In the thirteenth chapter of his book Divine Signatures, Gerald N. Lund asked: ‘What can I do to have more faith and a stronger testimony?”
He then shared a quote from Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. . . “Some individuals may discount or dismiss in their personal lives the availability of the tender mercies of the Lord, believing that “I certainly am one who never has been or ever will be chosen.” We may falsely think that such blessings or gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us. . . . Each of us can have eyes to see clearly and ears to hear distinctly the tender mercies of the Lord as they strengthen and assist us in these latter days.
Brother Lund goes on to say. . . We began this book with the first lines of a Primary song: . . . . “Heavenly Father, are you really there? Do you hear and answer every child’s prayer?” It is a question that even the faithful sometimes ask. It is a yearning, a pleading for assurance, for confirmation and affirmation.
We live in difficult times. We live in a world where the paradox of life is ever present. Joy is tempered by sorrow; sickness limits health; evil battles good; virtue is drown out by vice. Life is hard. Like the endless grinding of the threshing sled, it wears us down, wrings us out, drains us dry. The particularly perilous times in which we live only complicate our passage through this “vale of sorrow” (Alma 37:45) and the lone and dreary world.”
We have said the antidote for all of this is to strengthen our faith and deepen our testimony. No question. This is the cure for doubt. This is the answer to confusion. This is the bedrock that allows us to build so that we can weather the raging storms of life.
But while it is true, it is still too general. The question is how? This is especially important for those who are struggling. If we are not careful we can give what seems to be circular answers. For example, “If we are consumed by doubt, where do we find faith to sweep away doubt? To a person who isn’t even sure God is there, we have to be careful that we don’t say something like, “If you don’t have a testimony, then you need a stronger testimony.” That is not only unhelpful, it can be downright maddening.
What we want to do is come through these difficult times and keep our balance. To do that we must have strong faith and a deep testimony. And that is the question: How do we strengthen faith and deepen testimony, especially in times of trial?
What about repentance? Humility? Inspiration? Prayer? Scripture study? Considering how many things there are in the gospel that……………………….we could find One of the greatest difficulties of trying to accomplish something through faith and prayer is to really believe it will happen. Doubt and fear are so powerful that they can sometimes dissuade you from starting the endeavor in the first place, or when you get started they can motivate you to quit. ~Gerald N. Lund, Confirming the Hand of God (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), chapter 13
