Meridian Magazine :: Articles: Putting our Trust in the Lord

By Wendy Rojas
Introduction by Darla Isackson

One of the great blessings of writing for Meridian Magazine has been receiving responses from Meridian readers. After I shared a Sacrament Meeting talk that another reader had sent me, Wendy Rojas e-mailed and asked if I would like to read her talk, which was about trusting the Lord. That is one of my favorite subjects, and I assured her that I would love to read it. Again I found a real jewel — a Spirit-filled, truth-filled compilation that I think Meridian readers will find uplifting and helpful. Thank you, Meridian readers, for enriching my life on a regular basis. Darla Isackson

Four years ago this February, we received the happy news that my little sister, Analilí, was expecting her first child. She and Jeff had been married for two years and had not voluntarily delayed the arrival of their children, so this news filled our whole family with joy.

We live in different countries, so she would e-mail me with the news of the development of her pregnancy. I could sense in every letter how excited she was to finally embark on the exciting adventure of motherhood. Even as a child, she had displayed great natural talent to relate to babies and little ones, always showing kindness and love to the children around her. You could say she was born to be a Mom.

Here are excerpts from her letters: "I have been privileged to feel well all along, but today I felt queasy for the first time. It was funny... I enjoyed it!" Another time she wrote: "I felt the baby move for the first time today and it was such a joyous experience!" One day in June, she wrote: "Today is a special day. We will go to the doctor's to get an ultrasound. I cannot wait to 'see' what my baby looks like... I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. Will the baby have Jeff's hair? In fact, if it's a boy, I hope he looks just like his father. If it's a girl, well... I just hope she doesn't have my nose! I will write tomorrow and let you know."

The next day, her e-mail read: "Wendy, thank you for the present you had sent for my baby. I will have to save it for next time, as the ultrasound yesterday revealed that this baby, a boy, will not live. We are very sad. Please pray for us."

She still wrote, her e-mails now with statements as follows: "I can still feel my baby move inside me. Every time he moves, I tell him, 'Jimmy, I love you,' and 'Jimmy, I am going to miss you.'" The day came when she wrote, "Jimmy stopped moving on Friday. The doctor said he should be born any time. I am scared. Please pray for me." I received a call from my mother when my sister went into labor and I boarded a plane to be with her.

On the following day, we stood at the grave site where Jimmy was to be buried, and Jeff stood up to bear his testimony. He read from Luke 4:18-21 the account when Jesus Christ is reading from the book of Isaiah at the synagogue:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captive, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord...And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Jeff expressed his witness that Jesus Christ had come into the world not only to atone for our sins, but also to heal us when our hearts are broken and to set us free when we are bruised. He added, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in us, because our hearts are broken and He has been with us."

Not long after this experience, they found out that Analilí was pregnant again and they were filled with hope, believing that maybe they were being given back that which had been taken and began to make plans to receive this new baby in June, only to have their hopes crushed again when it became evident that this baby would not live, either.

At this time I wondered, "How is it that my very righteous sister and her perfect-hearted husband, who serves as bishop of their ward, are called upon to go through this hard test — twice?" "What about her prayers and his, are they heard?" And I was reminded of the words of the hymn by James Tillman, which read:

Unanswered yet? The prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years?
Does faith begin to fail, is hope departing,
And think you all in vain those falling tears?
Say not the Father hath not heard your prayer;
You shall have your desire, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Though when you first presented
This one petition at the Father’s throne,
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking,
So urgent was your heart to make it known.
Though years have passed since then, do not despair;
The Lord will answer you, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say ungranted;
Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done;
The work began when first your prayer was uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the spirit burning there,
His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered;
Her feet were firmly planted on the Rock!
Amid the wildest storm faith stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries, “It shall be done,” sometime, somewhere.

Standing at the Crossroads

The time will come for each of us when we will stand at a crossroads in our life and we must choose whether we will follow the path of faith in Christ or the path that leads to unbelief, despair and hardness of heart. It is at times such as these that we need to be on our knees and plead with our Father not to forsake us, to reaffirm our faith, to walk with us. I testify that the Lord will visit us if we come unto Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit — which is the sacrifice that He requires. These glimpses of eternity will give us the strength to endure one more day, one more week, one more month, one more year and to endure well.

It was in the burning fiery furnace that Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah were visited by the Lord. It is in the furnace of affliction where we receive a very personal invitation to "Come unto Him."

Discipleship does not come easy. Not in vain did the Lord say, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).

The account is given in Mark 10:17-22 of a young rich man who came running to ask Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, he answered:

Master, all these I have observed from my youth.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, seIl whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

I am moved by the interest that Jesus shows in this person who came running to meet him and knelt to ask him how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus hears him answer that he has kept all the commandments from his youth, He loved him! And perceiving the one thing that he lacked, offered it to him saying, "One thing thou lackest."

I have pictured myself in the shoes of this young man; that is, running to meet the Savior and asking Him how I can inherit eternal life. He would then tell me the obvious obedience to the commandments, which I have kept to the best of my ability (with the aid of repentance where needed). He would then love me, but knowing my heart, would say, "Wendy, one thing — or actually, many things lackest thou yet." And He would then proceed to tell me about the hidden attitudes of my heart that I need to forsake in order to be able to take up the cross and truly come unto Him.

Reasons for Trusting in Christ

Why should we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? I thought of at least three reasons:

Faith in Jesus Christ is required to repent of our sins and proceed with the ordinances of the Gospel. The scripture says "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).

We have need of a Redeemer. If we understand the Fall of Adam, we immediately realize our need for Christ. Two things happened in the Garden of Eden:

Man became fallen and subject to death,and
Man became separated from the presence of God

Before these events, already there was a plan in place to provide a Savior who would lift a fallen mankind and raise them by the power of resurrection and redemption from physical death as well as from their separation from God.

Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).

Just now I was reminded of a time when I was going through the first real trial of my life. I could not figure it out. Aren't we supposed to be blessed when we keep the commandments?

I demanded some answers from my dear uncle, saying, "I have kept the commandments and have repented when I fell short. I have not disappointed my parents. I have graduated from seminary, received my Young Womanhood Recognition, I serve faithfully in my Church callings. Why is this happening to me?"

He, understanding the particular trial that I was facing, said lovingly, "Wendy, do not ask why. You may never know why. There may not even be a why. Rather, kneel down and ask the Lord with all the sincerity of your heart, 'What wouldst Thou have me learn from this experience?' He will then begin to show you the things you need to learn. I know you will not believe this right now, but in a few years you will be able to look back at this time and feel gratitude for the growth that resulted from this trial. It hurts and stretches you now. But it also conditions your heart to seek out the Savior. Do not resent the seeming harshness of this experience, but be grateful that He is inviting you to put your trust in Him."

This has come true. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I had not learned the lessons in such a personal way.

We read in 24th chapter of Luke the account of two disciples who were walking on the way to Emmaus the day of the Lord's resurrection. The scripture says:

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. (Luke 24:13-24, emphasis added)

I can picture them jumping back and forth offering the best summary of the events that had so perplexed them —and I feel happy for them, sharing with this Holy Stranger their testimony of Jesus of Nazareth, their Prophet and their Hope for the deliverance of Israel. Jesus knows from their confession that their testimony needs to go from knowing Him as a Prophet to knowing Him as the Christ, so He takes the time to patiently and lovingly teach them from the scriptures:

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

And their eyes were opened, and they knew him: and he vanished out of their sight.

And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them.

Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. (Luke 24: 26-35, emphasis added)

I perceive from this and other accounts of scripture that the Lord has an interest in our truly knowing Him, going from mere belief in Him to a sure knowledge that He is our Savior. I believe we should take advantage of those instances when we, like these disciples, are sad, and invite Him to draw near and walk with us.

From His communion with us, it will be evident to Him the extent to which we believe in Him, and if our hearts are truly open, He will show us in a very personal manner the way to know with our whole soul what it means for us that He is our Savior.

I particularly love the sentence, "and He made as though He would have gone further." He must have been pleased when the disciples "constrained Him, saying, Abide with us!" The reward? "He went in to tarry with them... And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him!"

Not Wasted

From my own experience I know that our hardships are not wasted if we use them to come unto Christ. As we come unto Him, our communion with Him will change our life, and we will know that He will never forsake us!

As for my sister, she is now the mother of Kezia, a beautiful girl with her father's hair and her mother's nose. She is named after one of the daughters of Job, whom he was given after he had passed his very difficult test.

I pray that as we learn to come unto Christ, we can say with the Psalmist:

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him" (Psalm 37:39-40).

(The above was originally a talk given by Wendy Rojas in a Sacrament Meeting January 9, 2005)

A Pattern of Trials

It is now July 2006. In March of this year, Analilí was 36 weeks pregnant, in good health and happily awaiting the arrival of her baby. One evening, unexpectedly, her placenta collapsed and the baby died. It was a beautiful girl whom they named Wendy and is now buried alongside her brother Jimmy.

Surely upon the shoulders of some are placed burdens heavier than we can understand. Amazingly, as in the case of my sister, the weight of the burden has had the power to straighten her back instead of bending it. She wrote to me saying that she and Jeff had learned some things from the pattern of their trials. I quote from her letter the day after the funeral of their daughter:

I have told Jeff that I can see a pattern in the type of trials that come to our life. But if the Lord deems prudent to send them to us, I will bear the burden without murmuring. I will not ask Him, ‘Why? Why me? Why again?’ These questions will not lead me anywhere. I have, however, been in constant prayer asking Him to give me the strength to pass through this trial with dignity and patience. I have asked Him to send the Comforter to give me the peace that I need. I am grateful for loved ones who have ‘mourned with those that mourn and have comforted those who stand in need of comfort.’

Jeff and Analilí have been sustained by the hand of the Lord. I find comfort in knowing that Christ bore the burden of their affliction and knows how to succor them. They both have placed their trust in the Lord and He, in turn, has kept them safely and lovingly in His care.

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