The Infinite Power of Hope- President Uchtdorf October 2008

"The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. )"
---That is exactly what I have felt the purpose of scriptures is! I read stories from people long ago and try to imagine their lives. Some are more real to me than others- but one thing that all the stories do is give me hope that all I believe in is true. It gives me an example of someone who prayed to know if God really loved him and his prayer was answered. And it shows how someone who was despondent who turned to the Lord was comforted...and reading all these experiences makes me more sure that I have had prayers answered and I have been comforted by the Spirit in hard times. As I read the scriptures, I feel my hope growing into faith---and eventually knowledge--that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. Last night I was reading 3 Nephi when the Savior is among the Nephites--He kneels with them and then as they are praying He prays for them. What would that be like to hear the Savior of the world praying for me by name? The experience happens three times (3 Nephi 19)--
1. Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, because they believe in Him and so that they can be one with Christ
2. Christ prays for them to be purified, because He chose them because of their faith and because they believe in His words
3. We are not told what Christ then prays for. This is what we find out "tougue can not speak the words which He prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed..." (v 32)
What is SO interesting, is that before Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, they already have! (v 13) and before He prays for them to be purified, they seem to have already gone through the proccess (v 25) I'm not sure why this is.

President Uchtdorf continues, "Hope is a gift of the Spirit." This truth is found in Moroni 8:26 "the Holy Ghost filleth with hope..."
---Once again, we can't wish ourselves to have hope. We must keep the commandments, be worthy of the Spirit and then pray for it. It is a gift from God.

"It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior.(Moroni 7:41) This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment,(Colossians 1:21-23) and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. "
--- Losing hope is a temptation? Of course that makes sense but it seems so much more powerful to me to look at it that way. God wants me to have hope, Satan wants me to despair. We are in fact commanded to have hope. I like that President Uchtdorf says that it is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, but it seems like these two are the same thing. Every commandment that God gives us has -not an equal-but a promise of something better attached to it. If I keep the word of wisdom, I will have health and treasures of knowledge (D&C 89:18-19) If I repent, I will be forgiven (Mosiah 26:23) If I do not harden my heart than I will be given the greater portion of the word (Alma 12:10). And what is so great about this method is what the Lord gives in return for me choosing to follow His will is ALWAYS much much much better than the small thing I 'sacrificed.' Thus, following the Lord never becomes a real sacrifice when our perspective is that of eternities. (Mosiah 2:24 "He doth require that ye should do as he thath commanded you for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted to him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; Therefore, of what have ye to boast?") Amen!