Trust the Lord

Brothers and sisters, it is so good to be with you today. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to share just a little bit of the thoughts and impressions I’ve had over the last couple of months. And I am grateful for President and Sister Kusch for allowing me to have this wonderful privilege.

For my message today, brothers and sisters, I really do want to testify of two truths and one invitation. And I know, brothers and sisters, if you take me up on that invitation, it will absolutely help you as you continue to learn and grow and progress on your path here at Ensign College.

To help illustrate the first truth, I would like to relate an experience with one of my grandchildren.

About three years ago, my wife and I went to an amusement park with three of our children. One of our daughters who was there brought three of her children with her. While at the amusement park, the family wanted to go on a ride that was not for really young children. And since my youngest grandson was only one year old, he was too young to go on it.

So, I volunteered to not go on the ride and just hang out with him. While my grandson and I we were waiting for our family to finish the ride, we just sat and played on one of the park benches nearby.

As we were sitting there and just playing a little, I noticed a bee buzzing around us. And I saw that the bee came right up to my grandson and started buzzing right in front of him, right in front of his face. I think he had spilled some apple juice on his shirt and the bee was attracted to that apple juice.

I was wearing a baseball cap at the time, and so I grabbed my hat off my head, and kind of swished it towards the bee to shoo it away. And it worked, it flew away. So I put the hat back on my head and moments later, the bee came back and was buzzing right around my grandson's face again. I was a little bit worried that my grandson would try to grab the bee and maybe get stung. So, I grabbed my hat again and swished away the bee—this again, this time more forcefully. And before I put the hat back on my head, I just waited a minute to make sure the bee would not come back.

As I waited and was watching, I looked at my grandson and it was clear that my little grandson had not even seemed to notice that the bee was there. He was just playing with the bench, and he really did not have a clue at all that the bee could have stung him.

He was totally unaware that there was any cause for concern at all.

And after a moment, as I was watching my grandson, the Spirit whispered something to me.And interestingly enough, the Spirit whispered a question to me. The Spirit asked me:

“How many times has Heavenly Father swished away potential danger from you, when you didn't even have a clue that there was any cause for concern?”

That question, when it came into my mind caused me to stop. It caused me to think about who Heavenly Father really is.And it caused me to think about what Heavenly Father really thinks of me.

As I sat there and thought for a moment, the Spirit actually answered that question for me and bore a really powerful witness to me that I have indeed had many, many times where I was blessed and protected in ways that I don't even have a clue about.

Brothers and sisters, that was such a beautiful, powerful testimony and personal lesson for me. And embedded in that experience is the first eternal truth that I want to share with you today.

The first eternal truth I want to testify of, brothers and sisters, is that you are literally a child of an ACTIVE, loving and caring Father in Heaven.  And when I say active, He is not just sitting up there sipping lemonade, and watching us in our struggles and trials or anything like that. Brothers and Sisters, I know that if we are just doing our best to live our covenants, “just trying to be good girls and good boys”, as Elder Bednar said, I know that Heavenly Father is ACTIVELY watching over us and is literally protecting us from the unnecessary pains and anguish of this mortal lifes

In fact, the Lord shared this eternal truth himself in the Doctrine and Covenants when He said:

I will go  ^bbefore  your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my  ^cSpirit  shall be in your hearts, and mine  ^dangels  round about you, to bear you up. [1]

Brothers and Sisters, I hope you understand that the Lord really knows you. He really loves you. He really wants you to be totally successful in this life! And I testify that He is actively looking out for you and supporting you – even when you may not realize it.

A number of years ago, President Holland powerfully taught a similar lesson in General Conference [2]He said:
[Video]
My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels—both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so, I am testifying that God never leaves us alone. Never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face, nor will He so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man or woman or child upon the face thereof to be saved.
On occasions global or personal, we may feel we’re distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making. But even then, the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us—seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.
May we all believe more readily in and have more gratitude for the Lord’s promise, as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures:
“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left. My Spirit shall be in your heart, and mine angels round about you to bear you up.”
In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith, and the covenant wherewith we have covenanted.

Brothers and sisters, I hope you can feel the Spirit and the power of that message from a prophet of God. Our loving Father in Heaven is sending angels to bear you up in ways that you may not even be aware of.

The Second Eternal Truth that I would like to testify of is illustrated in a story that I love from the New Testament.

As you all know, some 2000 years ago, while our Savior was on the Earth, He performed many, many miracles. Here are just some of those miracles that He performed:

He turned water into wine 
He healed someone possessed by a devil 
He healed a man stricken with palsy 
He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead 
He healed a woman with an issue of blood 
He raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead
He calmed a raging sea 
He fed 5000 with just a few fish and loaves of bread
He walked on water 
He healed a lame man 
He caused the blind to see 
He raised Lazarus from the dead

Now, brothers and sisters, wouldn’t you have just loved to have been there and saw those miracles? I would have loved to see those.

But as our Savior was performing all those mighty miracles, He was actually becoming famous. If you think about it, people started to flock to Him.They wanted to see Him. They wanted to see those miracles—as much as I would.

In the book of Matthew, it says:

And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. [3]

Our Savior, though He did not seek fame, was nonetheless famous when He was on the Earth.

Now let’s read an experience of someone in Acts chapter 3. And note that this account in Acts is actually after the Atonement of our Savior, it’s after His crucifixion, and after our Savior was resurrected and had even ascended back up to heaven.

Starting in verse 1: 
1 - Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 
2 - And a certain man  lame  from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 
3 - Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an  alms . 
4 - And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 
5 - And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 
6 - Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have  give  I thee: In the  name  of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 
7 - And he took him by the right hand, and  lifted  him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 
8 - And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 
9 - And all the people  saw  him walking and praising God: 
10 - And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 
11 - And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the  porch  that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. 

So, sisters and brothers, how would you like to be that guy?  As we know, the Savior was famous in and around Jerusalem, and this lame man who had no doubt heard of the miracles that our Savior performed.  I can only imagine that he so much desired to be healed just like so many others around him had been healed.  But for whatever reason, he wasn't healed while the Savior was on the earth. 

He had to wait on the Lord’s timing.

Brothers and Sisters, the second truth that I want to testify of to you is that even though we are children of a loving and active Heavenly Father, sometimes we have to wait for the Lord’s timing. We have to wait for those blessings that we are hoping for.  In other words, brothers and sisters, as part of our learning and teaching here on this Earth, we need to learn to trust out Savior and His timing.   Or maybe using gospel terminology a little bit more, we need to develop faith in Him and his timing. And really, because we have a veil over our understanding, and because we have such a limited perspective in this mortal experience that we have, this can be really hard for us!

In fact, we all have moments, we all do, we all have movements where we just ask, why does life have to be so blasted hard sometimes? Why do we have times where it feels like we are trying really hard, and we are not making the progress we want? 
 
I can't pretend to answer all those questions perfectly.  But as I have thought about it and as I’ve studied it, I have found some things that I hope will help you, and help me, as we’re going through those difficult times. 

A few years ago, Sister Michelle Craig of the Primary General Presidency shared this perspective: 

“I am learning that Heavenly Father is more interested in my growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ than He is with my comfort. I may not always want it to be that way—but it is!” [5]
 
And similarly, Sister Elaine S. Dalton shared a similar sentiment this way: 

“We must be willing to change, to make transitions, to repent. From everything I read in the scriptures, I don’t think the Lord likes us to be in a comfort zone. He repeatedly takes his choicest servants out of their comfort zones and challenges them by their circumstances, their trials, and their opportunities to become more and to do more. In order to do this, we must be willing to move out of our comfort zones—to change” [6]
 
So students, I am sure you can relate really well to those two quotes because I am sure that the faculty here at Ensign College are really good at making you uncomfortable. That’s actually their job! With all the assignments, projects, and tests you have, I’m sure you’re very uncomfortable.But the reason those faculty give you hard assignments and projects is because they love you and they want you learn. They want you to grow and they want you to become professionals in your field.

Well, brothers and sisters, the Lord, as the ultimate, perfect teacher, does the same for every one of us. He really does want us to grow and change.  And those growth opportunities can be hard.  But why does the Lord want us to change and grow?  Why is that important for us to get out of our comfort zones?
 
President Oaks answered that question a number of years ago.He said:

“In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know  something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become  something. 
 
The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done.  It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become.  It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. 
 
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become. This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance.” [7]
 
Brothers and Sisters when you are struggling and don’t see the active hand of the Lord in your life, I really encourage you to choose to have faith and choose to believe that the Lord is tutoring you personally.  He is helping you to get out of your comfort zone and grow into and become who He desires you to become. 
 
Lucky for us, brothers and sisters, in our moments of struggle, our Heavenly Father has given us a number of beautiful gifts, that if we use them, will give us the opportunity to continually grow and develop our trust and faith in Him. Two of these gifts include the covenants and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to spend time in the temple.

As you know, President Nelson has repeatedly encouraged us to make covenants and serve regularly in the temple.  In his Oct 2022 general conference talk "Overcome the World and Find Rest", he said: 
 
“Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and temples — and keeps them — has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth. The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power — power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations and heartaches better. This power eases our way.” [8] 

President Nelson also shared this:

“We are instructed that all who worship in the temple will have the power of God and angels having “charge over them.” How much does it increase your confidence to know that, as an endowed woman or man armed with the power of God, you do not have to face life alone? What courage does it give you to know that angels really will help you?” [9]
 
And in just the last General Conference, President Nelson said: 

“Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue and charity. Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord.” [10]
 
Isn't that amazing, brothers and sisters, that in the temple, we find our Savior. 

And this is really important because as you find our Savior, you will be endowed with power. That power will help us in our difficult circumstances.You literally, brothers and sisters, can feel His love and mercy and you will literally have angels watching over you.  Additionally, you will have personal confidence through your trials. And one of the most important blessings, you’ll find joy. You’ll find joy!
 
Who doesn't want that, brothers and sisters? Who doesn’t want that?
 
So, brothers and sisters, no one wants your success more than our Heavenly Father!So, be willing to change.Be willing to learn.Be willing to grow.  Trust that our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ have your back!  Know that they will literally send angels to support you when you need it. They love you and they are doing everything in their power – short of forcing you—to bring you back to your eternal home! 
 
Since that beautiful experience with my grandson at the amusement park, I have tried to recognize a little more when I personally have had blessings from heaven and when I have had angels come to my support me. And I want to share a simple experience where I just really appreciated an earthly angel who gave me encouragement at a time when I was just tired and worn out.

So, each summer I try to challenge myself a little bit and run at least one half-marathon. I’m not a fast runner, by the way, but I like to challenge myself and do that. But, last summer was really busy for me and while I ran a few miles several times a week, I really did not train well for a full 13-mile run.

But when the race day came, I decided to do the race anyway. So, I started out okay. I started running and I was feeling good. I was on a pretty good pace. But around mile 10 or so of this 13-mile run, I started to run out of gas. I was tired. I was winded, and also, my left calf started really tightening up on me and it was hard to run. So, I decided to stop running and just walk for a bit.

After I walked for a half mile or so, I heard someone running behind me and catching up to me. And when this person came closer, I hear a sweet voice—it truly was a sweet voice—and was very forceful, by the way. It said: “No way, I don’t pass anyone in the last two miles of a race. Lets go! Come on!”. I smiled and looked over and there was with sweet older lady. I tried to tell her, “Um, no, I’m just going to walk for a little bit. I’m okay. I’ll start running again soon.” But she actually slowed her pace right next to me, and said it again, “No way, I don’t pass anyone in the last two miles of a race. Lets go. Come on!”

I could tell she was serious, so what could I do?

So I just smiled and started jogging. It turns out that my new friend—her name is Jill—was 69 years old from Twin Falls, Idaho. She has two children, and she had run that particular race 14 years in a row.

It was pretty amazing. As Jill and I visited the last couple of miles of that race an amazing thing happened. My sore calf started to stretch out and feel better. Even though I was tired, I felt drained, I didn’t feel as drained as I did just moments before. 

And it was fun as we ran together. We came up on another struggling runner, and it was fun to see Jill say the same thing she said to me. She came right up to this guy and said: “No way, I don’t pass anyone in the last mile of a race. Come On! Let’s go!” And so it turned out the three of us finished the race together. And we all came in tired but we all actually came in uplifted. It was awesome.

So, Brothers and Sisters, this life is a time of growth, a time of change, a time of struggle and a time of trial.  It is also a time where we can choose to trust our Heavenly Father and his magnificent Plan of Happiness for us. 

So brothers and sisters, on the one hand, you really can choose to go through this life alone.  Or, you can choose to trust the Savior and Heavenly Father. They love you perfectly and, brothers and sisters, they are actively working to help you in this life. And He is sending angels to bear you up when you need it most.

So let me issue you a final invitation.  If you sometimes wonder if God really does know you or if He even cares about you.
 
Please remember these words from President Holland: 

“The point is that faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf.” [11]

And related to that, I hope we can all follow the counsel of President Holland that you saw in the video when he said:

“In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.” Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God” [12]

I testify to you, Brothers and Sisters, that choosing to trust our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ and choosing to make and keep covenants to the best of our ability will bring you strength, and mercy, and joy. You will also feel Their love. And you will feel confidence about the future and your place in it.
 
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen 

Notes
[1]          Doctrine & Covenants 84: 88
[2]          President Jeffrey R Holland, “ The Ministry of Angels ”, Ensign, November 2008
[3]          Matthew 4: 24
[4]          Acts 3: 1-11
[5]          Sister Michelle D Craig, “ Wholehearted ”, Liahona, November 2022
[6]          Sister Elaine S Dalton, “ How to Dare Great Things ”, Ensign, March 2012
[7]          President Dallin H Oaks, “ The Challenge to Become ”, Ensign, November 2000
[8]          President Russel M Nelson, “ Overcome the World and Find Rest ”, Ensign, November 2022
[9]          President Russel M Nelson, “ Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys ”, Ensign, May 2024
[10]       President Russel M Nelson, “ Confidence in the Presences of God ”, Ensign, May 2025
[11]       President Jeffrey R Holland, “ Waiting on the Lord ”, Ensign, November 2020
[12]       President Jeffrey R Holland, “ The Ministry of Angels ”, Ensign, November 2008