I’ve been thinking about this talk
for a long time. Like many of you, I have some friends and relatives who wonder
whether or not God exists at all, and others who aren’t quite sure how to tell
if God is talking to them or if their answers are just wishful thinking. So, in
the short time that we have today, I would like to address these issues.
When talking with
those who insist that you cannot “prove” the existence of God through the
intellect or science, I think of a letter written to a child by Albert
Einstein. Though he did not adhere to any particular faith, Einstein
acknowledged that: “everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of
science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe
-- a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we
with our modest powers must feel humble.”
The prophets tell
us that anyone with even a small desire to learn of God, perhaps no more than
Einstein’s conviction that a vastly superior spirit exists, can receive a
testimony of our Heavenly Father, and
His son, Jesus Christ. According to Alma, we begin with a simple desire to
know. In Chapter 32, he says: “If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even
to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if
ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you.” In other
words, if you just want to know, even a tiny bit, that’s a place to start. Then Alma compares faith to a seed that we
can plant. He speaks of allowing the seed, or the word of God to grow within
us. That involves studying the scriptures, prayer, listening to the gospel as
it is taught, trying to do what is right. When we do this, and we don’t allow
our doubts and fears to stop us, then faith will begin to grow within us and we
will know that it is good.
I know that many
people have come this far in the process of knowing God, but then they stumble.
They just aren’t sure if their answers, their experiences with God, are real or
just wishful thinking. To answer this question, I refer to the words of Moroni.
In Chapter 7 he says: “all things which are good cometh of God.” Then he
explains how to tell whether something actually is good. “That which is of God
inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore everything which inviteth
and enticeth to do good, and to love God,and to serve him, is inspired of
God….it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the
way to just is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the
daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to
every man, that he may know good from evil…every thing which inviteth to do
good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift
of Christ, wherefore you may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.”
To restate Moroni
simply, everything good in the world, comes from God. Everything that helps us
do right, comes from God and it all testifies that he is real.
So, where do I see
God? In all good things (which for me include chocolate and anesthesia) In
every bluebonnet by the highway in the spring. In every snowflake that falls,
in the birds that fly and the grass that grows. Several years ago, when we
actually had an autumn and the trees burst forth in radiant color, I thanked
the Lord every day for the beauty around me. (by the way, Texas trees actually
can change colors, they just usually get all the wrong weather—hot, hot, hot,
blue norther, frozen--so that they go from lovely green straight to brown,
dead, fallen.) I see God in the faces of people—the tiny ones in the nursery,
the crazy teenagers in my classes, all of you as we meet and talk together. I
hear Him in sacrament hymns and primary songs. It’s not just wishful thinking.
The warm, happy feelings we get during those songs are a testimony of God.
And how do I know
that his answers, his inspirations, are real and not happenstance? They always
lead to something good.
One year at girl’s
camp, we were preparing lunch and realized that we would soon have rain. Since
we needed to finish cooking over the fire, we needed the rain to hold off for a
bit. So, we prayed for it to wait until we finished lunch. We cooked, we ate,
we cleaned up, we went into the tent, and the rain began pouring. Just a
coincidence? Not to me.
On
my way to the grocery store, I pulled into the parking lot and received a
distinct impression that I needed to go to a different store. That seemed kind
of silly, since I was already at a store, but I looped around the lot, exited
and headed to the other store. The kids asked what I was doing, and I told them
that we were supposed to go to the other store, but I didn’t know why. I found
out when we got there. Our old neighbors were in the second store. We hadn’t
seen them in a long time and we had a wonderful visit. Coincidence? I don’t’
think so.
I
often receive impressions about things I should do. And they are always good
things, so I know they come from God.
I’m sure my students are grateful, too, because sometimes I wake up in the
middle of the night with a strong impression that they need chocolate. Luckily
WalMart is open at 6 a.m. and I can stop by on my way to school.
God
reveals himself to us in many ways. As I have mentioned, the earth itself and
everything in it testify of their creator. Through the Holy Ghost, he impresses
our minds with what we should do. All of us who have been baptized and received
the gift of the Holy Ghost can be constantly guided by Him if we are worthy. These
methods are quiet, and the skeptical among us might dismiss them as wishful
thinking or coincidence. But they are real.
Many
of these experiences fall into what Elder David A Bednar, of the Quorum of
theTwelve, calls the tender mercies of the Lord. He says that “we should not
underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The
simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord
will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now
and will yet live.” Often God’s tender mercies give us the strength to go on,
to continue striving.
One of the tender mercies God showed me came
in the form of an audible statement.
When
I was in high school, our seminary teacher repeatedly told us that it was time
to develop our own testimonies, and to stop living off the convictions of our
parents. We needed to pray and know for ourselves that The Book of Mormon is
true. Funnily enough, I was already pretty sure that it was true, but I thought
maybe I should ask for an “official” answer. So I prayed. And prayed. And
prayed. For a while it didn’t seem like He was hearing me, but I guess He
wanted me to understand what I already knew. Finally one night I heard a voice
clearly and quietly say: You already know this. He was right. I did already
know.
I
won’t say that I never have doubts. But I know the way to learn, and I know
that if I allow that seed to grow within me, my testimony can continue to grow.
I study and I pray and I try to follow God’s commandments. I know that anyone
with a sincere desire to know God can know Him and feel his presence in their
lives.
