Cast Not Away Therefore Your CONFIDENCE...

I apologize that my blog has become a little, well, seminary-ish. By the end of the day I always have more thoughts about the subject I taught that morning and feel like I need to share them with whoever may need to hear that little message.

So the thought for today is on moving forward with faith. If you are looking for a good gospel study session I suggest doing any/all of the following:

1. Read Genesis 13 and 14
     * Look for evidences that the Lord put them where they were for a reason and that He warned them it would be difficult (took them on the long route, gave them a cloud and pillar, warned Moses that Pharoah would come with his armies)
     * Look for the children of Israel's reaction (see, fear, cry unto the Lord, complain against Moses, want to give up and go back).
     * Look for the very first instruction the Lord gives to Moses after the people complain (go forward)
2. Are there times in your life when you have known that the road would be long and hard but you feel confident that that is where God wants you to go, so you begin... then when it really does get hard you begin to doubt that it is right or that you are capable? (Think how easily this applies to missionaries, new converts, newly-weds, etc etc.) When you get in these moments, like Moses and the children of Israel you will probably cry unto the Lord, sincerely seeking to know what to do next. As Elder Richard G. Scott explains in his talk "The Supernal Gift of Prayer," the Lord will occasionally give you a yes (a peace or burning in the bosom) and He will occasionally give you a no (a stupor of thought), but most frequently we feel no immediate response. These "yellow lights" are an invitation for us to "go forward" and exercise our agency and best judgement. We must look back at all He has done for us, swallow our fear of the moment, and move forward, trusting that in time a peaceful reassurance or a warning sign to change direction will be given. The key - GO FORWARD and don't become paralyzed by fear.
3. Read 1 Nephi 4:6-7 and D&C 8:2-3
4. If you want, read a great talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called "Cast Not Away Therefore Thy Confidence."

I was thinking about this and feeling like I don't really have "fears" that I'm facing right now, but I do have questions about the Lord's timing and his pattern for my life. I want all the details now... why is this happening and why is that not happening if I am living right and trying to move toward the blessings He has promised me. Why would He put me on one path only to hedge up the way (or so it seems right now).  I have to think back to all the times that He has taken what seemed like and obstacle and removed it in a way I wasn't expecting that made the path even better. I know He will do the same thing for me again so I will do my best to keep moving forward even without knowing exactly what is ahead.

Hope this helps any of you who are also standing next to your personal Red Sea with nowhere to go but forward. Good luck!