Uncertainty gives way to certainty

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Afternoon Session of the October 1997 Conference.  

I'm still thinking about trust in God and how to develop it. It seems relationship-based—something you feel, a peace and calm that comes because you have a relationship with Heavenly Father. (I don't know if that's an official definition. It's just what trust seems like to ME.) But yet, there must be something you can do to get closer to it…when you don't just "feel" it automatically! Elder Maxwell, bless him, added some pieces to the puzzle.

We can also further develop our submissiveness to God’s will, so that amid our lesser but genuinely vexing moments we too can say, “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” When heartfelt, this expression of obedience constitutes real petition followed by real submission. It is much more than polite deference. Rather, it is a deep yielding in which one’s momentary uncertainty gives way to the certainty of Father’s rescuing love and mercy, attributes which drench His plan of salvation.

I liked this description of trust, because it shows that even when we feel worried and unsure of ourselves, we can hold onto certainty in our Father. 

Elder Maxwell also says:

The Holy Ghost will often preach sermons to us from the pulpit of memory. He will comfort us and reassure us. The burdens not lifted from us, He will help us to bear, thus enabling, even after we err, to continue with joy the soul-stretching journey of discipleship.

This fits well with the first quote because of what I said above—about how trust seems like it should be a feeling. I can exercise faith through action; I have to DO something. But trust—I don't know, it just seems like it is a deep, pervasive calm underlying whatever else is going on. I might not know what's going to happen next, or HOW something will work out, or IF it will happen the way I want it to—but the ungirding TRUST I feel (that God loves me, that He has my best interests in mind, that He is even now working and arranging things for my good and the good of those I love)—calms me and allows me to face my challenges and attempt those faith-filled actions without just altogether panicking or giving up! "Uncertainty gives way to certainty" for those brief windows of time during which I feel trust.

This quote also makes me realize that remembering God's past goodness is one of the best ways to revive my trust when it falters. I love the idea that the spirit can speak from "the pulpit of memory" and say, "Hey! Why are you so worried? Don't you remember this? and This? and This? All those times when things seemed so dire but then Heavenly Father helped you? He did miracles then. So why wouldn't he help you now?" When I'm thinking along those lines, I can actually feel peace entering into my racing heart—a tangible sense of calm. I feel capable, and hopeful. Maybe that is trust in action?

I also like how Elder Maxwell brings up that such peace and trust can even come after our own errors—the Spirit allowing us to largely forget ourselves and just keep moving steadily forward along the path toward God.

So, what can I do to get myself to feel trust? It sounds like submissiveness and humility are key ingredients. And then focusing on remembering what great things the Lord has done for me, and asking the Holy Ghost to help me remember even better. Those seem like good steps I can take toward developing an instinctive, visceral, lasting trust in God!