The Will of the Father

As I was reading in the Book of Mormon last night, I came across a scripture that many people are probably already aware of.  It is 3 Nephi 11:11.  In this chapter, the righteous people have gathered at the temple in Bountiful.  They have been talking about all of the things that have recently taken place in the land (since the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior).  While they are talking, they hear a voice.  They don’t understand it at first.  But the 3^rd time, after they have looked to the voice and taken the time to really listen, they understand what it says.  It is Heavenly Father announcing His son, who descends to the temple.  Then Christ testifies of Himself and of His divine mission.  In verse 11 He says, “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”

Now, as I was sitting in my room alone last night, looking back on yet another failed relationship, and feeling a little frustrated, and more than a little lonely, I thought about that last sentence.  He suffered the will of the Father in all things.  I had a few moments of self-reflection. I asked myself, “Do I suffer the will of the Father in all things?”  And I think I do.  But I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I don’t always feel like I have much choice in the matter.  His will is going to happen no matter what, so don’t I have to suffer His will?  But then I realized that, yes, I do suffer the will of the Father, but sometimes I S.U.F.F.E.R. the will of the Father, all the while making sure that other people, and the Lord, know just how much I am suffering His will in my life.

By that I mean that while I do accept the will of the Father, most of the time I don’t do it happily.  Unless, of course, my will happens to be in line with His will.  Then I am all for it.  It just seems to me sometimes that in the most major things in my life, the things I care the most about, my will is hardly ever in line with His will at first.  And I end up suffering a lot more than I would if I could just get my will in line with His from the very beginning.  I fight it so hard sometimes.  And make myself miserable in the process.

Helaman 10:4-5 talk about Nephi, who is the prophet at the time.  He is feeling very weighed down because of the wickedness of his people.  As he is walking, he hears a voice that praises him for declaring the word of God boldly and bravely, and for keeping the commandments.  Then verse 5 says, “And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.”  Nephi was promised that no matter what he asked, it would be done according to his will.  How cool is that!  But here is the kicker:  he will get whatever he asks, because the Lord knows that everything he asks for will be what the Lord wills already.  How in the world does one get to that point?  The point where their every will is in line with the will of the Father?

There has only been one time in my life where I feel like I experienced anything even close to this.  It was when I was serving a mission.  Toward the end of my mission, I hardly ever had to try and figure out if the thoughts I was having were my thoughts or the Lord’s thoughts.  My thoughts were the Lord’s thoughts.  I had such faith that I would get whatever I wanted because everything I wanted was already what the Lord desired, too.  What an amazing time that was.  But then, I came home.  And now I am struggling to get back to that point.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave a fabulous talk entitled "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father"where he details what it means to really consecrate one’s life and one’s will to the service of God.  After reading that talk, and reflecting on my own experience on my mission, I have realized a few ways I can improve and bring my will more in line with His.

1.  I need to make sure that my desires are where they should be.  Elder Maxwell said, “Actually, everything depends—initially and finally—on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God (see D&C 4:3). God can “educate our desires” (see Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 297). Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the “thoughts and intents of [our] hearts” (Mosiah 5:13).  The end rule is “according to [our] desires … shall it be done unto [us]” (D&C 11:17), “for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:5; D&C 6:20, 27). One’s individual will thus remains uniquely his. God will not override it nor overwhelm it. Hence we’d better want the consequences of what we want!”

2.  I need to pray to have my will in line with His.  In the Bible Dictionary under prayer it says, “Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.  The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.”  See the whole text here.

3.  I need to stop being so selfish!  As a missionary, my every thought, my every action, was on behalf of someone else.  I was served other people.  I prayed for other people.  I studied for other people.  When we think of others more than we think of ourselves, we don’t have time to worry about whether or not the things in our lives are going as we had planned.  We are more grateful for the blessings we have received at the Lord’s hand.  So, I need to find other ways to serve.

Along with that, Elder Maxwell said, "So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (see Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is not giving up self, but selfish things—like our roles, our time, our preeminence, and our possessions. No wonder we are instructed by the Savior to lose ourselves (see Luke 9:24). He is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new self. It is not a question of one’s losing identity but of finding his true identity! Ironically, so many people already lose themselves anyway in their consuming hobbies and preoccupations but with far, far lesser things."

4.  I need to go back to keeping a gratitude journal.  I did this for many years, but have gotten out of the habit of it.  I think that will help so much because when I realize how many blessings I have in my life, I think I will discover that the Lord’s will for me has not been so bad, after all.

In conclusion, Elder Maxwell counseled, “Progression toward submission confers another blessing: an enhanced capacity for joy. Counseled President Brigham Young, “If you want to enjoy exquisitely, become a Latter-day Saint, and then live the doctrine of Jesus Christ” (in Journal of Discourses, 18:247)…Then, the more one’s will is thus “swallowed up,” the more his afflictions, rather than necessarily being removed, will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38).” 

Here’s to finding more joy!