamental law and make growth impossible.” Ultimately, we put our trust in the Lord who is playing the long game in our eternal progression and wants us to become like Him. Whatever trials we face, we can have faith that as we trust in Him they too will be for our good, that the Lord will use them to make spiritual gold in our lives. We can strive to say with Job in all the difficulties we face, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).