“Our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God.”
Photo by Torsten Dederichs
When we look around at our modern world, we may feel like things are falling apart. War is raging, institutions are crumbling, and societies are dividing. And yet, despite all this chaos in the world, we are taught that everything will work out in the end. So that begs the question, Why do we feel so anxious about the current state of affairs?
In a devotional for young adults titled “A Future Filled with Hope,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Sister Patricia T. Holland offer a reminder about our anxiety: “Our hearts will always be restless until they rest in God.” In other words, our restlessness is a symptom of something greater. With a hope rooted in God’s promises, we can hope to overcome our existential worries. As Elder Holland explains, hope is not a magic wand but rather a gift—one we can ask for in “meekness and lowliness of heart.”
We can’t expect to solve all of the world’s problems, but we can develop an unconquerable hope for the future. More importantly, we can take that hope and share it with those who are caught in a spiral of hopelessness. As we serve God’s children, we can remind them that there is much to hope for, including the eternal promises of our loving Heavenly Father.
Throughout history, faithful saints have tethered their hope not to worldly aspirations but to eternal promises. As we incorporate hope into our lives, we show God that we trust him more than we fear the chaos of the world around us. Wars won’t stop raging, institutions won’t stop crumbling, and societies won’t stop dividing, but God’s eternal promises aren’t going anywhere. He will bless us with peace during these storms if we place our hope in him.
Read and watch Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s and Sister Patricia T. Holland’s full devotional “A Future Filled with Hope” to learn more about the importance and power of hope.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Caleb Williams, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY THOMAS COLE
Find more insights
Want to learn what God has taught us about enduring hope? Read what Isaiah has to say about hope here.
Study more about hope in the Latter-day Saint Insights article titled “And Yet, Hope Persists.”