This Howard W. Hunter lesson is an important one and it struck me deeply. The question that I had to ask myself was, “Do I really believe?”

 

Do I really believe that God loves me, watches over me, cares about me, or even wants me?

 

Do I really believe Jesus Christ when He says He has paid the full price for all of my sins, weaknesses, pains, and anxieties?

 

Do I really believe the Holy Ghost when He tells me things in my mind and heart?

 

These questions deserve some serious introspection. This lesson offers some additional questions that we might all consider at various points in our lives. All of us question things—all the time. Being insecure and imperfect, we all struggle.

 

Elder Holland spoke so lovingly, a few years ago, when he focused his remarks on whether it’s okay to ask questions. He said, “You have more faith than you think you do” (“Lord, I Believe,” Apr 2013). We all have a certain amount of faith, and it is that faith—which comes from God—that we must hold onto during our dark journey into the light.

 

We have heard people question the church. But what happens if these questions hit a personal nerve and cause us to raise our own questions? Satan will stop at nothing to make us hesitate, doubting what we once strongly believed. Satan is very tricky. He sometimes uses our own faith against us. He will tell us that we shouldn’t question the faith we already have and then He begins needling us with more and more doubt, causing us to question that faith. Where some around us appear to be losing their faith, we can cling to the rod of iron and not be ashamed, afraid, or alone in our pain. This is when we need to hold on to the faith that we do have and trust in the reassurance that will come.

 

It is for us to turn just a little toward God and he will be there:

 

• “There must be desire, effort, and personal preparation. This requires, of course, … fasting, prayer, searching the scriptures, experience, meditation, and hungering and thirsting after the righteous life.” (p. 82)

• “We can capitalize on our strengths, begin where we are, and seek after the happiness that can be found in pursuing the things of God.” (p. 83)

• “The gospel of Jesus Christ is the divine plan for that spiritual growth eternally.” (p. 84)

• “Improving our attitudes and our ambitions, we will find ourselves successfully in the fold of the Good Shepherd. That will require discipline and training and exertion and strength.” (p. 84)

• “Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously.” (D&C 11:12) (p. 84)

 

The truth of the matter is that we are never alone, even when we think we are. Pres. Hunter invites us to believe:

 

“Perhaps no promise in life is more reassuring than that promise of divine assistance and spiritual guidance in times of need. It is a gift freely given from heaven, a gift that we need from our earliest youth through the very latest days of our lives. … In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have help from on high” (p. 76).

 

It is heartbreaking to see others around us lose hope, and go even as far as taking their lives. If they only understood that God would never leave any of us. He is simply a prayer away. The lesson offered us many ways to come unto Christ. Here are some more:

 

• Read James 1:5 as if we were the ones searching. How does this scripture speak to each of us? And what are we willing to do about it? (We can’t all be called to open a new dispensation, so our answer will be according to what God wants for us.) (p. 79)

• How do we approach Heavenly Father in prayer? Do we talk at Him, or to Him? Do we believe we will receive His answer for us, or do we demand the answer we want? Do we sincerely seek His wisdom and willingly let go of our own desires? (p. 80)

• Is an attitude to “look up,” showing our willingness to look for, accept, and joy in Their guidance for us? (p. 80)

• Do we take time to ponder, to reverence God during Sacrament Meeting, to attend the temple as often as possible, to pray, and to read the scriptures? (p. 81)

• Do we provide ourselves with sufficient opportunities to strengthen our personal spiritual progress? (p. 82)

 

I’m reminded of the king of the Lamanites, who at first was willing to give up half his kingdom when he first heard the good news. Later he was willing to give up his entire kingdom to receive the joy of the gospel. Finally, he said, “I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day” (Alma 22:18). Do you think the Lord was there, ready to accept his desires and help him have the strength to forsake the natural man completely? We have more help from God than we deserve. With little effort on our part, God will continue to give us more and more help from on high

 

We are the ones on trial. God has offered everything necessary in returning back to Him, but it is our choice whether to receive this guidance and help. May we ask for help from on high daily to help us through our trials that we may overcome the powers that would destroy us.