We often strive to have faith for things we wish to happen, but do we also have faith that things happen for a reason even when they might not be what we want?
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado
Faith is a foundational principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ; it’s something we’ve been taught since Primary. There we were taught that the first principle of the gospel is faith in Jesus Christ. Although we may have faith in Christ, we also need to have faith in God’s plan for us—even when it’s not what we want or when we want it.
In “Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing,” Elder David A. Bednar tells a story of a man named John who had cancer. John and his wife had strong faith that the Lord would heal him. They asked Elder Bednar to give John a priesthood blessing in the hospital. But before Elder Bednar gave the blessing, he asked John, “Do you have the faith not to be healed?”
How often do we have faith in a desired outcome in our own lives versus having faith in God’s plan no matter the end result? Elder Bednar says, “Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted.”
Having faith is more than believing in things that you want to happen. It’s having complete trust in the Lord and his timing and knowing that whatever happens as a result of our faith, whether we desire it or not, is a part of his plan. Having complete faith in God is knowing and accepting that he knows better than we do. If we strive to develop faith in God’s plan for us, we can receive blessings that are greater than we thought possible.
Learn more about the importance of God’s plan for you in Elder David A. Bednar’s full article, “Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing.”
Source: Liahona
—Kenzie Holbrook, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY PABLO HEIMPLATZ
Find more insights
Check out Shannon Volmar’s article “Trusting in the Lord’s Timing” to learn more about how God always fulfills his promises.
Read President Dallin H. Oaks’s BYU Devotional “Timing” to learn about how others’ agency can sometimes influence the timing of God’s plan for us.