The Light of Faith

I consider myself to be a very fortunate person in many ways. Like most of us I take for granted the many wonderful things that I enjoy in life. I marvel that the two eyes which I have give me so much for which I have to be grateful.

With these eyes I have seen many different countries. I have seen great mountains and beautiful valleys. I have seen rivers and oceans and many lakes. I have seen colourful plants and ornate trees. I have seen the delicate and sensitive nature of flowers and the rough and jagged edges of a cliff. I have seen beautiful blue skies and I have seen miraculous cloud formations both from the earth and from aircraft high in the skies.

I have seen massive chunks of thick ice broken up on the sea as I have travelled between two countries by boat during the winter when the seas were frozen. I have seen many beautiful moments when the first signs of spring have brought alive the growth of new green grass and marvellous summers when flowers and trees are in full bud and show off their bloom. I have seen the falling snow rest on the branches of trees. I have seen little birds fly from place to place. I have seen squirrels run and climb trees and hares romp across gardens. I have seen lazy cats sleeping peacefully and dogs waving their tails in happiness as they meet old friends.

We take for granted so much that we can enjoy in life - even to the point where the miraculous appears to be quite ordinary.

But just think what we would miss if instead of light there was darkness! All of the things that we perceive with our natural eyes would be hidden from us. Without light we would be blind. We would have to use our arms or a stick to feel our way or just to sit down or a guide dog to lead us where we want to go. We would have to listen for the sounds of the birds or the scampering of animals and imagine in our mind what they would look like. And there would be so many strange noises that we could not identify and dangers that we could not see.

Without the sight of our natural eyes we would have to learn to see our world in other ways with the aid of our other physical senses.

When Alma went to teach the Zoramites he spoke to them of faith and how to gain a knowledge of things that they could not see with their natural eyes. He taught them that the exercise of faith, even as small as a seed, would enable them to see and understand spiritual truths. Comparing the process to the planting of a seed he explained that just as a good seed, if it is planted and nurtured will sprout and grow so too will the seed of faith when it is sewn in the heart. By the exercise of faith it can be seen that the seed begins to grow and is a good seed: He taught "And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in this thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye know also that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore you must know that it is good.." Alma 32 v 34-35.

Just as we need light to be able to perceive our physical environment and become acquainted with it, so we need spiritual light to be able to perceive and understand things that are spiritual. Just as we become acquainted with our physical world through physical experience using our physical senses so we can become acquainted with things that are spiritual only through the spiritual sense or by obtaining spiritual light.

Jesus taught: " I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8 v 12.

In modern day revelation we are instructed: "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man who cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father." D&C 84 v 45-47. Further he tells us: "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." D&C 50 v 24.

Here we obtain several great keys of knowledge about things of the Spirit. Firstly, that it is only by faith in Christ that we can obtain spiritual light, that he is the source of spiritual light, that by receiving light, by application of it and obedience to it we shall receive more light and that finally this light will bring us back into the presence of God, our Father and also his Son Jesus Christ.

Just as when we are in complete darkness we cannot see our physical world, so, without faith in Christ we cannot see or understand the things of God. To obtain the Spirit of God so that we can be enlightened by it and receive the light of Christ we must be freely willing to exercise faith, not that which comes from constraint or compulsion, but of a willing heart. As Alma taught, "..."even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until you believe in a manner to give place for a portion of my words." Alma 32 v 27.

This is not to say that we should be willing to believe everything that we are told for it is also true that sincerity of belief does not establish the truth of a principle, only an irrefutable witness can do that - a witness that comes to the mind and heart of any one who is willing to exercise faith in Christ - a witness that comes by the power of the Holy Ghost.

The exercise of faith in Christ that leads us to receive the light of spiritual truth begins when we make room in our hearts to believe in the eternal truths of God and when we desire and promise to live in accordance with divine truth when it is revealed to us. We cannot trifle with things that are sacred. All that comes from God is sacred. We must be willing to let go of those things in our lives that keep us from receiving the Spirit of God. Which of us who are seeking in a dark room for things that we urgently need would not rather replace the tiny matchstick we hold for a bright lamp to illuminate the place we are looking in? Of course, we all would give up the matchstick for the lamp. So too we must be prepared to give up our futile attempts to understand divine wisdom by intellectual reasoning and study alone.

When we understand how the principle of faith works we can begin to examine the words of the prophets of God. The Apostle Peter wrote that: "...no prophecy of the scriptures is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1 v 20-21. And, the prophet Moroni wrote that "...by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." Moroni 10 v 5. He challenges us and invites us to try the promise of God by making an experiment of faith, just as did Alma. His invitation is simple.

When we receive the revealed word of God to his prophets we should ponder it in our hearts. We should consider how these scriptures testify that God has acted at all times throughout the history of mankind out of his love for the benefit and blessing of man and after doing so we should pray and ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are true. He promises that if we will do so with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10 v 3-4).

During his mortal ministry Jesus taught that: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you." Matt. 17 v 20. Because God loves each of us his children we can trust in his promises. We can be sure that he will answer our sincere prayers of faith, even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed which is one of the smallest seeds known to man. Sometimes he will answer us immediately. Sometimes he may try our faith and see if we are truly determined and we may have to wait. Sometimes we must persevere until we receive an answer.

Jesus taught: "Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: Matt 7 v 7-8. He continued: "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.". As if to emphasise this point he taught that if a man has a friend whose friends come from afar to visit him and if he has nothing to offer them and he goes to his neighbour to ask for food for his visitors, even at midnight, when his neighbour and his children are in bed, yet even so his neighbour will arise and give him what he needs regardless of the time because he is a true friend in need. So too he invites us to believe in the promises of God to respond to our sincere needs.

Why should we trust in God to hear our prayers and answer them? To the prophet Moses he said: "....behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1. v 39.

The life of God is a life of fulfilment. It is a life of joy and happiness. He possesses all knowledge and he has all power over all things. As he told Moses: "...worlds without number have I created" and, " there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man, but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them." And again: "And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words." Moses 1 v 35, 37-38. God, who is our eternal Father, the father of our spirits desires to share all that he has with us who are his children.

He desires our happiness and the fulfilment of our lives so that we may inherit the fullness of joy that he enjoys. All this we may have if we will exercise faith in his Son Jesus Christ, follow his example and live according to his teachings. As we do so and remain faithful to Him we shall develop the same characteristics of divinity that he possesses and we shall become more like him. As the Apostle John recorded in his first epistle, chapter 2 verse 5: "...whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." And he continues in chapter 3 verse 2: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

God. our Father has prepared a way for us to become like him and for us to become one with Him. Faith in Jesus Christ is the way. He is our light. The prophet Nephi taught: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." 2 Nephi 31 v 20. And he continues: And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God." v 21.

References to quotations from Alma, Nephi and Moroni, are taken from the Book of Mormon. References to the D&C are taken from revelations given in modern times to the prophet Joseph Smith and which are compiled in the book titled The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. References to quotations from Moses are taken from the Pearl of Great Price, extracts of divinely revealed translations of the Book of Genesis. Other references are taken from the Holy Bible (King James Version).