Today was a glorious day! It was one of those days when I feel my heart soaring, and I think of how blessed I am to be alive. The air was fresh and scented with the sweet smell of fall leaves, and the sun was shining brilliantly in the crisp, blue sky. My kids were jumping in piles of leaves, and running around with shouts of glee. Today was a day that gave me hope.
I have been thinking a lot about hope this past week. It all started when I decided to read Alma 32... I know, those of you familiar with this chapter of the Book of Mormon are probably scratching your heads about now. You might be thinking, "Alma 32 is the chapter famous for its discourse on faith, what could it possibly have to do with hope?"... that's what I would have thought a week ago. I have read this chapter so many times that I thought I knew its contents by heart but, due to recent events, this time I read the words with new eyes and... I had an epiphany!
Every Mormon is familiar with Alma 32:21 which reads, "And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
I have been thinking a lot about hope this past week. It all started when I decided to read Alma 32... I know, those of you familiar with this chapter of the Book of Mormon are probably scratching your heads about now. You might be thinking, "Alma 32 is the chapter famous for its discourse on faith, what could it possibly have to do with hope?"... that's what I would have thought a week ago. I have read this chapter so many times that I thought I knew its contents by heart but, due to recent events, this time I read the words with new eyes and... I had an epiphany!
Every Mormon is familiar with Alma 32:21 which reads, "And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
I had always read this verse focusing on the word "faith", but this time it seemed as if someone had written "hope" in bold letters, as it jumped out from the page. I stared at that word, stunned by the force with which it hit me, and it was then that I came to understand the crucial role that hope plays in obtaining faith.
Hope is a desire to believe in something wonderful. It is the attitude of seeking for good. Consequently it is a natural antecedent to faith. The thing that I find so wonderful about this idea, is that even when it sometimes seems so difficult to have faith in something, it does not make it impossible.
I am reminded of the story of Abraham, when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. How horrifying it must have been for him to even consider such an act! How heavy his heart must have been while he and Isaac journeyed up the mountain to make the sacrifice. However, to Isaac's inquiries about a sacrificial lamb he responds, "...My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering..." (Genesis 22:8). To me this is an expression of Abraham's hope that God would not make him sacrifice his son, even when the sacrifice seemed inevitable, even as he was laying his son on the alter. Think of how much Abraham's faith in God must have increased when the angel told him not to sacrifice Isaac, and when God did provide a ram for the sacrifice. All because he went forward with hope that everything would work out for the best.
I have heard of people who study the gospel seeking to discover if it is true. Many of these people recognize the good of the gospel, but deep inside they still encounter whisperings of doubt. Consequently, the faith that they seek remains outside of their grasp. But our God has extended the light of hope unto all. His prophet, Alma said, "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words... yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you..." (Alma 32:27, emphasis added).
God has asked us that we give him our best effort, and has promised that if we do, he will make up the difference. So it is that if we have a hope in Him and in His gospel, and a desire for them to be true, we will be blessed with the faith that we seek.
Hope is a desire to believe in something wonderful. It is the attitude of seeking for good. Consequently it is a natural antecedent to faith. The thing that I find so wonderful about this idea, is that even when it sometimes seems so difficult to have faith in something, it does not make it impossible.
I am reminded of the story of Abraham, when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. How horrifying it must have been for him to even consider such an act! How heavy his heart must have been while he and Isaac journeyed up the mountain to make the sacrifice. However, to Isaac's inquiries about a sacrificial lamb he responds, "...My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering..." (Genesis 22:8). To me this is an expression of Abraham's hope that God would not make him sacrifice his son, even when the sacrifice seemed inevitable, even as he was laying his son on the alter. Think of how much Abraham's faith in God must have increased when the angel told him not to sacrifice Isaac, and when God did provide a ram for the sacrifice. All because he went forward with hope that everything would work out for the best.
I have heard of people who study the gospel seeking to discover if it is true. Many of these people recognize the good of the gospel, but deep inside they still encounter whisperings of doubt. Consequently, the faith that they seek remains outside of their grasp. But our God has extended the light of hope unto all. His prophet, Alma said, "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words... yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you..." (Alma 32:27, emphasis added).
God has asked us that we give him our best effort, and has promised that if we do, he will make up the difference. So it is that if we have a hope in Him and in His gospel, and a desire for them to be true, we will be blessed with the faith that we seek.
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