“In your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19). One of the variations of “possess” in this scripture means “win mastery over”. I believe that through patience we can “[win mastery over our] souls” and with hope look forward to receiving help from our Savior. Patience and hope go hand-in-hand. In “After the Fourth Day“, Elder W. Mark Bassett discusses how we can have both patience and hope as we wait on the Savior to help us with our problems.
The Loss of Hope
In his address, Elder Bassett relates the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. A significant part of this account is that Lazarus had lain in the tomb four days. To the Jews, this would have meant that Lazarus’s spirit had departed and his body would be decaying back into the dust from which it was formed. It would also mean that any hope of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead would have been lost.
Losing hope is one of the hardest things we can go through. I have experienced that loss in my life several times. In the fall of 2020, my job was eliminated at the company for which I had worked 20 years. In January of 2021, I started the process of finding a new job. After a few months of searching, having interviews, being rejected and ghosted, I was losing hope.
In both the story of Lazarus and my own story losing hope was not the end, nor did it mean a favorable outcome would not occur. I do believe, however, that losing hope helps one to become even more humble and turn to the Lord.
Come and See My Problem
Mary and Martha expressed to the Lord that had he been there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. Jesus then asked them “Where have ye laid him?” and they answered “Come and see” (John 11:34).
When I read this in Elder Bassett’s address, the first question that came to my mind was “Do we invite the Lord to ‘come and see’ where our problems lie?” I thought about how the Lord wants us to come to Him with our problems and show them to Him. This is a significant part of showing hope and patience.
When we bring our problems to the Lord, we are showing Him our vulnerabilities. This in turn creates humility. It also shows that our trust is in Him. It doesn’t mean that He will instantly fix our problems, but it does mean we are partnering up with the Master Problem Solver.
As I approached my fourth and fifth month of searching for a job, I began to bring my problems to the Lord on a more frequent basis. I would look at the list of companies I had applied to and prayed about how I was not getting the results I desired. The Lord didn’t solve this problem right away and for that I was, eventually, grateful.
Responsibility for Doing
As we continue reading the account of Lazarus, we see that whatever the disciples of Jesus could do he asked them. For instance, Jesus had them remove the stone from the sepulcher, Lazarus arose from his bed and came to the opening, and the disciples loosed Lazarus from the grave clothes he had been placed in. Each of these actions could have been miraculously performed by the Savior. However, they weren’t.
I believe that we have to do what we can do and then the Savior can do only what he can do. Elder Bassett states, “My impression is that the Savior expects us to do all we can do, and He will do what only He can do.” The footnote attached to this quote is:
President Russell M. Nelson remarked: “Often, my counselors and I have watched through tear-brimmed eyes as He has interceded in extremely challenging circumstances after we had done our best and could do no more. We do indeed stand all amazed”
“Welcome Message,” Liahona, May 2021, 6
I know that had I not done my research, utilized the tools provided me, and worked with various people, I would not have been blessed to find a job. I had to do the things I could do and allow the Lord to do the things only He could do.
He Will Always Come
In the telling of Lazarus being raised from the dead, Jesus delayed a few days. This could have been very disheartening to Mary and Martha. They may have even wondered if Jesus would come at all. In fact, when He did come, they lamented that He came too late. However, Jesus did come and He will always come. Every believer in Him must develop that feeling. There is nothing more comforting than knowing that your Savior will always come. Elder Bassett puts it this way:
“My witness and testimony are that as we move forward with faith in Jesus Christ, the fourth day will always come. He will always come to our aid or to raise our hopes back to life. He has promised:
‘Let not your heart be troubled’
‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you’” (John 14:1, 18)
How did the Lord come to me during my job hunt? I had an interview with a company that I thought was going fairly well. However, the last question asked of me in my interview was “What is the difference between a class and an object?” The thought went through my mind, “Why are they asking me this basic question that a freshman in Computer Science could answer?” I answered the question and the interview ended. Needless to say I didn’t get that job. However, that question stuck with me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
A couple of nights later it hit me. I wasn’t interviewing well. I wasn’t showcasing my knowledge and talents in a way that would make the interviewers comfortable hiring me. That insight, I realize now, was Jesus coming to me. He did what only He could have done. He inspired me to understand what was the root cause of me not getting hired. With that inspiration, I changed the way I interviewed and not many weeks later, I landed a good job.
That’s not where this part of the story ends. The hiring manager at my new job asked the recruiter why someone hadn’t scooped me up yet? They both knew that I had been searching for several months. I knew that it was because I wasn’t interviewing well. I knew that I had changed the way I was interviewing and was inspired to know the keys to being successful. I again marveled at the insight provided me and thanked God that Jesus came to me.
A Formula for Receiving Help
Elder Bassett gives us a formula for receiving help and having Jesus come to us. It consists of three actions we must take:
- Abide by the counsel of prophets
- Obey the commandments
- Make and keep covenants
When we abide by the counsel of prophets we show that we are willing to follow the Lord’s advice to all people. The name of my blog is “Whether by Mine Own Voice” and indeed the Lord said, “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38). Our prophet has asked us to do many things since he was ordained the prophet in 2018.
One of those things is to take charge of our own testimonies. Even before President Nelson issued that challenge, I had started to do this. I created this blog with the goal of strengthening my testimony. I have been more diligent in reading Come Follow Me and other changes in my life that have helped me not only take charge of my testimony but stay in control of it.
Obeying the commandments means “[discovering] the joy of daily repentance” (The Power of Spiritual Momentum). We are not perfect and in order to stay on the covenant path, any time we break a commandment we need to repent.
We strive to obey the commandments because there are blessings associated with obedience. During my job search, I made sure that our tithing was continually paid. I knew from past experience that the Lord would bless us as we kept this commandment.
Finally, making and keeping covenants creates a bond between us and God. When we keep our end of the covenant, God is bound to keep His end. He is a perfect being and cannot go against His word. We can have absolute trust that He will be there if we do our part.
I would like to say that I attended the temple more frequently during my job search. I didn’t. The temples weren’t exactly open for sessions due to the COVID pandemic. However, Cheryl and I did go to the temple grounds several times just to be near the house of the Lord. This is one area where I could improve upon. Going to the temple, helps us remember the covenants made there.
Conclusion
Patience and hope go hand-in-hand in the gospel. Through patience we can win mastery over our souls. We can have hope that even when Jesus delays, He will come. Elder Bassett declares “We can do this!“. I know that we can do this as well. We can cultivate the patience to wait for the Lord. We can do the things He expects us to do so that He can do only the things He can do. I know that even when hope seems lost, Christ will come and He will help us.
Tips for Teaching
When teaching this topic you may want to consider the following:
- Read the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Discuss the various components of the story including:
- Jesus delaying before going to Lazarus’s house
- The significance of Lazarus being dead four days
- The loss of hope Mary and Martha must have felt
- The requiring of acts to be done by those who could do them
- What does it mean to you to know that Jesus will always come? Discuss why that knowledge brings us comfort and hope
- Discuss how abiding by the prophet’s counsel, obeying the commandments, and making and keeping covenants allows for Christ to come to us and render His assistance.
Whether By Mine Own Voice 
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