Everything they had and wanted was in Jerusalem, and yet Lehi was prompted to flee.

One verse in particular that stood out was after Lehi had told his sons to return to the city so they could retrieve brass plates from Laban. Laman and Lemuel wanted to give up when they realized the danger involved, but Nephi was devoted to the mission.

“But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.” (1 Nephi 3:15)

Nephi knew that his father was a prophet, and because of that, he trusted him. He was able to exercise faith and ultimately succeeded in obtaining the plates.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

Fast forward over 600 years and we see another example of complete trust in a father, this time by Jesus.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)

Just a couple verses later, we learn why Jesus uttered those words.

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)

I am so grateful that he continued on and accomplished the Atonement. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we all can overcome sin and death and return to Heavenly Father’s presence.

And, it should be noted, Jesus wasn’t left alone in Gethsemane. He was blessed for his willingness to do what was necessary. Luke 22:43 says, “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.”

What we may be asked to do to demonstrate our trust in Heavenly Father — the father of all our spirits — may pale in comparison to those examples, but they could nevertheless be extremely challenging. Throughout my life, I have learned that when I trust Heavenly Father and align my will to his, I have increased peace and happiness. When I don’t, I’m much more susceptible to dread and discouragement. Trusting Heavenly Father has allowed me to have confidence that there is an eternal reality, and though things may not go the way I would like in this short time in mortality, all can work out in the best way possible.

“Trusting Our Father” was the name of an address given by Elder David P. Homer, a member of the Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during the October 2024 general conference of the church.

From Elder Homer’s talk, we learn that although trusting God isn’t always easy, with faith, and time, we can receive understanding and we will be blessed.

To start his talk, Elder Homer discussed a historical account that shows the result of exercising faith during a difficult time.

“On June 1, 1843, Addison Pratt left Nauvoo, Illinois, to preach the gospel in the Hawaiian islands, leaving his wife, Louisa Barnes Pratt, to care for their young family.

“In Nauvoo, as persecutions intensified, forcing the saints to leave, and later at Winter Quarters as they prepared to migrate to the Salt Lake Valley, Louisa faced the decision of whether to make the journey. It would have been easier to stay and to wait for Addison to return than to travel alone.

“On both occasions, she sought guidance from the prophet, Brigham Young, who encouraged her to go. Despite the great difficulty and her personal reluctance, she successfully made the journey each time.

“Initially, Louisa found little joy in traveling. However, she soon began to welcome the green prairie grass, colorful wildflowers and patches of ground along the riverbanks. ‘The gloom on my mind wore gradually away,’ she recorded, ‘and there was not a more mirthful woman in the whole company.’

“Louisa’s story has deeply inspired me. I admire her willingness to set aside her personal preferences, her ability to trust God and how exercising her faith helped her to see the situation differently.

“She has reminded me that we have a loving father in heaven, who cares for us wherever we are, and that we can trust him more than anyone or anything else.”

I wonder what Louisa would have said if someone told her before the journeys started that there would not be “a more mirthful woman in the whole company” than her. I wonder if she would have scoffed. That was definitely not her attitude at the start. But her mindset changed because she trusted God, whose prophet was Brigham Young, and exercised faith to follow the counsel given to her. As we think about the things that God might require us to trust him on that might upset us, we would do well to think of Louisa’s example. We may not like it initially, but if we exercise faith, our dispositions will change. We will learn to see the situation differently.

Elder Homer continued:

“God trusts us to make many important decisions, and in all matters he asks us to trust him. (2 Nephi 4:34) This is especially difficult when our judgment or public opinion differs from his will for his children.

“Some suggest that we should redraw the lines between what is right and what is wrong because they say that truth is relative, reality is self-defined or God is so generous that he does not actually care about what we do.

“As we seek to understand and accept God’s will, it is helpful to remember that the boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define. God has established these boundaries himself, based on eternal truths for our benefit and blessing.

“The desire to change God’s eternal truth has a long history. It started before the world began, when Satan rebelled against God’s plan, seeking selfishly to destroy human agency. (Moses 4:3) Following this pattern, people like Sherem, Nehor and Korihor have argued that faith is foolish, revelation is irrelevant and whatever we want to do is right. (Jacob 7:7; Alma 1:4; 30:13-18; 23-28) Sadly, so very often these deviations from God’s truth have led to great sorrow.

“While some things may depend on context, not everything does. President Russell M. Nelson has consistently taught that God’s saving truths are absolute, independent and defined by God himself.”

Many people spend much time trying to pressure The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into changing boundaries to reflect what the world currently considers right and wrong. As I try and put myself in the mind of these people, I imagine they think that there truly would be a greater good served by the church giving some ground. Yet I know that if they would exercise faith and trust Heavenly Father, their mindset would change, like Louisa’s did. They would go from actively opposing God’s standards to actually understanding them and being at peace with them. And for hypothetical sake, let’s just imagine a church that did change boundaries according to the will of the people and that there was no eternal standard. Would you really want to belong to a church like that? I want to follow a perfect and unchanging God because I know I can rely on him. It’s interesting that people want God’s laws to change according to societal trends, but yet a god who did change his laws according to societal trends would be a god people wouldn’t be able to trust. We’re asked to trust God, and he shows us that he can be trusted precisely because he has eternal, unchanging laws.

“Whom we choose to trust is one of life’s important decisions,” Elder Homer said. “King Benjamin instructed his people, ‘Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom … ; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.’ (Mosiah 4:9)

“Fortunately, we have the scriptures and guidance from living prophets to help us understand God’s truth. If clarification beyond what we have is needed, God provides it through his prophets. And he will respond to our sincere prayers through the Holy Ghost as we seek to understand truths we do not yet fully appreciate.

“Elder Neil L. Andersen once taught that we should not be surprised ‘if at times [our] personal views are not initially in harmony with the teachings of the Lord’s prophet. These are moments of learning,’ he said, ‘of humility, when we go to our knees in prayer. We walk forward in faith, trusting in God, knowing that with time we will receive more spiritual clarity from our Heavenly Father.’

“At all times, it is helpful to remember Alma’s teaching that God gives his word according to the attention and effort we devote to it. If we heed God’s word, we will receive more; if we ignore his counsel, we will receive less and less until we have none. (Alma 12:9-11) This loss of knowledge does not mean that the truth was wrong; rather, it shows that we have lost the capacity to understand it.” (Alma 32:38-39)

Do we want to learn? Do we ultimately want to receive “more spiritual clarity from Heavenly Father?” This is possible for everyone who struggles to accept God’s truths.

“In Capernaum, the savior taught about his identity and mission,” Elder Homer said. “Many found his words difficult to hear, leading them to turn their backs and ‘[walk] no more with him.’ (John 6:60, 66)

“Why did they walk away?

“Because they did not like what he said. So, trusting their own judgment, they walked away, denying themselves blessings that would have come had they stayed.

“It is easy for our pride to come between us and eternal truth. When we don’t understand, we can pause, let our feelings settle and then choose how to respond. The savior urged us to ‘look unto [him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36) When we focus on the savior, our faith can start to overcome our concerns.

“As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf encouraged us to do: ‘Please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.’

“As the disciples walked away from the savior that day, he then asked the twelve, ‘Will ye also go away?’

“Peter answered:

“‘Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

“‘And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God.’ (John 6:67-69)

“Now, the apostles lived in the same world, and they faced the same social pressures as the disciples who walked away. However, in this moment, they chose their faith and trusted God, thus preserving blessings God gives to those who stay.

“Perhaps you, like me, sometimes find yourself on both sides of this decision. When we find it difficult to understand or embrace God’s will, it is comforting to remember that he loves us as we are, wherever we are. And he has something better for us. If we reach out to him, he will assist us.

“While reaching out to him can be difficult, just as the father who sought healing for his son was told by the savior, ‘All things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) In our moments of struggle, we too can cry out, ‘Help thou [my] unbelief.'” (Mark 9:24)

As I’m sure most parents will understand, it is easier to give a child the things that they want if they are obedient and determined to do things the right way. You see their effort and you are compelled to bless them for it. Why would it be any different in our relationship with our Heavenly Father? If we trust him and are obedient, always striving to do things his way, then we receive more blessings. It naturally follows, then, that the less we follow his ways and do what he wants, the less we receive.

Doctrine and Covenants 130 explains perfectly the relationship between obedience and knowledge and blessings.

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

“And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated–

“And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-21)

Continued Elder Homer:

“Elder Neal A. Maxwell once taught that ‘the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.’ No wonder King Benjamin was so eager that his people become ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.’ (Mosiah 3:19)

“As always, the savior set the perfect example for us. With a heavy heart, and knowing the painful work he had to do, he submitted to his father’s will, fulfilling his messianic mission and opening the promise of eternity to you and me. (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18-19)

“The choice to submit our will to God’s is an act of faith that lies at the heart of our discipleship. In making that choice, we discover that our agency is not diminished; rather, it is magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who brings purpose, joy, peace and hope we can find nowhere else. (Acts 5:32; Galatians 3:2; Jarom 1:4; Alma 32:28; Mormon 9:25; Ether 4:11)

“Several months ago, a stake president and I visited a sister in his stake and her young adult son. After years away from the church, wandering difficult and unfriendly paths, she had returned. During our visit, we asked her why she had come back.

“‘I had made a mess of my life,’ she said, ‘and I knew where I needed to be.’

“I then asked her what she had learned in her journey.

“With some emotion, she shared that she had learned that she needed to attend church long enough to break the habit of not coming and that she needed to stay until it was where she wanted to be. Her return was not easy, but as she exercised faith in the father’s plan, she felt the spirit return.

“And then she added, ‘I have learned for myself that God is good and that his ways are better than mine.'”

If we look back again at Nephi, Nephi learned for himself that his father was a prophet.

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.” (2 Nephi 2:16)

Like Nephi, we can all learn for ourselves what is right and what is wrong if we act in faith, and as we act in faith, we will overcome whatever concerns we may have.

Concluding his remarks, Elder Homer said:

“I bear witness of God, our eternal father, who loves us; of his son, Jesus Christ, who saved us. They know our hurts and challenges. They will never forsake us and know perfectly how to succor us. We can be of good cheer as we trust them more than anyone or anything else. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.