Joseph Smith-History 1:11 …I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
There is so much information circulating through every channel possible: news, books, social media, search engines, and social scenes; it can feel nearly impossible to know what is right and what is wrong. “There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement,” “war of words.” (JSH 1:5,10) “Who of all these parties are right….How shall I know it? (JSH 1:10) Our best option for discerning truth from untruth is to pray and ask our Heavenly Father for guidance. “If any of you lack wisdom, let himself ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (JSH 1:11 – James 1:5) The Lord promises that He will give” wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid.” (JSH 1:13) We can trust Him to guide us through this “mist of darkness” that is becoming thick and overbearing at times. “Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction….just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.” (JSH 1:15,16) Christ’s light will break the darkness in our lives as well. Even in times when it feels that we are doomed for destruction, we must look to God with faith and hope, and do those things that he as given us to dispel Satan. Scriptures are letters or portals from heaven. They will speak to us directly to help us with whatever circumstances we are currently facing. Prayer is available at all times and in all places, and is our personal communication with God. We have the incredible gift of agency, which allows us to make that choice to follow the Lord’s commandments.
This concept is fail-proof: our Heavenly Father will always lead us correctly. Where the issue arises is in our personal honest desire and actions. We have to do more than just say we want guidance from the Lord. “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (JSH 1:19) “Treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt.” (JSH 1:21) We must step out of the world, and the confusion set up by the adversary and turn to the Lord with all purpose of heart, mind and soul—ready to act. “I kneeled down and began to offer up the desired of my heart to God.” (JSH 1:15) Then the most difficult but most important step, we must hold true to those things we know to be true, and to follow them with exactness, standing tall, and looking forward and up! “For I had seen a vision: I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it.” (JSH 1:25)
“Back in that first estate, you knew with absolute certainty that God existed because you saw and heard Him. You knew Jesus Christ, who would become the Lamb of God. You had faith in Him. And you knew that your destiny was not to stay in the security of your premortal home. As much as you loved that eternal sphere, you knew you wanted and needed to embark on a journey. You would depart from the arms of your Father, pass through a veil of forgetfulness, receive a mortal body, and learn and experience things that hopefully would help you grow to become more like Father in Heaven and return to His presence.” -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (April 2013)
Written by Sherri Jorgensen
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