Sabbath Devotional :: Into the Storm

I was struck by Elder Larry Y. Wilson’s talk last weekend while listening to General Conference. In it he told a story about a young chaplain sailing with his crew on a distressed ship. The concerned captain had approached him and asked him to pray for the ship. Willingly this young sailor retired to his room and instead of praying for the storm to abate, asked the Lord, “What can I do?” He was prompted to venture out of his living quarters not once but twice. The second time the Spirit told him to go out into the storm to make further assessment. Obediently, he tied a tether around his waist to keep from being swept overboard amid the crushing 45 foot waves. As he made his way to the back of the ship there was little doubt of how perilous the situation had become.

“Standing on the stern, he observed the giant propellers as they came out of the water when the ship crested a wave. Only one was working fully, and it was spinning very fast. After these observations, Ensign Blair once again prayed. The clear answer he received was that the remaining good engine was under too much strain and needed to be slowed down.”

After returning and reporting his findings and impressions, the captain chose to follow Ensign’s counsel (notably against the engineer’s) and slowed the engine down. By dawn they had made it through the storm and “two hours later, the good engine stopped working altogether. With half power in the remaining engine, the ship was able to limp into port.”

Ensign Blair could have asked God to sustain the ship or calm the waves — a heavenly miracle already performed during a similar storm on the Sea of Galilee. Instead he asked, “What can I do?”

I’ve thought a lot about that prayerful approach both in my personal life and as a member of MWEG. I often pray for government officials, the preservation of integrity in the system, to lighten the load and burden of those who are facing an uncertain future, that obstacles will be placed before those who seek to do harm and that doors will be open to those with righteous desires. All these things are good to ask for but they have too frequently left out the most important focus, “What can I do? . . . Lord, what do I need to do to be part of the solution?”

Months ago while considering my involvement in MWEG and in my volunteer efforts in my own community I was standing in my kitchen seriously questioning my qualifications, critical thinking skills, personal bandwidth, and almost every other weakness He has brought to my attention over the past decade. Really, what could I do? Someone who is so obviously lacking, surely there are multitudes of others more qualified?

I’ll never forget the simple message brought to my heart and mind that day. It was a message of love, reassurance, and confidence. All my self doubt seemingly shut down in that moment and in its place a quiet assurance that I was enough.

I believe God has sent such a message to millions of His children throughout the ages. As that knowledge fills the heart, the question, “What can I do?” has one directive — God’s will. Perhaps we expound that question to, “In what way can God use my experience, talents, and willing heart to make a difference?” Sometimes that difference may seem small and insignificant. Other times it can mean the difference between a ship and crew sinking into the depths of the ocean. To God both scenarios are significant, both are needed — for without them God is bound to our choice of inaction. If no one knocks, there can be no answer.

So what can we do? In what way can God use our experience, talents, and willing hearts to make a difference? We are given the following direction from the scriptures:

“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

“Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms —

“That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.” (D&C 88:78-79)

Let’s begin with what we already know. MWEG’s purpose is be a school for God’s daughters. In just the past year we have seen evidence of this. Have we recognized our own intellectual and spiritual growth? How many times over the past year have we carried out educated, civil discussions with friends and family? With our representatives? How often has God inspired our writing? Opened closed doors and softened hearts of those in our circles of influence and in places of power? Magnified our voices beyond what we could have imagined?

We know that God wants our voices heard. Through those voices God has sent a messages of love, unity, peace and comforted those who have felt forsaken. The duty then remains to convey the messages and hope He has placed in our hearts.

Over the past year I’ve reflected on how and when these messages of inspiration were received. How did it come? First, this process was made possible by prayerful seeking and studying of both scripture and those ‘perplexities’ and ‘judgements’ of the land. It came in small course corrections and gentle guidance. It came as we pondered or considered another’s perspective or experience. It came as we counseled together. It made our paths straight and clear to understand. It flowed and poured over typing fingers and speaking lips and has come as we reached out of our comfort zones and into our communities — as we walked the deck of the boat to ‘gather more information’ tethered to the safety of our knowledge that God was before us, preparing the path.

We may feel at times much like Ensign Blair, tethered to the ship watching the waves relentlessly crash against us from all directions. If we look closely we may notice substantial damages to the ship that cause our hearts to sink, courage to waver or ‘threaten our peace to destroy’. But trusting in the tether and heavenly guidance we may also hold fast in the knowledge that while we are walking into a raging storm we are also walking into the spaces where God needs us to go. It is in these spaces that we begin to clearly see the solutions and find the answers we so desperately need.

So what can we do to be a part of the solution? In part, we can teach one another and personally seek understanding of the complex systems and processes of our government and the societal and personal impacts of programs and laws on our families and our neighbor’s families. We can seek truth from the best sources. We can then go out and lovingly teach our neighbors, friends, representatives and their staff persons, and anyone else willing to listen. We can seek innovative ways to communicate and simplify as needed. We can ask God to bless us with talents that we may not yet have and with spiritual gifts such as the gift of teaching by wisdom, teaching by knowledge, the interpretations of languages, the gift of healing, the gift of discernment, and many more included and not included in the scriptures. Always remembering the promise: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (3 Nephi 14:11) Then we must prayerfully seek guidance and ask, “What can I do?”

It it my testimony and experience that God’s work is also this work. I have felt the Spirit’s guiding influence as we’ve walked the halls of Congress and during discussion and meetings. I have seen hearts soften and truth replace confusion. I have seen inspiration flow and seemingly alter cemented trajectories. I have seen courage and unwavering faith in the darkest times of human suffering. I have seen love win and win again.

We can trust that God is going ahead and clearing our path. We can trust the tether and discover there is goodness and truth even amidst the storm.