“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” by Angie Wheatley

    In the 14th chapter of Matthew, we witness a miracle of faith. 
The 12 disciples were in their ship on a stormy night when all of a
sudden they saw someone walking towards them on the water.  At
first they were afraid, thinking it was a spirit.  But “Jesus
spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (vs.
27).
 

    When Peter realized what was happening, he had such tremendous faith
that he knew he could walk on the water as the Savior.  He said,

    “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  And he
said, Come.  And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying,
Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore
didst thou doubt?”

                                                           
Matthew 14:28-31

    Now brothers and sisters, imagine Peter—knowing all too well the
physical properties of water, being a fisherman all his life—taking one
foot out the boat, then the other, then standing and walking on the
water.  Do you think this was a difficult thing for him to
do?  I would like to propose that this was not difficult for
Peter—until he took his eyes off the Savior.  It was only then
that he noticed the stormy seas around him and began to sink.

    Now that leads me into the scripture I would like to focus on
today:  D&C 6:36 “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not,
fear not.”

    As we face difficult decisions or unfamiliar situations, each of us
must step outside of our comfort zone in order to progress.  The
Lord knows what path we should take, and He is beckoning us to come
unto Him.  As verse 29 of Matthew 14 says, Peter “walked on the
water, to go to Jesus.” Where is He beckoning you?  What must you
do at this point in your life to get out of the boat and progress in
your journey to come unto Jesus?

    Is
it stepping our of your comfort zone to share the gospel with a
friend?  Talking to the bishop about that unresolved sin?  Is
it pursuing that occupation even though it will be difficult and may
require many years of school?  Is it getting out of debt?  Or
starting your family?  Or is He beckoning you to make time in your
ever-busy schedule for meaningful scripture study and meditation?

    Whatever it may be, we, like Peter, must look to the Lord in faith and
answer the call “Come unto me.”  Trust Him.  Believe that He
will direct you on your journey through life and help you overcome your
fears of the stormy sea.

    Remember the Lord’s call:  “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not”  (D&C 6:36).

    The Prophet Joseph Smith said “Happiness is the object and design of
our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that
leads to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp.
255-256).  Is there fear in happiness?  Is there doubt in
true happiness?  As we heed the Lord’s invitation to “Look unto
[Him] in every thought” (D&C 6:36), we will free ourselves from the
fetters of fear and doubt and be able to obtain that true happiness.

So, how do we overcome our doubts and fears?

    Elder M. Gonzalo Sepulveda of the Quorum of the Seventy said, “In our
world today we see fear and confusion, violence and corruption. 
These emotions and actions are caused, in part, by not trusting in the
Lord’s arm and by failing to seek wisdom through personal revelation”
(The Spirit of Revelation, Ensign, February 2005).

    So
first we must learn God’s will for us through personal
revelation.  Proverbs 3:5-6 read “Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

    How do you feel when you receive revelation?  Do you feel peace
and reassurance that all will work out?  What about the day
after?  Sometimes it is easy to forget or second guess revelation,
writing it off later as just a thought.  The adversary would have
us doubt the revelation and stray from the path, but God has said
“doubt not.”  Don’t let doubts creep in and take over.  It is
so important that we remember and hold sacred the inspiration that
comes to us.

    D&C 43:34 tells us what we should do once we receive
revelation.  “Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the
solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.” Isn’t that
comforting?  Amidst the winds and waves of the world, if you
follow God’s will for you, you can find refuge and enjoy the
“solemnities of eternity” today.  The revelation you receive is
sacred, so treasure it up and hold it sacred.  Then you’ll have
“the solemnities of eternity”—the opposite of fear.

    D&C 6:20 reiterates this.  The Lord says, “I have spoken unto
thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy
heart.  Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of
God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.”

    What a great promise.  As we hold to the Lord’s counsel and keep
His commandments, we will be encircled in His love.  From the Book
of Mormon in Moroni 8:16, we learn that “perfect love casteth out all
fear.”  Do you have fears you can replace with love?  Are you
afraid to share the gospel with a friend?  Are you having a hard
time forgiving another?  Seek to love that person, and as you do,
you will also be encircled in the arms of God’s love, and your fears
will depart, and you can move forward doing the Lord’s will, doubting
nothing.

    And that is the next step.  Move forward with faith and do
it!  You received the revelation, you’ve treasured it up in your
heart, you’ve replaced your fears with hope and love—now obey the
revelation!  Have faith!  Do it!  King Benjamin tells us
in Mosiah 4:9-10 that we must Believe, and you can show the Lord that
you believe Him by obeying His revelation.

    “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things,
both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all
power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not
comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend…and now, if you
believe all these things see that ye do them.”

    It comforts me to know that although I may not immediately know the
reasons for things that occur in my life, Heavenly Father does. 
He “has all wisdom.”  I can do what He asks of me without fear
because I know things will work out for good.  He has the broad
perspective and will lead me down the path that is right for me. 
When doubts and fears enter our minds, if we remember that God is at
the helm guiding us through our life’s journey, then it will be easier
to cast them out.

    Trust in the Lord and keep your eyes steadfastly on Him.  Remember
that Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off of Christ and
noticed the wind and waves.  President Hinckley said, “We need not
fear as long as we have in our lives the power that comes by living by
the truth which is from God our Eternal Father” (Gordon B. Hinckley,
“God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear,” Ensign, Oct. 1984, 2).

    “Jesus stretched forth his hand” and lifted Peter out of the water
(Matthew 14:31).  He provides that enabling power.  When
doubts and temptations come, and they surely will, He will give us the
confidence we need to overcome.  His ability to lift us is just as
real as it was when he physically lifted Peter out of the water.

    Capturing the essence of the scripture I’ve discussed today is the hymn “When Faith Endures.”

            I will not doubt, I will not fear;
           God’s love and strength are always near.
            His promised gift helps me to find
            An inner strength and peace of mind.
            I give the Father willingly
            My trust, my prayers, humility.
            His Spirit guides; his love assures
            That fear departs when faith endures.

                                               
(LDS Hymns #128)

    This year in Sunday School we are studying the Doctrine and
Covenants.  I think we can all recognize and appreciate the
doctrine contained in this book of scripture, but let us also look for
the many covenants contained therein.

    One of those covenants involves this passage of scripture. 
D&C 6:36-37:  “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear
not.  Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints
of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments,
and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

    The Lord has covenanted with us that as we look to Him in faith, keep
the commandments, and put our doubts and fears behind us, that we
“shall inherit the kingdom of heaven” and there obtain that happiness
the Prophet Joseph Smith referred to.  I know that this is
true.  I know the Lord follows through with His covenants. 
He loves us and wants us to succeed.  He will guide us along the
straight and narrow path to eternal life as we turn to Him in “every
thought.”  He will show us the way and help us overcome our doubts
and fears.  Look to Him in faith, for just as he lifted Peter out
of the water, he will also lift you and guide you down the path you
should take to come unto Him.