Finding Peace in a Troubled World

One of the basic truths that I have been taught ever since I was a little girl is that I am a child of God. We are all spirit children of a Heavenly Father. He knows us intimately and loves us more than we can comprehend. He wants what is best for us not only in this life but also in the life to come. President Dieter F. Uchdorf said,

“God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Matter to Him”, Ensign, Nov 2011)

Before we came to earth all of us lived with our Heavenly Father as His spirit children. We loved Him and associated with Him. We wanted to become like Him. He presented a plan to us in which we would be able to do just that. It would be difficult, but we “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) when we heard it. We would be able to come down to earth, and obtain a body. We would have to learn to overcome the challenges we would face on earth, but knowing it would lead us to become like our Heavenly Father we were willing to face whatever hardships were required. Heavenly Father knew that we would sin so He prepared a Savior for us, even Jesus Christ our Elder Brother, to atone for us so that we could return to live with them after this life, if we would be true and faithful.

About our premortal life, Joseph Fielding Smith said,

“At one time we were in the presence of our Eternal Father. There is not a soul in this room, not one, that has not seen him. You do not remember it, I do not remember it, but nevertheless there was a time before we ever came into this world when we dwelt in his presence. We knew what kind of a being he is. One thing we saw was how glorious he is. Another thing, how great was his wisdom, his understanding, how wonderful was his power and his inspiration. And we wanted to be like him. And because we wanted to be like him, we are here. We could not be like him and stay in his presence, because we did not have glorious bodies of flesh and bones. We were just spirits, and the spirit does not have flesh and bones. But we saw him in his glory and it was made known to us that by keeping his commandments and observing every covenant that would be given to us on this earth, we could come back again into his presence, receiving our bodies in the resurrection from the dead—our spirits and bodies being united again, inseparably, never again to be divided.

“If we will just be true and faithful to every covenant, to every principle of truth that he has given us, then after the resurrection we would come back into his presence and we would be just like he is. We would have the same kind of bodies—bodies that would shine like the sun” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Take Heed to Yourselves!” p 345).

In the premortal realm not everyone chose to follow our Heavenly Father’s plan. Lucifer, later to be known as Satan, wanted to take away man’s agency. He wanted to force all of God’s children to obey so that they would return back to our Heavenly Father - but his asking price was the honor (or power) of God. In the book of Moses we read,

“And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

"But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

"And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:1-4)

Satan, and one-third part of the hosts of heaven who chose to follow him, were cast out of the presence of God down to this earth. They are here to tempt and to try us, but if we are true and faithful to the plan of our Father in Heaven, relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Father again.

Life, at times, may be difficult. It may be full of challenges, disappointment, heartache, and sorrow. At times it may also be difficult to understand the “why” of our challenges. And we may long for peace to our soul.

President Spencer W. Kimball explains a little about what we knew before we came here,

“We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies and experience and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we should die of disease, of accident, or of senility. We were willing to take life as it came and as we might organize and control it, and this without murmur, complaint, or unreasonable demands” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Faith Precedes the Miracle”, p 106).

We are here on earth to be tried and tested, to see if we will do what the Lord asks of us. Some may be tried with wealth and others with poverty; some with health and some with physical challenges. We will each be tested in the ways that will help us, each of us individually, prepare to return to our Heavenly Father again.

I love the words of President Uctdorf, as he reassures us:

“…please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Matter to Him”, Ensign, Nov 2011)

Understanding the plan of our Heavenly Father gives us greater insight into the suffering, hardship, trials, temptations and other challenges that we all face on this earth. Through understanding this Plan of Happiness we also know where we can turn to find peace.

I am reminded of the story of Jesus, when on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. There was a huge storm, and Jesus was asleep. The disciples were afraid and turned to the Savior for help. I want to read from the account in the Gospel of Mark:

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:37-39)

When we feel like our lives are being beaten upon and tossed about we need to remember that He can bring the same peace to our souls, if we but turn to him. We are reminded of coming to Him through the words of one of our Hymns,

“Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden,

Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed. 

He'll safely guide you unto that haven

Where all who trust him may rest.

"Come unto Jesus; He'll ever heed you,

Though in the darkness you've gone astray.

His love will find you and gently lead you

From darkest night into day.

"Come unto Jesus; He'll surely hear you, 

If you in meekness plead for his love. 

Oh, know you not that angels are near you

From brightest mansions above?

"Come unto Jesus from ev'ry nation, 

From ev'ry land and isle of the sea.

Unto the high and lowly in station,

Ever he calls, ‘Come to me.’"
(Hymns, "Come Unto Jesus")

As we learn more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can better understand how to find the peace that we so desperately need. In the March 2013 Ensign there is an article about the enabling power of the Atonement. A few of the quotes talk about turning to the Lord and allowing Him to carry our burdens, even day-to-day ones. "Although the trial may be hard and the relief may not be immediate, we need to learn to allow God to help carry our burdens. We can do this by turning to Him regularly to seek His enabling power" (Carolyn J. Rasmus, "The Enabling Power of the Atonement”, Ensign, Mar 2013).

I have actually tried this, and was amazed at the results. I was having a rough morning. It had been a long night, and my husband was still asleep, and I felt it was unfair that he got to sleep in while I was taking care of the kids. I felt really grouchy, and I remember realizing it. I didn't want to start the day off like that, nor make my kids have to deal with my grouchiness. So, I knelt down and asked the Lord if there was some way that through the atonement the negative feelings could be taken away, so that I could not be so grouchy, and for the sake of my kids. I remember a peace coming to my heart and mind, the feelings of unfairness and grouchiness were gone, and I remember being surprised at how immediate the response was!

Another part of the article talks about "relying" on the Atonement - not just for taking care of our sins, but actually giving us the power to do more than we are able to do. It tells about a lady who had to care for her husband with Alzheimer's. "There are times when the sadness is overwhelming. I get on my knees and plead, 'Please carry this for a while. I can't do this alone.' And I feel God's strength-strength enough to allow me to move forward one day at a time."

The Atonement is a gift available for all of us. Elder David A. Bednar said this about the power of the Atonement:

“Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities.

"…the Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us.

"There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.” (David A. Bednar, "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease”, Ensign, May 2014).

Jesus Christ paid the price for all of our sins. He therefore has “bought” our ever-accruing debt. As we do our best to keep his commandments, we come to learn that through our faith (shown by our obedience) and through our works (shown by our efforts) his grace is activated in our lives. And through his grace, the peace of the Savior can enter into our hearts.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27, emphasis added)

The Savior’s peace doesn’t mean that we will have an untroubled life. From the scriptures we know that the Savior did not. His peace means that we can have an inner peace, an inner assurance, despite the troubled world that surrounds us. His peace came from knowing who he was and why he was on this earth. He knew his purpose, and strived with everything he had to achieve it.

The Savior has said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Through our obedience we show our appreciation to the Savior for his atonement. As we “always remember Him”, shown through our obedience, we can “have His spirit to be with [us].” (Doctrine & Covenants 20:77) We can have clarity and peace of mind – despite the turbulent world that surrounds us; comfort within our soul that we are on the right path, and a deep abiding feeling in our heart that we are children of God and He knows the challenges we are facing, and will help us in his own time and in his own perfect way.

It is against the nature of God to force, and he will not force us to follow Him. He waits patiently for us to make the choice whether we will, or will not. The choice is ultimately up to us.

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins, and it is through the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost that we can receive the promised peace of the Savior. Peace comes through trusting in our Heavenly Father and the plan He has for each of us. It comes through trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer who accomplished the grueling atonement to give us the chance to turn to Him and be healed. May we live in such a way that the peace of the Spirit can always abide in our hearts.