As I write this, we are in the middle of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Nations and cities have shut down, missionaries are being sent home and all temples have closed. We have been practicing ‘social isolation’ for a little over 2 weeks and have at least 2 weeks to go under our ‘stay at home’ order. Businesses are closed, people are out of work and many are sick. This situation will pass, and life will again be full of daily routines and business, but right now life is uncertain. Uncertainty is hard. The funny thing is that most of life is uncertain all the time, but we tend to put that in the back of our minds and focus on the things that make us feel in control. We will undoubtedly learn valuable lessons from this time about living with uncertainty, but until we are on the other side of this experience it is difficult to settle into those lessons. For now, I am focusing on truths that are sure, at all times and in all circumstances. These truths are our anchors-a solid mooring in turbulent times and absolute assurances that we can cling to at all times. Perhaps that is one of the lessons most needed for all of us right now–a renewed attention to and conviction of the only things in life that are positively certain:
We are known. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep….” (John 10:14) “…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matt. 10:30) “…I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. (Exodus 33:12) We can take comfort in the truth that we are not alone or forgotten. The very God of Heaven knows and loves us. He is our Father and He watches over His children. “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” (2 Tim 2:19) He knows you who are energized and refreshed through social interaction and are feeling that loss in your life right now. He knows you whose plans for summer work and future education are in limbo for an unknowable amount of time. He knows the missionaries who are having their service cut short and the future missionaries whose service is now unclear. He knows your frustration with online school work and the lack of any of the fun and sociality that school brings. He knows the pain of missed opportunities, the fear of the unknown, the emptiness of loss and sorrow. He knows you–all of the emotions, all of the anxieties, all of the anguish and the joys. And because He knows you, you can be sure of His care for you now and in the future. You can rest in the knowledge that He desires only good for His children and will not leave them in uncertain times. We are known by the One who has done so much He cannot forget or forsake us. “I [will] not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:15-16) Joseph Smith, who learned through one word (“Joseph” JS-H 1:17) that he was known by his Father in Heaven, had his own unsettled times of adversity that led him to cry out for relief and assurance. The answer he received is true for all of us: “hold on thy way…their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.” (D&C 122:9)
Another certainty is that the Lord has designed us to be happy and full of purpose. “…Men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11) and reminds us that He does “all things for the welfare and happiness of his people…” (Helaman 12:2) Since this is His design, we know that it must be possible for us to find happiness and meaning even during difficult times, because the world is often challenging. He doesn’t mean us to be happy and full of purpose only when things are going smoothly or when life is fair and prosperous all the time. He has “a work for [us]…” (Moses 1:6) and promises us that the Savior came that we “might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) “A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children!” (Jeffrey R. Holland) The task for us is, therefore, to seek the happiness and purpose and meaning in every life experience; to “be of good cheer; [for He has] overcome the world.” (John 16:33) With that knowledge, we can be at peace in the most uncertain of times, because He has provided a way for the happiness of all of God’s children–in following Him and seeking after the things of eternal value.
We can also be certain that His promises are sure. No matter the circumstances surrounding us, the Lord is able to do His work and will keep His promises. “…I am able to do mine own work” (2 Nephi 27:20); “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.” (D&C 3:1) Although there are times we cannot see how, we can rest assured that the Lord sees broader and farther and longer than we can. We must be careful in assuming that a promise can be kept in only the way we prefer or can imagine, or in assuming that there is a time limit to the Lord’s promises. “For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.” (Mormon 8:22) Our faith must be in Him and His ability to do what He says He will do–not in specific outcomes or timing. “For he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.” (Alma 37:17). The promises He has made to us are glorious and full of light and truth. A few that seem appropriate right now:
*He will “not leave [us] comfortless: [He] will come to [us] ” (John 14:18)
*He promises that “the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary [will not] overpower [us] unto blindness, to lead [us] away to destruction.” (1Nephi 15:24)
*He assures us, “the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” (D&C 112:10)
*He reminds us that He came to “to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” (Luke 4:18)
*He promises to help us see new ways and lead us in the light: “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.” (Isaiah 42:16)
*He comforts us that although we “cannot bear all things now,” we can “be of good cheer, for [He] will lead us along.” (D&C 78:18)
*He confirms that as we “learn of [Him], and listen to [His] words; [and] walk in the meekness of [His] Spirit,” we shall “have peace” in Him. (D&C 19:23)
*He promises “good things” (Jeremiah 33:14, Psalm 84:11) to those that walk uprightly
*He pleads with us to remember that, eventually, “the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17)
There are so many promises to cling to in unsettled times! The constant running through them all is the Savior, Jesus Christ and the plan He came to fulfill. They are sure and unchanging, full of power and justice and mercy. He loves His children and causes “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28) While we do not know the outcome of the current crisis, or what tomorrow will bring, or whether or not our lives will change, we do know that the “effect of righteousness [is] quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17) and that we are both blessed and happy when we keep the commandments of God, “blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if [we] hold out faithful to the end [we] are received into heaven, that thereby [we] may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.” (Mosiah 2:41) Of that we can be certain.
