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By D. Bryce Baker

The hymn “Where Can I Turn for Peace” has a story for all of us. But the biggest story may be the one behind the hymn — the reason the hymn was written in the first place.

As a member of the Young Women General Board, Emma Lou Thayne was commissioned to write a hymn that would be sung at a conference for Young Women teachers. As she sat down to write the hymn, thoughts of her daughter weighed heavily on her mind.

Emma Lou Thayne’s daughter was beset with multiple challenges in life. Nineteen-year-old Becky suffered from eating disorders as well as from bipolar disease. The challenges facing the young girl were grave, and as much as the anguished mother looked for solutions for her daughter’s problems there were none on the horizon.

The hymn was written as the mother asked the questions that were in her own mind: “Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace?”

When the poem was finished, Sister Thayne called a woman who had collaborated with her on other songs — Joleen Meredith. There was clinical depression in Sister Meredith’s own family, so she well understood the anguish behind the lyrics. The two of them collaborated on the new hymn over the telephone, and the hymn ready in time to be performed on the program.

Later, Becky was healed with the help of new medicines.

Sister Thayne’s experience and the lyrics she wrote teach us of the need to turn to Christ when we face opposition. Sometimes He is the only one that can help us, that can comfort us, that can heal us. The miraculous creation of the hymn reveals a God who stands ready to perform miracles.

“Opposition in All Things”

The prophet Lehi taught that there must be opposition in all things. Without opposition, there is no agency. Without opposition, there is no learning or growth. Without opposition, there is no testing of our faith and obedience. It is our choices in the face of opposition that prove our faith and develop our character. To obtain exaltation, we must follow Christ, overcoming all opposition that may arise during our life’s journey.

Opposition that hinders us from following Christ comes in many forms, such as:

Stories from the scriptures and from other sources focus on how we cope with opposition in all its forms. Here are some of those stories, along with some of the lessons those stories teach us.

Nephi and the Brass Plates [1 Nephi chapters 3-4]

The story of Nephi and the brass plates teaches us much about overcoming opposition. Father Lehi sent Nephi and his brothers back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from a wicked man, Laban. Their first two attempts to get the plates failed miserably.

Then Nephi’s brothers, Laman and Lemuel, opposed him too. But Nephi did not give up on the mission he had been given. He tried again, putting his trust in the Lord. He had faith that the Lord would open the way to accomplish His purposes. He let himself be “led by the Spirit” and the Lord delivered Laban and the plates into his hands. Nephi succeeded because he persisted and trusted the Lord absolutely.

I think there were reasons behind the two failures — the failures tested Nephi’s faith and gave him a chance to grow in faith; they exposed his brothers’ lack of faith; they provided a justification for taking Laban’s life (which was probably the only way to get the plates), and they made the recovery of the plates a true miracle that gave inspiration to generations.

Nephi’s experience teaches us that failures or detours can turn out to be part of the Lord’s plan to accomplish his purposes. Perhaps God sometimes lets us go into dead ends to keep us from going the wrong direction or from acting at the wrong time. We need to trust in the Lord and the promptings of his Spirit. Sometimes we need to follow the Spirit without understanding why.

Nephi’s Struggles

Even Nephi had personal struggles. If you read 2 Nephi 4, you see that he struggled with temptation — specifically the temptation to be angry with his enemies. He felt discouragement. But then he remembered all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon him. He found hope and wrote:

He prayed for the Lord’s help and declared his faith that God would answer his prayer. From this story, we learn the importance of remembering the Lord’s blessings in our lives, of pondering his love and mercy, of being positive, of praying for help, and of trusting in God’s willingness to help us.

Alma’s People in Bondage [Mosiah 23:25 through 24:25]

The prophet Alma led a group of people into the wilderness to escape from King Noah’s army. They found a safe haven but were later discovered by the Lamanites and placed in bondage. Worst of all, their taskmasters were the wicked priests of King Noah, who persecuted them and ordered them not to pray with a penalty of death.

How could they deal with such extreme opposition? They prayed. They were comforted. The Lord promised to ease the burdens on their shoulders, that they would not feel them. He kept his promise.

In Mosiah 24:15 we read:

Note that the Lord did not immediately remove their burdens by freeing them from bondage, but instead strengthened them. He did free them in a miraculous way later, after they had been tested and refined. Sometimes in our lives we must carry burdens of various sorts and relief does not come right away. But like the people of Alma, the Lord will give us strength so that we can carry those burdens. We need to be positive and patient.

Alma and His Rebellious Son [Mosiah 27:8-37; especially 14, 21-22]

The prophet Alma had a difficult child, his namesake, Alma. Alma the Younger was living a wicked life and seeking to destroy the church. An angel appeared to Alma the Younger and the four sons of Mosiah to confront them that they might be convinced of God’s power.

The angel told them that he came in response to the prayers of Alma’s father, who had “prayed with much faith” that his son might be brought to know the truth. Alma the Younger, who could not move, was carried to his father who rejoiced that God had answered his prayers.

Then his father gathered the priests of the church together to fast and pray. After two days of fasting and praying, Alma received strength and stood and bore testimony that he had been born of God. From this story, we learn the importance of a parent’s love, of not giving up on a wayward child, of praying with faith, of fasting, and of calling on members of the Church for help.

The Missionary Sons of King Mosiah [Alma 17:9-12, 26:27, 20:29-30, 21:10, 14,16,17, 22:1-3]

After the four sons of King Mosiah were converted along with Alma the Younger, they felt compelled to go preach the gospel to the Lamanites. It was a daunting endeavor. The Lamanites hated the Nephites. As the four sons of Mosiah and their missionary companions traveled to the land of the Lamanites, they became discouraged.

In Alma 26:27, we read:

And in another account at Alma 17:9-12, we read how they “fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide in them.”

Their prayers were answered. The Spirit did visit them and comfort them and give them courage. They went forward and spent 14 years among the Lamanites. They indeed suffered much — including imprisonment — before they had success. But in the end, because they endured, thousands of Lamanites were converted to the gospel.

From this story, we learn that choosing the right sometimes attracts further opposition. We learn the importance of prayer and fasting. We learn that the Spirit is a source of comfort and courage. And we learn the importance of patience.

Alma the Younger and the Zoramites [Alma chapter 31]

Alma the Younger led a group of missionaries to preach the gospel to the apostate Zoramites. This was a missionary Dream Team, consisting of Alma the Younger, Amulek, Zeezrom, the four sons of Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni), and two of Alma’s sons (Shiblon and Coriaton).

When they saw how great a state of wickedness the Zoramites were in, Alma prayed for strength, comfort, and patience for himself and his companions. Alma clapped his hands upon his companions and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. In Alma 31:38, we read:

These missionaries had success with the poor class of the people, whom Alma taught that faith can grow like a seed. In this story, we see the important role played by a priesthood leader and by the Holy Ghost. Again, we see the importance of prayer and faith.

Helaman’s Army [Alma chapter 58]

The army of Helaman, including the 2000 stripling warriors, were badly outnumbered by the Lamanites. They waited for more assistance from Zarahemla, but little help came. Food was in short supply. Finally, they poured out their souls to God. We read in Alma 58:11:

Helaman’s men took courage and with their small force took went on the offensive and prevailed, driving the Lamanites out of the land. Sometimes when we face opposition, we need to go on the offensive too.

Warren Johnson Holding Fast to the Iron Rod [November 2004 Ensign]

In the October 2004 General Conference, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin told the story of a man, Warren Johnson, who, back in the 1890s, was assigned by the Church with his family to operate a ferry in a remote location in the desert of northern Arizona. Visitors brought diphtheria to their home. Within a short time, four of his children died despite prayer and fasting.

The bereaved father was distraught, yet he expressed his resolve to “hold fast to the iron rod no matter what troubles” came upon him. This man gives a key to dealing with opposition. The iron rod is the word of God — meaning the scriptures; the words of the living prophet, apostles, and other church leaders; and personal revelation from the Holy Ghost. To overcome opposition, those are the things to which we must hold fast.

Donna’s Hard Life [May 2004 Ensign, page 99]

At the April 2004 General Conference, Elder Bruce Hafen told a story about a friend who faced considerable adversity during her life:

Sometimes, the best we can do is just hang on to the iron rod for dear life. The Lord accepts our offering of “all we can do” and makes up the difference. His grace is sufficient.

Tongan Missionary Miracle [The Fire of Faith, by John Groberg, pp. 165-170]

Elder John Groberg of the Seventy served as a missionary and a mission president in Tonga. Many of you have seen the movie The Other Side of Heaven, which was based on a book he wrote of his experiences as a young missionary. He experienced much adversity but endured it all and pressed forward, and had much success.

He wrote a second book called The Fire of Faith about his experiences as a mission president. He told a story of a young missionary, Elder Vai, a native Tongan, who had four months left on his mission. He was the only member of the Church in his family. His father was a preacher in another church and was very upset that his son had joined the Church and even more upset when he chose to go on a mission.

Now at the end of Elder Vai’s mission, President Groberg began to receive strong impressions that he needed to send Elder Vai to serve in his hometown. Following the Spirit instead of logic and reason, he transferred Elder Vai to his home village — to the shock of all the missionaries. Elder Vai’s father learned of the transfer and stood up in his church and charged all the people to not allow the missionaries into their homes and assured them that they would soon give up and leave the village. Every Sunday he denounced the missionaries.

After four weeks, Elder Vai and his companion had worked diligently but had not taught a single discussion in the village. President Groberg met with the missionaries and suggested that they pray together and said “whatever you feel is what we will do.” After the prayer, Elder Vai quietly said “I’m going back to my area.”

That same day, a Sunday, Elder Vai’s father did not say a word about his son at his church. On Monday morning, Elder Vai and his companion were again on the streets of village. They saw a man waving them to come to his house. To their surprise, it was Elder Vai’s father. He wanted to know what gave his son the determination to keep coming back despite all the rejection.

Elder Vai testified to his father that he was on the side of truth and that truth would prevail. More discussions followed. Within a short time, Elder Vai’s father and mother and some other family members were ready for baptism. The father chose to walk the entire length of the village from his home to the beach in his white baptismal clothes. Elder Vai finished his mission in his hometown and before he left saw a total of 40 persons baptized.

Desire to Smoke [March 1996 Ensign, “I Tried to Quit Dozens of Times,” page 65]

In the March 1996 Ensign, Shirley R. Warren told a story of how she had stopped attending church as a young woman and acquired a smoking habit. She married and had eight children, and sent them to church without her, but finally felt a desire to become fully active herself. Her smoking habit stood in the way. She had tried to quit smoking dozen of times but always failed.
She described what happened:

Prayer in the Parking Lot [“A Prayer in the Parking Lot,” Ensign, Aug. 1992, page 58]

In the August 1992 Ensign, a man told a story of how he grew up in the Church but lost his way, and became entangled in drugs and other vices. He was broke, sick, jobless, and friendless. One night, he found himself searching through trash cans behind a supermarket for food. I’ll let him tell the rest of his story in his own words:

Elder Scott & Admiral Rickover [Ensign, June 1997, “Do What Is Right”, pp. 52-53]

Elder Richard G. Scott tells a story of how he worked for 11 years for Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy. Elder Scott received a call from the First Presidency to preside over a mission. He informed Admiral Rickover that he would have to quit. Admiral Rickover became upset, swore, broke the paper tray on his desk, and accused him of being a traitor to his country.

He said “I never will talk to you again. You are finished, not only here, but don’t ever plan to work in the nuclear field again ... If that’s the way Mormons act, I don’t want any of them working for me.”

Elder Scott was concerned that other members of the Church would be hurt, but the Spirit told him to do what is right, let the consequence follow. Over the next two months, Elder Scott trained his replacement. The Admiral ceased to speak to him and they had to communicate through a third party.

Elder Scott then tells what happened next:

From Elder Scott’s experience, we learn that we must be committed to do the right thing no matter the cost. We must trust the Lord. Also, we must not give up on those who seem to be in the opposition. Hearts can be changed.

Joseph Smith’s Vision of Discouraged Apostles [The Radiant Life, Truman G. Madsen, p.43]

I have read that Joseph Smith once had a vision of the apostles in foreign lands. He saw them standing together with their heads bowed down in discouragement because of the adversities they were facing. Because they were looking down, they could not see that the Savior was there, just above them, ready to help them if they would ask. All they needed to do was look up, but they kept their heads down. The Savior was weeping. It was said that Joseph Smith could not describe this vision without shedding tears himself.

Peter Walking on Water

The last story is about the time when Christ’s disciples saw him walking on the sea. The apostle Peter tried to go to Jesus and began to walk on the water. He had faith in Christ but then the strong winds made him afraid and he began to sink. In Matthew 14:30-31, we read: “he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.”

These last two stories teach us that the Savior loves us and stands ready to reach out to help us in our extremities. We need to believe in him and believe that he loves us personally, that we are precious to him. We need only ask in faith for help and he will respond immediately — and provide healing in some form. Sometimes he will remove a burden and sometimes he will bless us with comfort, understanding, strength, and patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.