#16- COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

The brother of Jared, a man of great faith, needed a way to provide light in the vessels that his people would use to cross the sea. He made sixteen small stones out of a rock, and asked for the Lord to stretch forth His hand and light the stones with His finger. The brother of Jared expressed his great faith by saying, in Ether 3:5, “Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.” This scripture has taught me how to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life, and has helped me to be humble and grateful.

In my mission, I had the privilege of opening a new area, in a place that hadn’t seen missionaries in many years. There were very few members, and we struggled mightily to hold good church meetings and find people to teach. One night, my companion and I felt depressed, and we felt like we weren’t accomplishing anything. We had fasted, prayed, and continued working, without results. On this particular night, we prayed to the Lord and asked for help to see His hand in our lives, and in our area. We decided to start taking five minutes after daily planning each night to count the blessings and miracles that we had seen during the day. We did this for almost three months together, and I did it with other companions throughout my mission. When we learned to recognize the miracles that the Lord was blessing us with, we felt joy in being part of the Lord’s work, even though the results we were seeing didn’t immediately change.

I have learned that sometimes the Lord’s power “looks small unto the understanding of men.” My mission president taught me that in order to receive answers from the Lord, we must have enough faith to ask, and enough faith to receive. In times of trial, we instinctively turn to the Lord and ask in faith. Sometimes answers don’t come in the way we expect them to. In these cases, we must have enough faith to receive and recognize the Lord’s hand, which is constantly a part of our lives. Elder Gene R. Cook taught that in these moments, we must “double our faith, lest we lose it.”

I know that the Lord is constantly exercising His power to bless us, and He knows our desires and our needs. Sometimes, we do not understand His timing or His methods, and we don’t always recognize His hand in our lives. When I am in the midst of trials, and His power “seems small unto my understanding”, I count my blessings. I know that all that I have and all that I am is thanks to His power. I know that as we follow the example of the brother of Jared, and ask the Lord in faith, He will exercise His power in response to our faith and our prayers.