He is risen!

     It’s that wonderful time again!  It’s Easter time, the wonderful spring time holiday I enjoy the most.  This wonderful season is the time of year when the earth appears to be reborn.  The ground shakes off the cold of the winter months.  The weather turns warm and pleasant.  Plants start sprouting out of the ground and producing green foliage.

     Throughout the history of the world this wonderful season has been celebrated because of the promise of life it brings.  Some cultures throughout history have chosen to celebrate the spring equinox.  Others have celebrated different gods, often depicting a form of death and rebirth.  Christian cultures celebrate the actual suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. 

     One of the things I marvel at is how much this season points to the glorious event of the rising of the Son of God.  After Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross at Calvary, He was laid in a tomb for a period of time spanning three days.  In symbolism of this, the plants of the earth (and many animals) spend the winter months lying dormant.  The earth grows cold and seemingly remorseful to me as snow coats the earth and winter frosts rage across the land.  Darkness descends on the earth for longer periods of time at night.  All of these hints at the dark, remorseful state the world would have been in when its hope and salvation lay in the tomb.

     Then come the beautiful spring days full of hope and promise.  The days start drawing out, giving more light.  The sun warms up the atmosphere.  It feels like everything around you is bursting at the seams with life, production, happiness, and joy, just as the world would have been when the Resurrected Lord brought hope and salvation to those who will pass through the veil into immortality.

      I love the spring.  I love this sense of promise.  I love the indications of Christ, my Friend, that present themselves around every corner.  I love seeing all the evidence that promises He is alive.  He is alive!  I love knowing that because He is alive, I will live beyond mortality.  I love the promise of hope that spring so abundantly gives us.  I love that Easter is celebrated to give us an opportunity to praise the Risen Lord and sing of the salvation and glory that comes from Him.

                “He is risen!  He is risen!

      Tell it out with joyful voice. 

      He has burst his three day’s prison;

                Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

      Death is conquered; man is free.

                Christ has won the victory.
                He is risen!  He is risen!
                He hath opened heaven’s gate.
                We are free from sin’s dark prison,
                Risen to a holier state.
                And a brighter Easter beam
                On our longing eyes shall stream.”  (LDS Hymns #199, verses 1 and 3)

Faith in the Little Things

     One of the stories of faith from the scriptures that I like is the story of Naaman.  (2 Kings 5)  Naaman was a captain among the hosts of the Syrians, who were attacking the Israelites during his time.  He was a strong and valiant man, but had leprosy. 

     During one of the attacks, the hosts of Syria took an Israelite woman captive and brought her into Naaman’s house, where she served his wife.  Naaman must have been a kind master.  The Israelite woman liked him enough to help him.  She told her mistress that the prophet in Israel could heal Captain Naaman.

     Naaman heard from the servants of his house what the Israelite had said.  Naaman hoped these words were true, and the king of Syria sent a valuable gift to the king of Israel along with a message in behalf of Naaman.  The message was a request for Naaman to be healed. 

     The king of Israel (who I believe was Jehoram) was upset to receive the letter.  How could he heal the leprosy of this captain of the enemy?  He knew he didn’t have the power and feared the wrath of the king of Syria because of it.  Fortunately Elisha heard of the request.  He sent a message to the king directing him to send Naaman along.  Elisha would heal the man, stating he would do so in order to let Naaman know there was a prophet of God in Israel.

     So Naaman was sent to see the prophet of God.  There are so many different ways God could have decided to heal the leprosy.  The one He chose through His prophet was a simple one.  When Naaman arrived, Elisha sent a messenger to instruct him to dip seven times in the river Jordan.  After this he would be healed.

     At first Naaman was furious with the response.  How could Elisha not come out to see him, a captain of the Syrian host?  Furthermore, why should he be healed by such a simple thing?  Shouldn’t a great miracle be wrought to heal him of his leprosy?  So he left in anger.

     Fortunately, Naaman was a man who was humble enough to listen to those who served him.  One of his servants approached and said, “If the prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it?  How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” 

     Naaman really did hope he could be cleansed.  So he humbled himself and acted in faith.  He went to the river Jordan and dipped in it seven times as he had been instructed.  When he came out the seventh time, he was clean.

     This story is wonderful because of the simplicity of its message.  God doesn’t always work mighty miracles to respond to our hopes and faith.  In fact, He rarely works mighty miracles.  Instead He works through simple means.  So often we want mighty miracles to demonstrate the power of God.  He is God, after all.  So why not?  But why should God work mighty miracles when He knows it will help us grow more to have our answers given through simple yet true means?  So He works by small things.  He asks us to dip in a river instead of asking us to perform some mighty feat.

     I also love that Naaman was instructed to dip seven times instead of one.  Surely the Lord could have healed him after the first one, or the second, or the third.  Instead it was seven.  You could argue this is because seven was the number used to represent perfection in Israel, and maybe that had something to do with it. But I think it was because the Lord wanted Naaman to demonstrate his faith by having him perform the act several times.

     Imagine the scene.  Naaman, along with those who were with him, go to the river Jordan.  He dips in it the first time.  He comes out and sees no visible change.  He does it again.  Nothing changes.  A third time He goes in, comes out, and finds nothing different.  Perhaps he starts thinking, “This is ridiculous!  This Israelite just wanted to humiliate me in front of my men!  I’ll go in seven times and come out still a leper, and I will look like a fool!” 

     But he goes back in.  After three more times, there is still no change.  Nothing has happened to indicate things will be different the seventh time.  But he does go in the seventh time and when he comes out he is clean.  He was required to be persistent and put more thought and effort into his actions than one simple dip.

     In our trials, struggles, and difficulties, the Lord requires the same of us.  He doesn’t allow us to walk free of our difficulties after a single act of faith.  One simple dip isn’t enough.  Instead He asks us to stretch our faith, acting with persistence.  We must dip seven times, not just one.  Then, after we’ve persisted in faith, He steps in and grants us answers to our prayers.  That’s the way of God because that’s what helps us grow.

The Sure Witness

     In my last few blog posts, I’ve touched on a few miracles performed by God because of the faith of His children.  The scriptures share hundreds of other examples of miracles worked by the faith of people.  Some examples that are easy to recognize include healing the sick, raising the dead, turning water into wine, and parting rivers and seas. 

     In my opinion, there are two more common miracles worked by the power of faith that are far greater than any of these obvious ones.  These miracles are forgiveness for our sins and mistakes and the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  Today I wish to focus on the second of these, the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.

     There are many ways we are able to learn in this world.  We can learn by experimenting through trial and error.  We can learn by having another person show us what we want to know.  We can learn by studying facts.  Any of these methods can impart knowledge to our mind, showing us the truths about the world around us.  Since all truth flows from God, any method of learning truth about the world can also teach us truths about God, giving us spiritual knowledge as well.

     Spiritual learning can also happen in many ways.  We can learn through the study of scriptures.  We can learn through the example and teaching of others.  We can even have heavenly messengers appear and give us knowledge.  These methods, and many others, can do a wonderful job teaching us the truths of God.  They can also be wonderful ways to learn the truths of the world.

     The various methods of learning truths about God and the world can be quite effective, but none of them can compare with learning truth through the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t matter how effective any of the various ways of learning truths about God or the world are for you.  The sure witness of the Holy Spirit still stands out above the rest as the best way to learn truth and knowledge.

     Let me give an example to demonstrate this truth.  Imagine you have a really difficult class in college.  You have a test coming up tomorrow and have been preparing for it for weeks.  Unfortunately you have a problem.  In spite of the weeks of studying hard to be ready for this test, you still struggle with the material.  You know you aren’t ready for the test.  You’ve gone to the professor for help, but it’s still not clicking.  One of your friends is in the class and has tried explaining it to you, but you still know you’re not ready.

     So you turn to God, kneeling in prayer to ask for His help.  You anxiously go to class to take the test.  As you start through the questions, you begin to realize you know the answers.  You haven’t had any heavenly visitors come to give the answers.  You aren’t any smarter than you were before.  Yet you actually know the answers to this material that was so difficult to understand.

     The reason is the Holy Spirit is speaking to your spirit and helping you recall all the things you’ve been studying.  You may think this a ridiculous thought.  Why would the Holy Spirit care how you did on your test?  But the scriptures teach us the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth”.  (John 16:13)  Your test mattered to you enough to cause you to pray for help in faith.  For this reason it mattered to God and He sent the promptings of the Spirit to guide you.  The Holy Spirit can speak to your spirit and teach it the things that nothing else could so that you can pass this difficult test.

     You may not relate to this story.  Perhaps you are one of those people that never struggled in school, or perhaps you are one of those people that never cared enough about school to ask for help.  But this same principle applies to every aspect of your life.  There will come times when you need the help of God at work, in relationships, or in some other aspect of your life.  In all of these situations, the Holy Spirit can bring understanding to your mind far better than any other method of learning can.

     This sure witness of the Holy Spirit is one of the mightiest miracles this world has ever known.  This is how the race of men has been able to grow through the ages.  We have learned all we know about God because of the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.  Scientific advancements have come into our world because the silent promptings of the Holy Spirit have given knowledge to scientists.  Mothers and fathers have been able to protect, nurture, and defend their children because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

     The Holy Spirit has guided and shaped the growth of individual lives, entire civilizations, and the world.  All of it has been done through the faith of people who are willing to listen for the quiet promptings of the Spirit of God.  That’s the power of the miracles that can be worked by faith.

Daniel and His Friends

     The faith of Daniel and his friends in the Old Testament book “Daniel” also led to a great miracle.  Daniel was brought to the courts of Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, along with three children the king named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  King Nebuchadnezzar was, of course, not from the land of Israel, and his house probably knew little of the Jewish laws, customs and culture.  Because of this, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would run into situations where they were asked to violate some of the laws of God given through the Law of Moses.

     The first time Daniel and his friends found the king’s command directed them to disobey God came with their daily meals.  The king had instructed that a portion of his meat and wine would be given to the children for food in order to get them healthy and strong before they were brought before him.  The Law of Moses did not forbid them from eating all meat.  It instead instructed them not to eat fat or blood.  (Leviticus 7:22-27)  Further instruction is given in the Law of Moses forbidding the consumption of certain living things, deeming them unclean.  (Leviticus 11)  It stands to reason that the food they were instructed to eat fell among the forbidden groups in some manner because Daniel and his friends didn’t want to eat it for fear of angering God.

     The man in charge of their meals was afraid that, if they didn’t eat the meat and drink the wine, they would not be healthy like the other children when they went before the king.  Fortunately Daniel had become friends with this man and was able to strike a deal.  For ten days he and his friends would be allowed to eat fruits and grains and drink water.  If they were not as healthy as the other children, they would then eat the king’s meat and drink his wine.  Otherwise they would be allowed to continue eating and drinking the fruits, grain, and water.  At the end of the ten days, the four friends were healthier than the other children.

     The time finally came when the children were brought before the king.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego proved to be extremely bright children because of the blessings of God that came through their obedience.  Daniel was even able to interpret a dream God had given to King Nebuchadnezzar by the power of the Spirit of God.  So they found favor with the king and would dwell in his court.

     Several differences in culture between the Babylonians and the Jews led to other circumstances where the four friends would be instructed to break the laws of God.  I want to speak briefly of two.  The first came when King Nebuchadnezzar ordered an idol to be built and instructed his kingdom to worship it.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be thrown in a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a false god.  Because of their faith, they spoke with the Son of God while in the furnace and were able to come out of the furnace unharmed.  (Daniel 3)

     The second came with the fall of Babylon.  The Medians conquered Babylon and Daniel was taken into the courts of King Darius.  King Darius also recognized Daniel was valuable because of the favor he had with God (though King Darius probably didn’t realize this).  So the king placed Daniel in one of the top positions of power in his kingdom.  Other leaders in the land convinced the king to sign a decree that would prevent Daniel from praying.  The punishment for breaking the law was to be cast into a den of lions.

     Daniel had such strong faith in God that he didn’t fear men or what they could do to him.  So he continued to pray.  By the decree of the king, Daniel had to be cast into the lion’s den.  But God rewarded the faith of Daniel.  The lions caused him no harm and he came forth unscathed.

     These are among the many miracles God will work for those who have faith in Him.  When you love God and place Him above everything else, you will have no reason to fear man or beast.  God can protect you from either one.  When you place God first, you will find He can strengthen you and place you in better circumstances than those around you or than you would otherwise find yourself in.  God can give you everything.  All that is required is faith and obedience.

Walking on Water

     One of the many miracles worked by faith happened at the time Jesus walked on the water of the stormy sea to come to His disciples.  It was, of course, a miracle that Jesus was able to walk on water, especially when that water was a stormy sea.  But the miracle I want to focus on is Peter walking on water.

     Let me give a little background behind the story.  The day before this, Jesus had gone to the desert.  A large group of people gathered around Him, and He proceeded to heal their sick.  When evening came, Jesus commanded His disciples to bring Him the five loaves of bread and two fish they had.  He then blessed this bread and fish, broke it, and had His disciples feed the large multitude.  Five thousand men and a large group of women and children were fed this way, leaving twelve baskets of food. 

     Then Jesus commanded His disciples to depart in a ship and go to the other side of the sea.  They departed and He went to the mountain to pray.  As the darkness of night descended, a storm broke out over the sea where the disciples labored in the ship.  These disciples labored all night, fighting against the storm in an effort to make it to land.

     Finally, during the fourth watch of the night (meaning between three and six), Jesus came to His disciples walking on water.  Since it was a stormy night, it would have been difficult for the disciples to see very far.  Thus, when they saw Jesus approaching them, they couldn’t see who it was.  People aren’t normally able to walk on water, so they believed it to be a spirit.  They were afraid.

     Jesus knew they were afraid.  So He said to them, “Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.”  This is where we see Peter demonstrate his great faith in Jesus.  I imagine he heard the familiar voice of Jesus from this figure he still couldn’t recognize.  He would probably believe a spirit was capable of sounding like his beloved friend, but he trusted Jesus and knew He was capable of working miracles.  If He could do all the things Peter had seen Him do, wouldn’t it be possible for Him to walk on a stormy sea also. 

     Marveling at the possibility, Peter responded, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.”  I imagine Peter made this response with a somewhat boyish hope.  He wasn’t certain, but he believed this was his beloved friend walking on water!  How cool was that!  Peter believed it was possible and hoped it was true.  He believed that, if Jesus his Master told him he could, he would be able to walk on the water also.  He hoped for this as well.  So he made his response.

     Jesus responded simply, “Come.”  Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.  Imagine the faith this would take!  Peter had to truly believe Jesus was capable of working mighty miracles if he believed he could walk on water simply because Jesus said “Come”!  He had, of course, seen the Lord work incredible miracles, but nothing that required he put his very life in danger.  This water wasn’t just any water, either.  It was a large sea, and a stormy one at that.  Imagine the faith required to believe you would be okay leaving the relative safety of the ship and walking on a stormy sea.

     Furthermore, it wasn’t likely Peter could say for certain this was Jesus yet.  The figure was probably still hard to make out.  A spirit could possibly take on the voice of the Lord.  So it was possible this wasn’t Jesus.  After all, what human being had ever walked on water before this?

     Yet Peter believed it was Jesus and he climbed out of the boat.  Because of his profound faith, he was rewarded with some time walking across the top of this stormy sea.  That was the miracle wrought by the faith of Peter, the rock of faith. 

     Imagine what you could do if you had the faith of Peter.