President Noel Jackson
Stake Presidency First Counselor
Washington Stake Presidency
Brothers and Sisters,
We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to take a few minutes to share our thoughts and feelings about our Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that the messages we share about Him bring you the same comfort and joy we feel as we ponder on His matchless love for each of us. Bless you in your trials. We know He is aware of the struggles we face, especially now, during these confusing and trying times. Please know that He is not the author of confusion, and as such He can bring the peace and joy we all need.
As I've pondered about Him as we've studied from Come, Follow Me this week a couple of thoughts have come to my mind that have brought me comfort.
I want to start at Helaman 6. We read from the first few versus about the mighty change that occurred among the Lamanites. From the time of Nephi of old, the majority of the Lamanites continued to hate and torment the Nephites. We've read several times that this has been due to the 'tradition of their fathers'. Yet, at this time, the Lamanites 'had become, the more part of them, a righteous people'. It continues 'that their righteousness did exceed that of the Nephites'. Why? Verse 1 ends with, 'because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith' (emphasis added).
This was a difficult time for the Nephites, the church of God and Nephi, the son of Helaman, who was the prophet at that time. In Helaman chapter 4 we read of Nephi's pondering on the teachings his father had taught he and his brother Lehi.
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Now, we return to Helaman 6, end of verse 1. The words 'firmness' and 'steadiness' describing the Lamanites' faith. These words flow so well to the 'rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ'. Christ is how we establish 'firmness' and 'steadiness' in our faith. He is our sure foundation wherein if men build they cannot fall.
I love what the primary song 'The Wise Man and the Foolish Man' teaches us. The foolish man built his house upon the sand and when the rains came down and the floods came up, his house washed away. Yet, the wise man built his house upon the rock and when the rains came down and the floods came up, his house stood still.
I pray that our 'house' (faith), as we build it upon the 'rock' (Christ) and as the rains come down and the floods come up (trials and tribulations), will stand still, firm and steady.
May God be with you!
President Jackson