President Joel Beckstrand
Stake Presidency Second Counselor
While celebrating Pioneer Day this week, my mind reflected often on the hymn written by William Clayton signifying the difficulties and faith involved in those pioneers migrating to the West. I couldn’t help but apply those lyrics to what we are experiencing in today’s world. The invitation to ‘Come’ rings true.
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear; But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear, Grace shall be as your day.
’Tis better far for us to strive Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell—All is well! All is well!
President Carnavale reminded us last week about Esther and her struggles. Moses lacked confidence. Jonah hid from God. Job lost everything. Likewise, our journey today appears hard to us. We mustn’t fear, but have faith in the eternal plan of our all-knowing and all-loving Father in Heaven. Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can and will find joy as we strive to do and to be better. All is well!
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard? ’Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell—All is well! All is well!
We may at times, if we are not careful, try to pray away pain or what seems like an impending tragedy, but which is, in reality, an opportunity. We must do as Jesus did in that respect—also preface our prayers by saying, “If it be possible,” let the trial pass from us—by saying, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” We are on the Lord’s errand and are members of His team. He is ever-mindful of us. All is well!
We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, Far away in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid; There the Saints will be blessed.
We’ll make the air with music ring, Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we’ll tell—All is well! All is well!
We came to be tried, to be tested, and to choose. Our decisions determine our destiny. We are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator … , or to choose captivity and death.” Those who choose the Lord’s way will likely endure persecution. But their reward is certain. Those who prove faithful “shall inherit the kingdom of God, … and their joy shall be full forever.” All is well!
And should we die before our journey’s through, Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too; With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again To see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we’ll make this chorus swell—All is well! All is well!
Again and again the Lord has warned the Church about following other voices. (See, for example, D&C 43:1–6.) Right now, there are many alternate voices vying for the attention of the Saints—social voices, intellectual voices, political voices, and other voices. In our premortal life, all of us rejected Satan’s persuasions to subscribe to a plan alternate to the Father’s. Now in mortality, we must do it again.
Few promises made in scripture have the credentials and guarantees of the promise made to those who endure to the end: “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.”
May we all who have entered into the gospel covenant (through faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost) remain faithful to that covenant. As we do so, we will add our chorus to those of the early pioneers; All is well! All is well!
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