Robert D. Hales on enduring life's challenges with faith in God

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.

"There is more to endurance than just surviving and waiting for the end to overtake us. To endure to the end takes great faith. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus 'fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt' (Matt. 26:39).

"It takes great faith and courage to pray to our Heavenly Father, 'Not as I will, but as thou wilt.' The faith to believe in the Lord and endure brings great strength. Some may say if we have enough faith, we can sometimes change the circumstances that are causing our trials and tribulations. Is our faith to change circumstances, or is it to endure them? Faithful prayers may be offered to change or moderate events in our life, but we must always remember that when concluding each prayer, there is an understanding: 'Thy will be done' (Matt. 26:42). Faith in the Lord includes trust in the Lord. The faith to endure well is faith based upon accepting the Lord's will and the lessons learned in the events that transpire....

"There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost."

- Robert D. Hales, "Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure," Ensign, May 1998, pp. 75-77
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It is sometimes a difficult challenge to maintain our perspective when we are enduring a burden in life. But Elder Hales points out that we must do more than just hang on, waiting for it to be over. Like the Savior, we should pray; sometimes that can result in burdens being lifted, and sometimes it can result in us being strengthened to bear the burden.

Sometimes the hardest thing is to remember that God may have a purpose; "not as I will, but as thou wilt" can be a hard prayer to offer with true sincerity. But always, "faith in the Lord includes trust in the Lord."

But always and forever, we must remember that we do not ever need to endure alone. This is a beautiful promise: