I Will Do Mine Own Work in Mine Own Due Time

A new video put out by the church tells the story of a young man who lost his faith in Christ and his process to regaining it. Of note in the video is the part in which the man is telling of his fall from faith, and how he thought he could rationally prove away the existence of God because of all of the evil and the mistakes in this world. He’s not alone in that argument; there are many who claim that an all-powerful, all-loving God, and they point to the much pain and suffering in our world as proof. Wouldn’t an all-powerful God have the power to change those evils? Wouldn’t an all-loving God feel obligated to help? This logical train of thought can also be extended to talk about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are those who point to flaws in the church’s past decisions, citing things like polygamy and former policy towards blacks and the priesthood as mistakes that the church has made. If the church seems to have made a mistake, how can it be run by God? Wouldn’t God know of the bad mistakes ahead of time? Why wouldn’t He warn the leaders of the church before they made a bad decision?

                I for one feel that those questions are valid and do deserve an answer, but they reflect a misunderstanding of who God is and how He operates. The simple truth for why God doesn’t operate is contained in a telling series of scriptures in 2^nd Nephi 27. In these verses the Lord declares:

“For I will bring [my work] forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work… For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.”

(2 Nephi 27:21, 23, emphasis added)

                In these verses the Lord specifies that there are two conditions that must be fulfilled before He steps into a situation; the intervention must be in line with his purpose, and it must follow man’s faith. 

a)      The first condition is contained in the words “in mine own due time.” This means that God waits to act until a specific time condition has been met, which by implication means that God has a purpose and a reasoning for acting every time He does, and a reason for why in certain circumstances He chooses not to act.

b)      The second condition is clearly shown by the phrase “I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.” What is interesting to note is how forceful this statement becomes when it’s put in the negative. The Lord could have said “I work among the children of men according to their faith”, which in modern terms means “I’ll act when people have faith”. Contrast that somewhat ambiguous statement to the modern rendition of what He really said: “I will not do anything until people have faith.” The Lord is making it very obvious that he works with and through men. Men who, by definition, are flawed and imperfect.

When we understand these two conditions, suddenly the explanation of these puzzling questions about blacks and the priesthood or polygamy make much more sense. The Lord says himself that He will only operate through the faith of men: no faith; no blessing. Likewise, in looking through the history of gospel dispensations we see that the Lord has pulled his ordained servants off the earth to avoid condemning rebellious groups of people with knowledge of the gospel. No obedience (an outward expression of faith); no knowledge (a blessing).  

                The story of Acts chapter 10 provides an instructive glimpse into the way the Lord operates. The Savior had always planned for the gospel to go forth to everyone. 600 years before Peter even knew what the gospel was, Christ had declared to Nephi that “all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile”. (2 Nephi 26:33) In his parting words to the apostles, Christ commanded them to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” (Matthew 28:20, emphasis added) God’s purpose was clear; He wanted everyone to hear about the good news of Christ. Yet somehow the church was still operating under a preach-only-to-the-Jews policy. So what had happened?

                First off, we could claim that Peter was uninspired, like many claim about Joseph Smith and the polygamy question. In Peter’s case, I would hesitate to say that he was simply being disobedient. Look at the facts in the story; once he received his revelation, he acted faithfully and immediately. I’m pretty sure he would’ve done so had he received that revelation at any point in the timeline of events.

                No, much more likely is the fact that the Lord didn’t have the faith necessary to implement his plan. The people weren’t ready for this new step. Preaching to gentiles went against their culture background, and with still fledging testimonies and incomplete conversions, such a move would probably have driven them out of the church. Look at what happened after Peter made this declaration; immediately “they of the circumcision contended with him.” This move causes a rift in the church among the more orthodox Jews-turned-Christians who couldn’t seem to give up on their traditions. These people weren’t ready for God’s purpose, and so God had to wait until they had sufficient faith before giving them their next commandments.

                This story proves the point made by Jeffery R. Holland when he said:

“Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work.” (Lord, I Believe, April 2013)

So why is there evil in the world? Because people choose evil over good sometimes. Why does it appear that the church occasionally makes mistakes? Because it’s run by people who have flaws. Yet none of this disproves the divinity of God; He is perfect and His plan is just. But because he honors agency, he’ll wait until we have faith before He acts. To all who struggle with those tough questions like the man in the video, I would advise you to hold on. God is real, and if you put your faith in Him, you’ll see a real-life manifestation of the divine principle you seek to understand.

Without Knowing Beforehand

I think at root I am strategist. I love nothing more than walking into a situation where I should be disadvantaged, yet end up succeeding because of my plans and strategies. I like to try to maximize the resources that I’ve been given to achieve something that I shouldn’t be able to do. This way of thinking involves always having a plan, and making sure that all of my actions are deliberate; that I know what I’m doing, how to do it, and that I have a good reason for why I’m doing so.

                Consequently, there are few things that can throw me out of my comfort zone like acting without any sort of vision or plan. That’s not easy to do. As we read in the New Testament this week in my religion class, we talked about the example of Phillip, who does exactly that. I found his story and the insights we discussed together very inspiring to help me in those times in which I don’t hold all the answers.

                In the story of Acts 8, Phillip is preaching to the people of Samaria, and having great success. He’s baptizing and I’m sure enjoying himself. In the midst of this awesome experience, he is called to go into the desert, with absolutely no details of what he is supposed to do or why the Lord would take him out of the place in which he is doing a lot of good. At this point, all of his plans have been ruined, and if I were Phillip, I would probably be a little upset by the command.

                But Phillip is a much better man than I, because the next verse begins with five very powerful words:

                                “And he arose and went”

                This story demonstrates is that most of the time, the Lord doesn’t give us all of the details. Doing so would inhibit our agency; think of how much Phillip must have learned by trying to figure out what he was supposed to do down in the desert. It was also a great test of his faith because the Lord didn’t reveal to him why he was being sent down there. But Phillip didn’t complain and didn’t delay. He immediately did as the Lord had asked and was able to see success by helping a very influential Ethiopian get baptized.

                In our lives there will be times when you and I will not know all of the details, and the plans that we make will be irrelevant. We will be asked to do something without knowing exactly how to do so or why we ought to. The story of Phillip stands as a beacon to us in those times to remember that when we put out trust in the Lord things will inevitably turn out alright as we patiently follow him. The Lord called Phillip to the middle of the desert, and it just happened to be the place where he could do the most good in baptizing the Ethiopian. When he calls you and I into our own spiritual “deserts”, the result will be just as wonderful. So keep your faith in Him and trust that His commands have a purpose.         

"What Shall I Do?"

               I love the account in Acts chapter 2 of the sermon preached by Peter. The account has numerous passages that I find inspiring, such as the miracle of the speaking in several languages at the same time Peter’s bold declaration of truth, and the wonderful result of seeing nearly three thousand converts in one day. All of these accounts spark my faith and help me to understand that miracles are indeed possible if we put enough faith in the Lord, as Peter did.

                But perhaps the most touching part of this chapter is the response of the multitude. The account states that after hearing Peter’s message, they were “pricked in their heart” and then asked the following question:

“What shall we do?”

                When I read this verse, I get another call to humility. As a missionary, I used to study this chapter and search for a way I could teach like Peter and invoke such a response for my investigators. I knew that if I found someone who would ask that simple question—“what should I do?”—I had found someone who was ready for the blessings of the gospel. But much more important than whether or not I can get someone else to ask God for direction is whether or not I can find the necessary humility to plead for advice in such a simple way. When one asks Heavenly Father for such simple direction, it is a huge demonstration of faith and trust in His plan. It is a sign of humility, a sign that we genuinely want to do what He asks, and thus implies we are becoming converted. It’s a question we all ought to be asking on a daily basis, because the answer holds all of the secrets for our lasting peace, happiness, and eternal salvation. I’m determined to try better to have the humble attitude of these men and regularly ask “what shall I do?” from my Heavenly Father. I encourage all of you to do the same.