OCTOBER 20-26: “O God, Where Art Thou?”
Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants 121-123
“O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?” D&C 121:1
Thus is the beginning of these sections that were written in one of most discouraging of times. You, no doubt, are acquainted with such times in your life, uncertain of your path or that someone cares. Christ himself called to his father in a time of feeling abandonment. So is this part of God’s plan? What is learned from experiencing these times?
First, I believe, is the change in our reaching and searching for divine guidance; evidence of an innate belief that there’s someone or something more than what we currently are, and that we are created to be more.
My Little Prayer- David Archuleta
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” D&C 121:7-8
It’s hard for me not not dwell on the caveat here – ‘if’. What is ‘enduring well’ suppose to look like? Does it mean not complaining? Look outward in service? Holding the course in spite of? I suppose in these things we find growth and resilience, holding to a faith that what we do does matter, and that we are being carried by divine hands.
I Will Carry You – Ellie Holcomb
This summer, minutes before we were to load up the ski-boat and head home from the lake, I drove over a well-hidden sandbar. After pushing the boat clear and starting the engine again, I was relieved that the boat drove forward. I quickly found, however, I had no control on turning my direction of forward motion. Best I could do was back up a bit, which would change my trajectory, move forward a bit, back again, and forward again. So what had I lost from the boat? The rudder.
The rudder is such a small little piece of a thing, isn’t it. “… a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.” D&C 123:16 It is frustrating to be where we cannot control our aim forward. Humbling to put ourselves into another’s hands. Hard to be patient in waiting.
A friend Amber got a job that met her needs, and she got the offer on her birthday. She gratefully recognized this as a blessing that was in the works long before… the specifics lined up that this job would be available to her at the right time… it will be a place where she will find growth and positive connections… and that it landed on her birthday was an added gift.
A comparison thought is to consider what preparations were made, eons before, for a star to shine so brightly over this earth on the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Let’s take a moment to realize that there is a lot behind the putting of our blessings together.
Between the Prayer and the Answer- LeFevre Quartet
Musical theater often becomes the venue where I find spiritual truths. I thank God for such artists that connect to divine. In the Broadway musical ‘Carousel’ (1945), a tale of painful sin and abuse, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein introduced a song that has transcended to become a universal anthem of hope, survival and solidarity. Sung here in a maturity found in young innocence. Isn’t this is a quality we strive for as we pass through our years?
You’ll Never Walk Alone – Clara Mae
I hope these songs, and many others, can fill you with assurance that you are not alone in your suffering, or grief, or insecurities. You are seen. Works are being done – behind the scenes – for you. Endure with patience, triumph shall come through the hand of the divine.
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