Thursday, May 10, 2018

3 Nephi 17:8 -- On Healing, and Faith in the Happy Ending

"For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you."
3 Nephi 17:8


In this chapter, Christ heals all of the Nephites that are brought to him to be healed.  It's an amazing scene, not of just a few people being healed as we often see in the New Testament, but everyone that was in need of healing.  Why the difference?  I think this verse makes it clear that the difference was in the faith of those in need of healing.

Sometimes in life we beg God for things that we need, like healing, and we sometimes get angry at him when it doesn't seem like we are being answered... but we also have a hard time truly trusting in him and believing that it will happen.  Knowing that faith is critical to the process, we have to take a step back and realize that sometimes what is getting in the way is our own doubt.

Today, let's work on our faith, and learn to trust God more.  ... While we work on it, though, let's not go to the other extreme and expect God to be a genie and grant all of our wishes.  It's important to remember that things have to be done his way and on his time.  Faith doesn't force God to comply with our desires.  Instead, it is complete confidence that things will work for our good, according to God's will, knowing that God can heal us and do any miracle to help us, but with the same trust that if he does not heal us or help us in the way that we expect, we will still stay faithful and do as he wills, because God always knows what he is doing, and is working for our happy ending, whether in this chapter or a future one.

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