I have been pondering on the scripture from Hebrews 11:1 which says "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The Joseph Smith Translation changes the word "substance" to "assurance." This small change makes this scripture more understandable to me. I have had many times in my life when I have felt that assurance that all would be well as I had hoped. I remember times when one or more of my children didn't come home when they were supposed to, or I didn't know where they were. As I prayed for them, I felt the spirit assuring me that they were okay, that all was well with them. And when they got home, we discovered it to be true. All was well.
I have felt that assurance when I needed to do something I didn't feel comfortable doing, such as visiting someone I didn't know, teaching a lesson or giving a talk. It was that assurance from the Spirit that gave me the courage to do what I needed to do. So the hope I had that all would be well, and that the Lord would help me, caused me to pray for that outcome which turned into faith, which was the assurance that my hope would be realized. It became the evidence of things not seen.
A few years ago someone wrote a blogpost entitled "Faith is a Fallacy." I didn't like the title of this blogpost, but their reasoning was very thought provoking and caused me to again think about my own faith and why I have faith in God. I knew I had many good reasons for having faith in God and so I started listing them.
One thing that helps me have faith is that I feel God's spirit with me most of the time. When I'm in need of His spirit, it only takes a few seconds before I feel His guidance and comforting influence. He is with me and I know it. I can't SEE Him, but I FEEL Him. It has taken me many years to get to the point where I can feel Him so often in my life. I'm glad I didn't give up long ago.
Another thing that has strengthened my faith is The Book of Mormon. It is a powerful testament of Jesus Christ. All of the prophets in the book testify of Him. It even verifies and clarifies what we know from the Old Testament and New Testament about Jesus Christ. He appeared to the Book of Mormon people and did much of what it says he did in the New Testament. I have read all of the writings and arguments that try to dissuade people from believing in the Book of Mormon and have found that they really don't hold up under scrutiny.
I could go on and on listing reasons for my faith, but the most compelling one for me is the assurance by the Spirit of the truth of this beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. It gives me the peace, comfort and joy to know that all of my children will be okay. They all have different missions in life and are all learning the particular lessons they need to strengthen them so that they can fulfill their missions in the best way they possibly can. God sees everything that will happen and will intervene as necessary for their eternal good. The heartache, sorrow and disappointment in this life are just a moment in time, and in the end, I know they will all be okay. I have that assurance, and through experience, I know I can trust in the Lord, that His promises through the Spirit are sure. God is real. He loves us so very much and will not require us to go through any more sorrow than is necessary for our eternal growth and well being.
I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am grateful for his willingness to go through all that He did in order to help us be able to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and be able to dwell with them both for eternity. I am grateful for that hope and the assurance that it is true.
