Master, Carest Thou Not That We Perish?

Rembrandt's - Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee

I really love Rembrandt's depiction of Christ being asked to calm the storm of the Sea of Galilee. The vivid colors of the storm intertwined with the desperate acts of keeping the ship upright and together. You can see the panic and fear or their faces as the storm rises in impending doom. These men are accustomed to the sea, may are fisherman, they know what this storm means.

Certain Death.

And yet Christ sleeps. Even when his is wakened by his terrified servants his answer is steady and calm. It makes me wonder, did they wake him for use of his Godly power to calm the storm? Or in frustration that they needed every man to help their chances of survival by manning the boat? Or perhaps they had some Faith in Him, that he would do SOMETHING to relieve their dire circumstances. Perhaps some of the latter is true evidenced by their statement , "And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

And then a memory and an answer came to me. The most difficult question you ever have to answer is one you have asked yourself. And at that time I was asking it myself. The question came to me right before I left on my mission and was asked of me several more times on my mission, and still continues to be a question that is asked.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

A seriously difficult question isn't it? One that can be answered simply yet complexly. I believe all of our answers to difficult questions come that way. First answered simply in the beginning of our faith, like a child needing an answer to a complicated question. Then as we believe the answer given by God it opens our hearts to the next layer of the answer and our understanding deepens and expands. Giving more understanding to me that the more I learn the less I feel like I know! Especially as my knowledge and spiritual eye expands viewing before me the expanse of God, each level more expansive than the last, making me realize how much more there is to learn!

So my first and simple answer was this.

The answer is two fold.

That trial is given to you by God to build Godly characteristics. - Ether 12:27 "And I give unto men weakness that they may be made strong."

Some are consequences of others Godly gift of the freedom to choose. - 2 Nephi 10:23, "Remember that ye are free to act for yourselves - to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life."

That is it. That is the simple answer.

But in truth, that answer is usually only enough for those seeking for answer for others in pain. For those who are suffering and questioning God, " Carest Thou not that we perish?" a deeper yet still simple answer has been required.

First of all may I say any answer received by another person who has gone through the process of seeking for an answer themselves is limited. They can give you words, the spirit of God can confirm to you that they are true words of God. But in reality no answer from others can compare with the answer that comes from God after seeking for the answer yourself. In reality God wants you to come to Him and to teach you himself, he is the true and everlasting teacher, anyone else is giving you a second hand answer. Which hopefully leads you to humbly asking Him yourself. But there is nothing, and I repeat nothing, like receiving an answer to a most troubling life experience from the Almighty God who through the power of the Atonement of Christ has power to heal and guide through all difficulty. (This realization has also helped me when people come to me to tell me about their problem, I listen and validate, but unless they directly ask me a question, I offer no solution, and pray that the Holy Ghost will be their teacher as they talk.)

So onto the next layer of the answer.

Let me start with a quote.

‘They promised me in Primary, they promised me when I was a Mia Maid, they promised me from the pulpit that if I were very, very good, I would be blessed. But the boy I want doesn't know I exist, or the missionary I've waited for and kept chaste so we both could go to the temple turned out to be a flake,' or far worse things than any of the above. Sad things— children who are sick or developmentally handicapped. husbands who are not faithful, illnesses that can cripple, or violence, betrayals, hurts, deaths, losses—when those things happen, do not say God is not keeping his promises to me. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is resource in event of pain, and when that pain comes (and it will come because we came here on earth to have pain among other things), when it comes, rejoice that you have resource to deal with your pain.”

Carlfred Broderick, “The Uses of Adversity”

Somewhere along they way there became this idea ( probably from Satan) that as long as we were righteous everything would just work out, sure SOME pain may happen but surely not terrible unending suffering. I mean how could that be right? How could that be what God wants for us?

Take a moment and realize that Jesus Christ's mission on earth was not completed in setting up his Church and teaching the ordinances and doctrines. It was completed when he not only suffered for our sins, but when he was humiliated by others, and physically tortured.

Pain and suffering is part of life, a necessary part of life. A continuation of Ether 12:27 says, " And IF MEN COME unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble: and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me: for if they humble themselves before me, AND have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Wow huge key words in their. Let's personalize it just a little. I had a man on my mission sob and ask why his health was so terrible when he devoted his life to God and his brother who had turned from God had a life of ease. This scripture is an answer, lets use his trial for an example.

" And if Rick comes unto me I will show unto him his inability to cope with his health, (he was very aware of that). I give unto Rick his sickness that he may be humble: and my grace is sufficient for Rick that humbles himself before me: for if Rick humbles himself before me AND has faith in me, then will I make his inability to cope with his health become strong unto him."

So there are no promises that the trial will be removed or lessened, or that if he humbles and has faith that a miracle will happen and he will be healed. ( I do believe miracles can happen ) No, what the Lord says is that IF he humbles AND has Faith then God will make that ability strong in him.

Note we cannot get through this without him. Too often we plow through it without faith and humility. We can ask and he will increase our strength and ability to overcome NOT do away with, our trial. Trials rarely go away for a lifetime, but our ability to overcome them and move on can leave them in the background of life, instead of a blaring pain inflicted daily.

I find it interesting in the chapter in Mark right after Christ has calmed the sea, that it's the story of the man plagued with the Legion of unclean spirits. The man plagued has no control, the unclean spirits seem to give him superpowers even. " No man could bind him, no, not with chains. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any MAN tame him."

And Christ casts out the Legion into pigs.

Satan's power may be greater than man's but God's is ALWAYS more powerful than Satan's, ALWAYS. If we do not humble ourselves and have faith in Christ during our trial, tapping into his power to have our weak things made strong, then you are not only left to your own, but are left to Satan's binding power of hate, discouragement, despair, fear, even contentment. And no MAN can break out of that on his own, but God has all power over Satan and those feelings from him do not have to exist during your trial, but will if you do not do your part continually ESPECIALLY when it's the hardest, to come unto him.

So who are you when the storm comes?

Do you frantically jump around the boat on your own while it sinks trying to keep it afloat on your own?

Do you call out to God in your prayers in fear and despair " Carest though not that I perish?" - or Do something to get me through this! or Please help!

or

Do you humble yourself and in Faith do all you can do and listen in your prayers and seek to pray with your mind and will aligned with him?

Richard G Scott says, " Trust in the Lord." Just when all seemed to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are NOT consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get from where you are to were He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

Well said.

Unfortunately there are those around you who will sometimes believe that if you were just obedient then you would not have the trial your in, and you may me judged by others, leading to another difficulty in your trial. Yet this is where the humility comes in, because it is our PRIDE that has us care what others think instead of being centered on what the Lord thinks. And that pride can lead to actions to avoid judgement of others and caring more for what others think. And this leads me to the second reason.

Because of the free will of others.

We know through scripture that agency is a God given gift. That we all have the freedom to make the choices we want in our life. It is God's plan for us to use that agency continually in making choices that align us closer and closer to his mind and will so that we will be prepared to live the Godly laws of the Celestial Kingdom.

Unfortunately we all make mistakes. And some people blatantly don't care about others or God, or truly believe they are right. And the consequences not only affect them but others.

On my mission a woman asked me this question. " If God knows us so well why didn't he warn me not to marry my husband? He cheated on me and divorced me and now I am alone. Where is God in all of this? I prayed and asked God before we got married and his answer was yes. Why did this happen?"

Wow how do you answer that question?

First of all that is a question that needs to be answered between her and the Lord.

But second of all we all have free agency. Her husbands choice to cheat and leave and hurt her was his choice. It wasn't a choice she could make for him, and God cannot force us to make good choices. Everyone has the potential continually in them to turn to God or to Satan. At any moment we can fail. Any spouse or child or friend has that choice.

When she prayed to God I have no doubt that the answer she got was yes. But somewhere along the way he decided to make choices that took himself away from God and her. God is bound by his laws and cannot force someone against their will to shape up. I don't believe that God knows what we are going to do every little minute of every day of the rest of our lives. But I do believe he does know us so well that he knows what are responses will be, also knowing what would happen as we make bad choices. This way Satan can tempt us and we still have our free will. We all still have the choice to return to him. I'm sure there is potential in every relationship for one or the other or all to stray, this is why it is imperative to not only as a family have to same goals to eternal life, but it is imperative the whole way even if someone else falls, to not base your faith on another. I used to study and pray to help others, to be a better person for my future husband. And then one day after I was married I kind of woke up and realized, I need to be doing this for ME and my eternal salvation. And then as Jacob studies and prays on his own he does it for him. And then we come together and study and pray for us, and in the future, with our children.

This is the most painful reason of why bad things happen to good people. The pain of another's betrayal can rot you to your core and suck reason and life out of you. It can make you shake your fists at God for seemingly unanswered prayers. But as I have experienced betrayal personally I can testify that even though that persons actions did not change, in fact they got worse, and their actions toward me got worse. I did what the scripture asked and prayed and humbled myself asking forgiveness, and I testify that the power of God came into my life. The person continued to be even worse to me after they left, but that power that came enabled me to feel love and not despair, depression, or hate for that person. Just total love, and slowly because of that power, those pains have healed. It has taken 10 years but they healed. But that powerful feeling of love has never left in regards to that person. And their choices no longer affect me and my actions toward them are always out of love. It's amazing truly, a miracle for me.

When Christ calms the storm he doesn't pick up the boat and miraculously move them to a mountain top out of harms way. He doesn't increase the speed and get them to their destination faster. But the words he speaks are, " Peace be still." And a calm comes. Nothing can speed up us getting over our trials, and removing us from them would halt and purpose of God's plans in our life, but we have no need to fear, or ask God out of fear ( also manifested as anger) because as simple as it sounds, peace is what he gives and our soul can be calm in troubled waters.