The Atonement: What it Means to Me and What it Meant for the Savior

The Importance of the Atonement

Pres. Russell M. Nelson – Study Scriptures about the Savior, 2017

In a coming day, you will present yourself before the Savior. You will be overwhelmed to the point of tears to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for paying for your sins, for forgiving you of any unkindness toward others, for healing you from the injuries and injustices of this life.

You will thank Him for strengthening you to do the impossible, for turning your weaknesses into strengths, and for making it possible for you to live with Him and your family forever. His identity, His Atonement, and His attributes will become personal and real to you.

But you don’t have to wait until then. Choose to be one of His true disciples now. Be one who truly loves Him, who truly wants to serve and lead as He did. I promise you that if you will study His words, your ability to be more like Him will increase. I know this is true.

President Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 14

“In Gethsemane and on Calvary, He worked out the infinite and eternal atonement. It was the greatest single act of love in recorded history. Thus He became our Redeemer—redeeming all of us from physical death, & redeeming those of us from spiritual death who will obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel.”

Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985

Now, the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths.  Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see us through the trials and perils of life.  But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived.

May I invite you to join with me in gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement.  I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.  But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer.

 

Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996

Let us now ponder the deep meaning of the word atonement. In the English language, the components are at-one-ment, suggesting that a person is at one with another. Other languages employ words that connote either expiation or reconciliation. Expiation means “to atone for.” Reconciliation comes from Latin roots re, meaning “again”; con, meaning “with”; and sella, meaning “seat.” Reconciliation, therefore, literally means “to sit again with.”

Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means “to cover” or “to forgive.”  Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning “a close embrace.” References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. “I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.”  I weep for joy when I contemplate the significance of it all. To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind. What a privilege!

D. Todd Christofferson, “Why We Share the Gospel,” Ensign, Aug 2014

Our invitation to the world is to come unto Christ. Coming unto Christ is an abbreviation, a way of describing in three words the plan of salvation. It means to obtain the fruits of His Atonement and Resurrection—ultimately eternal life. Eternal life depends on the exercise of our moral agency, but it is possible only through the grace of Jesus Christ. To come unto Him means to do what is required to lay hold upon that grace—the pardoning, sanctifying, transforming, redeeming power of His infinite, atoning sacrifice.

What the Atonement Meant for the Savior

D&C 19:16–19; Luke 22:44; Mosiah 3:7; Alma 7:11–13

Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985

We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him. We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name.

 We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink the bitter cup. We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be. As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Willing to Submit,” Ensign, May 1985

The more we study, pray, and ponder the awesome Atonement, the more we are willing to acknowledge that we are in His and the Father’s hands. Let us ponder, therefore, these final things.

When the unimaginable burden began to weigh upon Christ, it confirmed His long-held and intellectually clear understanding as to what He must now do. His working through began, and Jesus declared: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.” Later, in Gethsemane, the suffering Jesus began to be “sore amazed” (Mark 14:33), or, in the Greek, “awestruck” and “astonished.”

Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, “astonished”!  Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.)

The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11–12; Isa. 53:3–5; Matt. 8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.” (Mark 14:35–36.)

Jesus’ request was not theater!

In this extremity, did He, perchance, hope for a rescuing ram in the thicket? I do not know. His suffering—as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity—evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness. (See Matt. 27:46.) Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness, as He had in Gethsemane: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:39.)

While bearing our sins, our infirmities, our sicknesses, and bringing to pass the Atonement (see Alma 7:11–12), Jesus became the perfect Shepherd, making these lines of Paul’s especially relevant and reassuring: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35.)

Indeed, we are in His hands, and what hallowed hands!

What the Atonement Means For Me

Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996: 

Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation.  Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. This is the great latter-day work of which we are a part. That is why we have missionaries; that is why we have temples—to bring the fullest blessings of the Atonement to faithful children of God. That is why we respond to our own calls from the Lord. When we comprehend His voluntary Atonement, any sense of sacrifice on our part becomes completely overshadowed by a profound sense of gratitude for the privilege of serving Him.

Joseph Fielding Smith, The Restoration of All Things

 Whenever we sin, we show our ingratitude and disregard of the suffering of the Son of God. If we really understood and could feel even to a small degree, the love and gracious willingness on the part of Jesus Christ to suffer for our sins we would be willing to repent of all our transgressions and serve him.

M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004

I believe that if we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God.  If we truly understood the Atonement and the eternal value of each soul, we would seek out the wayward boy and girl and every other wayward child of God. We would help them to know of the love Christ has for them.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland, October 2013

In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.

Blessings of the Atonement

1.   The Savior saved everyone on earth from physical death

“It took the atonement of Jesus Christ to reunite the bodies and spirits of men in the resurrection. And so all the world, believers and non-believers, are indebted to the Redeemer for their certain resurrection, because the resurrection will be as wide as was the fall, which brought death to every man.”  --Elder Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Oct. 1953

2.    He Took upon Him our Pains, Sicknesses and Infirmities- Alma 7:11-13

Jesus' daily mortal experiences and His ministry, to be sure, acquainted Him by observation with a sample of human sicknesses, grief, pains, sorrows, and infirmities which are "common to man". But the agonies of the Atonement were infinite and first-hand! Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins. Whatever our sufferings, we can safely cast our care upon him." Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Not My Will, But Thine"

3.   He Suffered for our sins - The Redeeming Power of the Atonement

 “When we commit sin, we are estranged from God and rendered unfit to enter into his presence. No unclean thing can enter into his presence. We cannot of ourselves, no matter how we may try, rid ourselves of the stain which is upon us as a result of our own transgressions. That stain must be washed away by the blood of the Redeemer, and he has set up the way by which that stain may be removed.”  --Elder Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Oct. 1953

4.   The Strengthening Power of the Atonement

I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the atonement than we are with the enabling power of the atonement.   I think most of us know that when we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be made clean through His redeeming power.  

Most of us clearly understand that the atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the atonement is also for saints--for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us "get it" concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.

In the Bible Dictionary in our scriptures, we learn that the word "grace" frequently is used in the scriptures to connote "enabling power." On page 697, under the word "grace," we read:

A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

Now, please note these next sentences:

It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

That is, grace represents that divine assistance or heavenly help each of us will desperately need to qualify for the celestial kingdom. Thus, the enabling power of the atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.  In my personal scripture study, I often insert the term "enabling power" whenever I encounter the word grace.   Elder David R. Bednar, “In the Strength of the Lord”

The Sacrament: Understanding the Covenants we Make During the Sacrament

The Sacrament

I. Willing to Take Upon Them the Name of Thy Son

Henry B. Eyring, “Be One,” Ensign, Sep. 2008

 “We promise to take His name upon us. That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what the world teaches us to want.”  

Dallin H. Oaks, “Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1985

“Our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ has several different meanings. Some of these meanings are obvious, and well within the understanding of our children.

·         When we become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

·         Whenever we publicly proclaim our belief in him

·         When we do the work of his kingdom

Others are only evident to those who have searched the scriptures and pondered the wonders of eternal life.

·         [We witness] a willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ.

·         We witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple.

·         We signify our commitment to do all that we can to achieve eternal life in the kingdom of our Father.

Elder Bednar, Act in Doctrine, p. 53

For those individuals who have received and are striving to honor baptismal and temple covenants, the third commandment suggests a particularly pointed implication: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." 

This commandment focuses upon much more than the use of inappropriate language. When we knowingly violate covenant conditions after having pledged our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we literally are taking His name in vain.

II. Always Remember Him

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, Nov. 1995

 “Since that upper room experience on the eve of Gethsemane, children of the promise have been under covenant to remember Christ’s sacrifice in this newer, higher, more holy and personal way.  If remembering is the principal task before us, what might come to our memory when those plain and precious emblems are offered to us?”

1. His love and strength in the Grand Council of Heaven.  That he is the Creator of heaven and earth.
2. All that he did in his premortal life as Jehovah.  
3. The simple grandeur of his birth.
4. His teachings, His miracles and healings.
5. That “all things which are good cometh of Christ” (Moroni 7:24).
6. The unkind treatment, rejection, and injustice he endured.
7. That he descended below all things in order to rise above them.
8. That he made his sacrifices and endured his sorrows for each of us.

 Henry B. Eyring, “Be One,” Ensign, Sep. 2008

“Second, we promise always to remember Him. We do that every time we pray in His name, especially when we ask for His forgiveness, as we must do often, we remember Him.”   

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “To Always Remember Him,”  Ensign, Apr. 2011

“I wish to elaborate on three aspects of what it means to “always remember him”:

·         First, seeking to know and follow His will:  The blessing on the bread commits us to “always remember him and keep his commandments.”  It would also be appropriate to read this covenant as “always remember Him to keep His commandments.” This is how He always remembered the Father.  We can begin by stripping everything out of our lives & then putting it back together in priority order with the Savior at the center.

·         Second, recognizing & accepting our obligation to answer to Christ for every thought, word, & action:  Always remembering Him means we always remember that nothing is hidden from Him. There is no part of our lives, whether act, word, or even thought, that can be kept from the knowledge of the Father & the Son.

·         Third, living with faith and without fear so that we can always look to the Savior for the help we need:  The Savior reminds us that through His Atonement He has been given all power in heaven and earth and has both the capacity and will to protect us and minister to our needs. We need only be faithful, and we can rely implicitly on Him.”                                  

III. Keep His Commandments Which He Has Given Them

Henry B. Eyring, “Be One,” Ensign, Sep. 2008

Third, we promise as we take the sacrament to keep His commandments, all of them. President J. Reuben Clark warned us against being selective in what we will obey. “The Lord has given us nothing that is useless or unnecessary. He has filled the Scriptures with the things which we should do in order that we may gain salvation. When we partake of the Sacrament we covenant to obey and keep his commandments. There are no exceptions. There are no distinctions, no differences.”

IV. That They May Always Have His Spirit to be With Them

Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith (1985), 253

Men ought--above all things in this world--to seek for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  There is nothing as important as having the companionship of the Holy Ghost. There is no price too high, no struggle too severe, no sacrifice too great, if out of it all we receive and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost.     --Bruce R. McConkie

Elder David A. Bednar, “That We May Always Have His Spirit to be With Us,” Ensign, May 2006

The Spirit of the Lord can be our guide and will bless us with direction, instruction, and spiritual protection during our mortal journey. We invite the Holy Ghost into our lives through meaningful personal and family prayer, feasting upon the words of Christ, diligent and exacting obedience, faithfulness and honoring of covenants, and through virtue, humility, and service. And we steadfastly should avoid things that are immodest, coarse, crude, sinful, or evil that cause us to withdraw ourselves from the Holy Ghost.

V. The Sacrament- An Opportunity for Spiritual Growth

David B. Haight, “The Sacrament,” Ensign, May 1983

 “Associated with the partaking of the sacrament are principles that are fundamental to man’s advancement and exaltation in the kingdom of God and the shaping of one’s spiritual character. We should reflect in our own weekday conduct the spiritual renewal and commitments made on Sunday. We may fail to recognize the deep spiritual significance this ordinance offers to each of us personally. Is it possible that a casual attitude on our part of routine formality of this sacred occasion might deaden our opportunity for spiritual growth?”

David O. McKay, Conference Report, Apr. 1946

"Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.  I believe the short period of administering the sacrament is one of the best opportunities we have for such meditation.  If we partake of it mechanically, we are not honest, or let us say, we are permitting our thoughts to be distracted from a very sacred ordinance."

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, May 1977 

“To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernment—a time to reflect and to resolve.”   

VI. A Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit

3 Nephi 9:19-20

“And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.  And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign, May 2004

“In ancient times when people wanted to seek the Lord’s blessings, they often brought a gift. For example, when they went to the temple, they brought a sacrifice to place on the altar. The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”  As you seek the blessing of conversion, you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming.

Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord.”   

President Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct. 1989

“Godly sorrow … is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’”      

Trials: The Obstacles Before Us Are Never as Great as The Power Behind Us.

This is one of those stories that I try to read on a regular basis, especially when I am facing trials that don't seem to have an apparent solution. At the end of the article, Elder Oaks teaches that the Lord blesses us when we "are on the move." I have found this to be true so many times in my own life. 

"The obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us"

Reach Out and Climb!

BY ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS of the Quorum of the Twelve – April 2002 New Era

---

Making it to the top means doing the difficult, even when you think you can’t.

How do we respond when we are confronted with a task that seems to be impossible?

All of us face obstacles. All of us have challenges. We all walk paths that lead us toward heights we think we cannot ascend. Sooner or later we all stand at the foot of cliffs we think we cannot scale.

In 1895 my great-grandfather, Abinadi Olsen, was called on a mission to the Samoan Islands. Obedient to the call of the prophet, he left his wife and four small children, including my maternal grandmother, Chasty Magdalene, in the town of Castle Dale, Utah. He traveled by train and ship to the mission headquarters in Apia, a journey of 26 days. His first assignment was to labor on the island of Tutuila.

After many weeks of living in what he called a grass hut, eating strange food, suffering severe illnesses, and struggling to learn the Samoan language, he seemed to be making no progress in his missionary work. Homesick and discouraged, he seriously considered boarding a boat back to Apia and telling the mission president he didn’t want to waste any more time in Samoa. The obstacles to the accomplishment of his mission seemed insurmountable, and he wished to return to his wife and children, who were struggling to support him in the mission field.

A friend who heard Abinadi Olsen describe the experience some years after his return, quoted him as follows:

“Then one night, as I lay on my mat on the floor of my hut, a strange man entered and in my own language told me to get up and follow him. His manner was such that I had to obey. He led me out through the village and directly up against the face of a perpendicular solid rock cliff. ‘That’s strange,’ thought I. ‘I’ve never seen that here before,’ and just then the stranger said, ‘I want you to climb that cliff.’

“I took another look and then in bewilderment said, ‘I can’t. It’s impossible!’

“‘How do you know you can’t? You haven’t tried,’ said my guide.

“‘But anyone can see’—I started to say in objection. But he cut in with, ‘Begin climbing. Reach up with your hand—now with your foot.’

“As I reached, under orders that I dared not disobey, a niche seemed to open in the solid rock cliff and I caught hold. Then with my one foot I caught a toe hold.

“‘Now go ahead,’ he ordered. ‘Reach with your other hand,’ and as I did so another place opened up, and to my surprise the cliff began to recede; climbing became easier, and I continued the ascent without difficulty until, suddenly, I found myself lying on my pallet back in my hut. The stranger was gone!

“‘Why has this experience come to me?’ I asked myself. The answer came quickly. I had been up against an imaginary cliff for those three months. I had not reached out my hand to begin the climb. I hadn’t really made the effort I should have made to learn the language and surmount my other problems” (Fenton L. Williams, “On Doing the Impossible,” Improvement Era, Aug. 1957, p. 554).

It is hardly necessary to add that Abinadi Olsen did not leave the mission. He labored for three and a half years, until released by appropriate authority. He was an exceptionally effective missionary, and he was a faithful member of the Church for the rest of his life.

When we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the fulfillment of righteous responsibilities, we should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us. We should reach out and climb. Handholds will only be found by hands that are outstretched. Footholds are only for feet that are on the move.

The scriptures record many instances when the Lord blessed those who tried to do the impossible. Nothing is impossible to the Lord.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, they encamped by the Red Sea. The Egyptians thought the Israelites were trapped. Their backs were to the sea as they faced the pursuing chariots of Pharaoh. “Fear ye not, …” Moses declared, for “the Lord shall fight for you” (Ex. 14:13–14). The Lord then told Moses to command the children of Israel “that they go forward” into the sea (Ex. 14:15). As they did so, Moses stretched out his rod over the sea, as commanded, and the children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground (Ex. 14:16, 22). They had gone forward in faith, and what seemed impossible had occurred.

When Nephi was directed to return to Jerusalem to obtain the sacred records from Laban, he went forth in faith to do as he was commanded, even though he did not see how this could be done. Nephi knew that the Lord would give no commandment, save he would prepare a way to accomplish the thing he had commanded (1 Ne. 3:7). Through Nephi’s faith and initiative he accomplished his mission, and generations have been blessed by the outcome.

Nothing is impossible to those who keep God’s commandments and follow his directions. But the blessings that carry us over obstacles do not precede our efforts; they follow them. The Liahona was given to guide Lehi and his children, but it came after years in the desert, not when they were still in Jerusalem. The word of the Lord on the organization of the Camp of Israel (see D&C 136) didn’t come in Nauvoo. It came on the west bank of the Missouri near present-day Omaha, almost a year after the Saints had left Nauvoo.

What do we do when we face obstacles in the fulfillment of righteous responsibilities? We reach out and climb! The blessings that solve problems and carry us over obstacles come to persons who are on the move.

Trials: Why Should This Anxious Load, Press Down Your Weary Mind? - Finding Trust in the Lord

A few years ago I had several months of especially challenging times. As I was standing in my room one evening, trying to stop the tears from starting again, I had the words to this hymn come into my mind:

Why should this anxious load

Press down your weary mind?

(https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/how-gentle-gods-commands?lang=eng )

As I looked up the rest of the words to the hymn, I realized that I could trust in my Father in Heaven more and I felt my burden being lifted. I started searching for more scriptures that remind me that "His ways are higher than my ways."

In the Lectures on Faith, the prophet, Joseph Smith, taught:

"Let us here observe that three things are necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.

• First, the idea that he actually exists;
• Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes;
• Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which one is pursuing is according to His will."  

Part of having a correct idea of God's "character, perfections, and attributes" is understanding that he has perfect love, perfect knowledge and perfect power. This means that our Heavenly Father knows me perfectly and knows what is best for me, so I need to have faith in his plan and timing for me. To remind myself of these truths, I often quote the first two scriptures below to myself, especially when I am facing challenges:

Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

Jacob 4:8,10 No man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom and in great mercy.

Mosiah 2:36 If ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered and preserved—

Abraham 2:8 My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore, my hand shall be over thee.

2 Nephi 9:20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.

Alma 26:35 For he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation.

Elder Bednar, 10/2013 We also will remember the Lord’s declaration, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”  Isaiah 55:8–9

I testify that as we are spiritually attentive and observant, we will be blessed with eyes that see more clearly, ears that hear more consistently, and hearts that understand more fully the significance and subtlety of His ways, His thoughts, and His blessings in our lives.

Pres. Benson 10-1967 God does not have to justify all his ways for the puny mind of man. If a man gets in tune with the Lord, he will know that God's course of action is right, even though he may not know all the reasons why.

Trials: Why Do We Have Trials? Of Thorns, Burdens, and Weakness

One of the truths of life is that no one escapes trials and challenges. Sometimes as I hear about the trials of family and friends, I wonder how they are enduring. I think the answer to that comes from one of the themes found in the scriptures: When we have trials that challenge us beyond what we think we can bear, then we learn that the Lord is the only way we can make it. Our testimonies become much deeper because we know that the Lord did "visit [us] in our afflictions." Notice in the three scriptures below, why we have trials:

THORNS: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

BURDENS: Mosiah 24:14-15 I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. ...Yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

WEAKNESS: Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. 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. 

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

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President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Fourth Floor, Last Door

The purpose of faith is not to change God’s will but to empower us to act on God’s will. Faith is trust—trust that God sees what we cannot and that He knows what we do not. Sometimes, trusting our own vision and judgment is not enough. …

Faith means that we trust not only in God’s wisdom but that we trust also in His love. It means trusting that God loves us perfectly, that everything He does—every blessing He gives and every blessing He, for a time, withholds—is for our eternal happiness.

With this kind of faith, though we may not understand why certain things happen or why certain prayers go unanswered, we can know that in the end everything will make sense. …

Until then, we walk by whatever faith we have, seeking always to increase our faith. Sometimes, this is not an easy quest. Those who are impatient, uncommitted, or careless may find faith to be elusive. Those who are easily discouraged or distracted may hardly experience it. Faith comes to the humble, the diligent, the enduring.

It comes to those who pay the price of faithfulness. …

Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith

Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.

For a man to lay down his all, his character and reputation, his honor, and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his own life also ‑‑ counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ ‑‑ requires more than mere belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be a partaker of the glory of God.

Neal A. Maxwell,  All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p.28

An equally hard but essential doctrine, if we are to understand life itself, is the reality that since this is a gospel of growth and life is a school of experience, God, as a loving Father, will stretch our souls at times. The soul is like a violin string: it makes music only when it is stretched. (Eric Hoffer.) God will tutor us by trying us because He loves us, not because of indifference! As already noted, this sort of divine design in our lives clearly requires the omniscience of God.

Submitting Our Will to His

 Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, Nov. 95, p. 23

As one’s will is increasingly submissive to the will of God, he can receive inspiration and revelation so much needed to help meet the trials of life.  In the trying and very defining Isaac episode, faithful Abraham “staggered not...through unbelief.” (Rom. 4:20) Of that episode, John Taylor observed that “nothing but the spirit of revelation could have given him this confidence, and sustained him under these peculiar circumstances.

The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.  The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.  However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him!  It is the only possession which is truly ours to give.

The Purpose of Trials

Quentin L. Cook, Ensign, Nov. 2011

The refiner’s fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God. There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven’s overall plan.

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1987
If you have troubles at home with children who stray, if you suffer financial reverses and emotional strain that threaten your homes and your happiness, if you must face the loss of life or health, may peace be unto your soul. We will not be tempted beyond our ability to withstand. Our detours and disappointments are the straight and narrow path to Him, as we sing in one of our favorite hymns:

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine."

Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 345
If the Saints could realize things as they are when they are called to pass through trials, and to suffer what they call sacrifices, they would acknowledge them to be the greatest blessings that could be bestowed upon them.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland, October 2013

In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again.

Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.

George Q. Cannon, Millennial Star, Saturday, Oct. 3, 1863
The Saints should always remember that God sees not as man sees; that he does not willingly afflict his children, and that if he requires them to endure present privation and trial, it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing, it is that he may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by-and-by.

President Thomas S. Monson, October 2013
Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before.
This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal life. The poet expressed much the same thought in these words:

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger wind, the stronger trees.

The further sky, the greater length.

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change.
Francis M. Lyman, in Conference Report, Oct. 1898, p. 48
We may have a rough road to travel over, as we have had in the past; we may have difficulties and trials, and the world may be measurably arrayed against us, and try to destroy us or do us harm, feeling all the time, no doubt, in their hearts that they are doing the greatest possible good and are anxious for our salvation; but I want to say to you that our Father who dwells in heaven . . . that same great Parent overlooks these affairs, and is guiding and controlling the destinies of this people as He is the destinies of all other people.

The Parable of the Unwise Bee