Robert D. Hales on trusting in the Lord's answers

Elder Robert D. Hales (1932- ) served as a Seventy from 1976 to 1985, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

"We may not know when or how the Lord's answers will be given, but in His time and His way, I testify, His answers will come. For some answers we may have to wait until the hereafter. This may be true for some promises in our patriarchal blessings and for some blessings for family members. Let us not give up on the Lord. His blessings are eternal, not temporary.

"Waiting upon the Lord gives us a priceless opportunity to discover that there are many who wait upon us. Our children wait upon us to show patience, love, and understanding toward them. Our parents wait upon us to show gratitude and compassion. Our brothers and sisters wait upon us to be tolerant, merciful, and forgiving. Our spouses wait upon us to love them as the Savior has loved each one of us....

"Every one of us is more beloved to the Lord than we can possibly understand or imagine. Let us therefore be kinder to one another and kinder toward ourselves. Let us remember that as we wait upon the Lord, we are becoming 'saint[s] through [His] atonement, ... submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father' (Mosiah 3:19)."

- Robert D. Hales, "Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will Be Done", Ensign, November 2011, pp. 71-74
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God's timing and man's timing are interesting concepts. We tend to be impatient creatures, needing to understand, wanting things to make sense and "flow" smoothly in our lives. Based on our limited understanding of circumstances and relationships, we get things "figured out" in our minds and then assume that God should respond to our petitions appropriately. It's too easy for us to forget that we often just don't have the same eternal perspective that God does. Our plans and judgments are based on very limited understanding of "the big picture." So "faith in God" is all about remembering that He sees and knows so much more than we do, and remembering to trust His wisdom and perspective.

The parallel thought about how we often leave others to wait upon us provides food for thought. We don't wait upon the Lord because he is slow, thoughtless, or neglectful; but often we leave others waiting on us for those reasons. We need to learn to be more prompt in responding, and in offering the Godly virtues in our interactions with those around us.