Faith is the evidence of things hoped for but not seen. It only need to be the size of a mustard seed in order to move something as mighty as the Rocky Mountains. It seems to be something that is hard to believe in because it is nothing tangible that can be held, turned over and examined in your hands . . . and yet:

jesus christ mormon6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

7 For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.

8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.

9 Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.

10 Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God.

11 Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.

12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.

13 Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.

14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.

16 Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.

17 And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.

18 And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

19 And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.

20 And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.

21 And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil.

22 And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ.

23 And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them; Ether 12:6-23

And by faith, these mighty things were wrought. Now, as I sit in the Surgery Waiting Room wait for news on my husband, faith is something great in my mind and heart. Faith is a gift given to us by our Lord God Jesus Christ. If we ask, if we believe, then the answers come to us. If we believe miracles will follow.

My husband suffers from kidney failure and all the associated illnesses and problems that come from an extended period of dialysis. My husband has been the recipient of many miracles over the last few years and it has strengthened our faith tremendously. But, even now, with the knowledge and testimony I have of the gospel, of the knowledge I have faith and utter belief I have in the Savior, I fear for my husband.

And so I contemplate faith. How do we strengthen our faith? By prayer. By active use of faith. By trusting in the arm of the Lord and believing that He not only knows who we are, but cares enough to grant us miracle after miracle. In the Bible Dictionary (an addition which accompanies every copy of King James version of the Holy Bible printed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) we learn a little more:

Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Hebrews 11: 1; Alma 32: 21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without reservation. Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith (Romans 10: 14-17). Miracles do not produce faith but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although miracles often confirm one’s faith.

(Jacob 4: 4-7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.

All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.

Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include1 an actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable to the Lord (see Hebrews 11: 4);2 a reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life; and3 an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things involve individual and personal testimony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints. Jesus pointed out some obstacles to faith in John 5:44 and John 12:39-42 (cf. James 1: 6-8). Bible Dictionary: Faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Of this I know of a surety, I have absolute faith in my Lord Jesus Christ. He wishes only for the best in regards to our welfare. The more I learn of faith the more I realize what a precious and beautiful gift we have been given by our Father in Heaven. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, only a smaller amount than that is needed to trust in the Lord to guide the hands of the surgeon, to strengthen my husband’s body to withstand the rigors of this surgery, despite the fact that he is weakened by six years of kidney failure.

My husband is strong, vital and the faith I have in my heart, assisted by the priesthood blessing he received last night, carries me through with the knowledge that he will survive this and be stronger for it.

About Candace

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