President James E. Faust on the Lord's love and awareness of our challenges

President James E. Faust (1920 - 2007) was called as a Seventy in 1976, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve in 1978. He served as a counselor to President Hinckley from 1995 until his death in 2007 at age 87.

"Remember, the Lord has said, 'The very hairs of your head are all numbered' unto the Father. 'Fear ye not therefore' (Matt. 10:30-31). He knows us, He loves us, and He knows our needs. He will comfort us if we will only trust in Him and His goodness and wisdom.

"There are many things that we cannot change. We all have difficulties and disappointments. But often these turn out to be opportunities. The Lord can measure how strong we are by how we handle these difficulties in our lives. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, 'Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good' (D&C 122:7).

"Sometimes the Lord allows us to have trials to shape us into productive servants. In our desire to achieve, we often fail to see that the Lord is trying to prune us away from false pride and vain ambition so He can teach us discipleship. His all-seeing eye is over us and ever watching us as our Eternal Heavenly Parent. When trials come, as surely they will to all of us during mortality, let us not sink into the abyss of self-pity but remember who is at the helm, that He is there to guide us through all the storms of life."

- James E. Faust, "Be Not Afraid," Ensign, October 2002, pp. 2-6
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Can we trust and believe that "difficulties and disappointments" in our lives will "often... turn out to be opportunities"? That's one of those propositions that we might believe as we consider it from the vantage point of safety and comfort, but that almost always seems to be forgotten when we're in the midst of the actual trials. We have to learn to believe that the consolation offered to Joseph Smith applies to us as well—these things will give us experience and be for our good.

The key, as always, is how we respond to the challenges that will certainly come. As we grow in faith in the Savior and His plan, we will understand there is meaning and purpose in those trials.

d(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
February 8, 2016