Lately I have been thinking a lot about trust. Trust is such a huge part in any religion, and especially in the Christian religions. It says in Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding." This is a powerful scripture that has helped me time and time again in my life, and I know it is the right thing to do. We are always blessed when we trust in the Lord, and act upon his will. We can be the happiest we can be, through keeping his commandments.
One thing that is often spoken of much less, but is equally important, is being loyal to God. God also has to be able to trust in US . Time and time again people ask me on my mission "why haven't I received an answer?" or "why don't I know what you know?" The reason is because in order to receive spiritual truth, guidance, or help from God, we must put in work. Now, this does not mean that God is not merciful, because He has perfect mercy. He only asks us to try, to have the desire, and to do what we can, then he will bless us with much more than we can imagine.
For example, I spent so much time trying to really know if this was the true church. Everyone told me it, and I wanted to believe, but I was never completely sure. Other people's doubts bothered me, so I sought answers. Time and time again I received small spiritual confirmations of this being God's only church. Yet, I still wanted more. This led me to my decision to serve a mission. I was strong, but about 6 months in we taught a lesson and the questions the person we taught asked bothered me. I did not have the answers, and wasn't sure. For one of the first times in my life, my testimony was slightly shaken. I wasn't sure anymore.
That night, I knelt down and pleaded to the Lord to help me know what to do. I needed to know if I was doing His will. If this was the truth, and if I was basing my whole life on truth, or a lie. I needed to know. I had never prayed like this before, as I importuned to my Heavenly Father to please guide me and let me do what he REALLY wanted me to do.
The Lord answered, as he does always. He answered me with the strongest spiritual manifestation ever given to me in my life. I laid in bed as my companion slept peacefully crying with joy, feeling so overcome with the Spirit that all I could do was cry. Since that day, I have never once doubted. The answer I received was from God, and just as Joseph Smith after the first vision, "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it." (JSH)
The question is why? Why did God give such a big answer to me and not to everyone else? The reason is because I had shown him that he could trust me. The Lord gives unto us "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nep 28: 30) and I had accepted everything He had given me. I had been willing to act upon the things I did know, rather than what I didn't know. If someone rejects the small simple truths the Lord gives them, is the Lord likely to give them larger truths? No. The Lord will gave us what we want, and if we don't want it, he won't give it to us.
"Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (3 Ne 27:29)
