Fear Not, I Am with Thee

Good morning my dear brothers and sisters and friends. How grateful I am for the opportunity to study the gospel with you today. I bring you the love of the First Presidency and of the Twelve Apostles. I hope you know just how precious you are to them and that you can feel the power of their prayers on your behalf.

I would like to express my witness of the inspired decision to ask President and Sister Eyring to lead this university and bless your lives. We are all fortunate that they have chosen to share the considerable talents and gifts with which the Lord has blessed them with this university and, more specifically, with each of you. Thank you, President and Sister Eyring. We love you.

As I recall my university experience some 30 years ago, the thoughts and feelings of those precious days come flooding back. I remember peering into an unknown future with the hope that my life could, somehow, make a difference. I also remember looking toward that unknown future with concern and some anxiety—particularly about the “unknown” portion of that future. I remember wondering how my life would all come together.

While I acknowledge that you have likely had similar feelings and that we have that part of our university experience in common, I also readily admit that your university days are different from mine.

President Nelson has described the days in which we live—your university days—as “a most complicated time in the history of the world,”¹ a time that holds “unprecedented challenges.”² He has spoken of “forthcoming perils and pressures”³ and of the “sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world”⁴ in which we live. And, yet I ask you, have you ever come away from listening to President Nelson feeling fearful, uncertain, anxious, or overwhelmed? In the very moment that he acknowledges the difficulties of our day, our loving prophet testifies of the hope that is available to each of us. What is the source of that hope? It is the Lord Jesus Christ⁵—and our choice to trust His goodness, His love, His promises, and His omnipotence.

President Nelson recently reassured us, “We have been promised that ‘if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30; 10:55). This assurance has profound implications today. The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era.”⁶

I have felt to speak with you today about building our foundation upon Jesus Christ by cultivating a faith in Him sufficient to meet the challenges of the latter days.

We acquire faith by degrees.⁷ When we first choose faith in Jesus Christ, we choose to believe Him and desire to act on that belief.⁸ We repent, we are baptized, and we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then, as we continue along the covenant path, “we press forward with a steadfastness in Christ”⁹ as we repeatedly participate in the elements of the doctrine of Christ throughout our lives. President Nelson described this process when he taught, “Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives.”¹⁰

Elder Dale G. Renlund expounded upon that virtuous cycle when he taught, “Each element in the doctrine of Christ builds on the preceding step—repentance builds on faith, baptism on repentance, and the gift of the Holy Ghost on baptism—and then the sequence recurs. Each cycle ends progressively higher, so the subsequent cycle is higher and different.”¹¹

Thus, our faith grows “line upon line . . . here a little and there a little”¹² over time.

Elder David A. Bednar spoke of the development of our obedience, which is a manifestation of our faith, when he taught,

Because promised blessings always are associated with keeping the commandments, some of us in the early stages of our spiritual progress may understand the law of obedience as a type of exchange.

Consequently, we may believe that if I obey commandment A, then God will give me blessing B. We may consider this pattern of cause and effect to be a formula for success in any endeavor. If I do my part, then God will do His part. I define this approach as transactional obedience. But a primarily transactional understanding of obedience is incomplete and can be misguided. . . . A higher and holier purpose for obeying God’s commandments is spiritual transformation, becoming converted unto the Lord . . . Transformational obedience—not transactional, transformational—requires much more than self-interest or a keen sense of family tradition or religious duty; rather, it derives from our love of God.¹³

To be clear, as essential, worthy, and good as the preliminary steps of our developing faith are, I am not speaking today about the faith in Jesus Christ we experience when our faith is beginning. Nor am I speaking of the transactional faith we seem to discover in the earlier stages of spiritual development. No, today I am speaking of a transformational faith in Jesus Christ—a faith that is unconditional and full-fledged—a faith that says, I choose Him once and for all, today and forever, come what may.

On the best of days, that faith seems to be within our grasp. On difficult days, like some of those ahead of us, reaching for such faith may seem beyond us. Regardless of whether today is a good day or a difficult day for you, I testify that a transformative faith in Jesus Christ is not only achievable but vital to our spiritual survival.

How can we cultivate that kind of faith? President Russell M. Nelson provided five suggestions to help us acquire faith in Christ sufficient to meet the demands of our day, sufficient to move the mountains in our lives.¹⁴ “First, study. . . . Second, choose to believe in Jesus Christ. . . . Third, act in faith. . . . Fourth, partake of sacred ordinances worthily. . . . And fifth, ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help.”¹⁵

This morning I would like to focus our study on President Nelson’s second suggestion, the need for us to choose to believe in Jesus Christ. I invite you to consider with me a scriptural example that illustrates the power of that choice.

Please read along with me in the New Testament, in the book of Mark, chapter 5, beginning with verse 22. As we read together, I invite you to find yourself in these verses. Come with me in your mind’s eye to the streets of a city along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, as we study this miracle together.

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.¹⁶

Please place yourself in Jairus’ position. Can you imagine a more desperate circumstance than the one in which he found himself? His precious, little daughter was moments away from dying. Can you comprehend the urgency and panic of that moment? Can you feel the rush of hope that must have poured into Jairus’ soul when he saw that Jesus was nearby? Can you sense his heartache as he fell at the feet of the Lord? Can you hear the certainty of Jairus’ faith as he declares that, with the Savior’s blessing—not that his daughter might live nor that she could live—but that she shall live?

We continue reading, “And Jesus went with him”¹⁷

Contemplate what Jairus must have felt when Jesus, the promised Messiah, agreed to come to his home and heal his daughter! The anguish and fear of just moments before must have evaporated as they took their first steps toward his home. And, yet, that journey home was not to be as quick as expected. There would be a critical delay along the way.

Sometimes, as we study the miracles of the Savior, we consider them in isolation—separated from the events immediately preceding and immediately following them. In this instance, the timelines of two well-known and much-beloved miracles were about to collide and Jairus’ faith would soon hang in the balance.

As they make their way toward his home, we read these familiar words, “And much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years.”¹⁸

As that dear, suffering, faithful woman exercised her remarkable faith and touched the hem of the Master’s clothing, the Savior stopped and spoke with her.

What could Jairus have been thinking? What might you or I have thought? While I am sure that one seeking healing at the Lord’s hand would feel compassion toward another soul seeking the same, could Jairus have been justified in wondering about the timing of all of this? Would you or I, perhaps, have thought, “She has waited twelve years, could she not wait just a few more minutes?” Would we have been tempted to say to the woman, “We’ll be right back, but please, for now, let us hurry home. My daughter is dying.” What impact would this seemingly ill-timed delay have had on our faith in Christ?

The scriptural record is silent as to what Jairus may or may not have been thinking, but I love this commentary by Elder James E. Talmage in his seminal work Jesus the Christ. I love it for the insights it provides into Jairus’ faith—a faith fit for today, for our unprecedented times.

Elder Talmage wrote, “No intimation is given that Jairus showed impatience or displeasure over the delay; he had placed trust in the Master and awaited His time and pleasure.”¹⁹ I am filled with admiration for Jairus’ faith, and for his patience in allowing the Savior to determine the outcome and its timing. Yet, little did Jairus know that the depth of his faith was about to be plumbed once more, and that his response to the Savior’s forthcoming invitation would make all the difference.

Please continue reading with me in verse 35, “While he [meaning Jesus] yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?”²⁰

What must Jairus have felt upon receiving this word? Did his heart break again at the very news he had feared, the very concern that had compelled him to fall at the Messiah’s feet and muster every ounce of faith he could to seek a blessing at His hand? Can you measure the crushing weight of the irony that must have pressed upon Jairus in that moment? After all, here he was with the Son of God Himself on their way to his daughter’s side and suddenly, it was too late, she was dead. Would tears have coursed down his cheeks as his shoulders shook with grief?

Again, the scriptural record is silent as to many of these facts, but I ask us to go to that place with Jairus, as his brothers and his sisters, to mourn with him and to compassionately consider what he might have experienced and what kind of faith he had to find and exercise in that moment, as we “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.”²¹

Gratefully, to clarify our comprehension, Elder Talmage adds this insight: “While Christ was engaged in the matter of the suffering woman, messengers came from the ruler’s house with the saddening word that the girl was dead. We may infer that even these dread tidings of certainty failed to destroy the man’s faith; he seems to have still looked to the Lord for help.”²²

Continuing in Mark, we read that, as Jairus received word of his daughter’s passing, the Savior, who was still speaking with the woman, also heard the message. We continue in verse 36, which says, “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.”²³

At this critical point in our study, I invite you to ponder the powerful perspective offered to me in a personal note from my dear friend and brother in the Seventy, Elder James W. McConkie III:

Consider how chaotic the scene must have been and how transcendent Jesus’ capacity to convey reassurance in that setting. He is focused on the women with the issue of blood, his disciples are incredulous that he can feel a loss of virtue amidst such a loud and boisterous crowd, and he still finds a way to communicate just enough spiritual reassurance to Jairus to carry him forward with faith sufficient to realize the hoped for miracle of healing. It teaches us that Jesus and his message can cut through the noise and chaos of life in a way that meets the specific needs of those that choose to rely on him.

Amidst the potential chaos of that moment, can you see the Savior turning toward Jairus and tenderly yet confidently asking him to set aside his fears and to believe? In the depths of an almost unfathomable challenge, and with the Master’s reassurance in his ears, Jairus did just that. He chose to hold fast to his faith in the Lord, come what may.

Please note that the faith required at that moment was different than the faith required when Jairus first saw the Savior and asked Him to heal his daughter. It was different than the faith required of Jairus when the Lord delayed their journey so He could comfort the suffering woman. While we do not know the depth of Jairus’ faith when he first approached the Savior, it is clear that by this point that he exercised more than an introductory faith in the concept of Christ, or a transactional type of faith that, at times, can be misapplied to focus upon a quick response or a favorable answer. No, this faith was the type of faith that causes us to believe the Lord when He pleads:

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.²⁴

And that is exactly the kind of faith in Jesus Christ that we must cultivate to survive these latter days.

Our faith—the choice we make to believe in Christ and to act on that belief—grows as we exercise it in different contexts. Sometimes our faith increases when our prayers are answered powerfully and immediately.²⁵ Other times our faith increases when the answers to our prayers are delayed.²⁶ Sometimes our faith increases when the answer is yes. Other times our faith grows when the answer is no, or not yet.

The work of the Father and the Son is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”²⁷ In accomplishing that work, They slumber not nor sleep.²⁸ Everything They do is designed to bring us to our heavenly home, including overseeing all that journey entails. They know it is impossible for us to live with Them forever unless we develop what the Lectures on Faithdescribe as “faith in God unto life and salvation.”²⁹

To possess faith in God unto life and salvation—once and for all, come what may, unconditionally—we must know that we will choose faith during good times and bad; on the tops of hills and at the bottom of the valleys of life; when all is well, and when all seems lost.

To that end, They lovingly bless us with experiences that develop our faith.

Please remember, as you struggle with the illogical ironies of mortal experiences, that you are being prepared to be exalted and that Jesus, in His perfect compassion and loving kindness, is nearby. As President Nelson said, truly, “The Savior is never closer to you than when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.”³⁰

And, so, if you feel that your faith is buckling under the weight of an unrelenting and recurring personal weakness, draw strength from the reassuring words of your Redeemer, “Be not afraid, only believe.”

If your faith is wavering because of unresolved questions, faithfully continue your search but, in the meantime, be not afraid, only believe.

If you feel utterly alone, unworthy, unqualified, or underappreciated, as you face that mountain in your life, be not afraid, only believe.

If it seems that the blessings and promises of the Gospel, while true and eternal, are for others and certainly not for people like you, I say unto you, be not afraid, only believe.

And to those who find themselves on the hills instead of in the valleys of life, I invite you to wisely work to increase your faith in advance of more difficult days that inevitably come to all of us.

Whatever your situation today, in all our efforts to cultivate unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ, let us take courage from these words from our beloved prophet. “The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe.”³¹

The process of strengthening our faith to meet the demands of the latter days begins with a choice, a decision to exercise the moral agency Heavenly Father has given us. That choice is first to believe, and then to act on that belief. To believe that the Lord Jesus will come to you, that He knows where you are and what you need, and that, although there may be delays along the way, as Jairus learned, He still has all power to heal, and, in the end, He is never late.

May we, once and for all, choose Jesus—come what may. Let us move beyond the spiritual hangups associated with the infuriating unfairness³² of mortal life, the irony of what we might suppose to be God’s bad timing, and the injuries caused by imperfect people. May we choose to set aside feelings of inadequacy and imperfection and, instead, strive for the faith to believe regardless of how unprecedented or challenging our days become. And may our belief drive us to act in love and faith, to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to follow Him home.

I bear my witness to you that God lives. He is our perfect, loving, Father, and He believes in us! The Savior, the Redeemer, the Son of God, is alive. He is real. The Lord Jesus is resurrected and perfect, all-powerful, and all-loving, and He will never fail us. He loves us.

Oh, love effulgent, love divine!

What debt of gratitude is mine,

That in his off’ring I have part

And hold a place within his heart.³³

I leave you my witness that you (not just the person sitting next to you, but you) hold a place within His heart. So, hold fast. Bind yourself to Him in faith, live His doctrine, make and keep sacred covenants, and never let go. My young brothers and sisters, be not afraid, only believe.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

1. Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/11/47nelson.
2. Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/11/47nelson.
3. Ibid.
4. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest.”
5. See Moroni 7:41.
6. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation.”
7. See Alma 32:28–43.
8. See Alma 22:15.
9. 2 Nephi 31:20.
10. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest.”
11. Dale G. Renlund, “Lifelong Conversion,” BYU Speeches, Sept. 14, 2021, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dale-g-renlund/lifelong-conversion/.
12. 2 Nephi 28:30.
13. David A. Bednar, “The Blessed and Happy State,” 2022 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 24, 2022.
14. Russell M. Nelson, “Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/05/49nelson.
15. Ibid.
16. Mark 5:22–23.
17. Mark 5:24.
18. Mark 5:24–25.
19. James E. Talmage, “Chapter 20: ‘Peace, Be Still,’” in Jesus the Christ (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006), https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/jesus-the-christ/chapter-20.
20. Mark 5:35.
21. 1 Nephi 19:23.
22. Talmage, “Chapter 20: ‘Peace, Be Still.’”
23. Mark 5:36.
24. “How Firm a Foundation,” Hymns, no. 85.
25. See, for example, Nephi’s immediate deliverance in 1 Nephi 7:17–18.
26. See, for example, Nephi’s deliverance after four days (under similar circumstances) in 1 Nephi 18:15–16.
27. Moses 1:39.
28. See Psalms 121:4.
29. “Section III,” in Lectures on Faith.
30. Nelson, “Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains” (emphasis in original).
31. Ibid.
32. See, generally, Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness,” Liahona, May 2021, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/05/25renlund.
33. “God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son,” Hymns, no. 187.