A few weeks prior to General Conference I found a song called “The Waiting Place” and the lyrics brought me peace. I love music and Heavenly Father knows that is one way he can speak to my heart. I’m at a point in my life where I feel I am in a waiting place. I have many goals that I am working towards but none of them have yet been realized. When I was younger, I had an idea of what I wanted for my life and so far nothing has gone to plan. At least to my plan. So, here I am, actively waiting to move onto the next chapter in my life. I do not think I am alone in these feelings. Many of us are waiting to graduate from college or get a job or get married and have children. Maybe some of us are waiting for a mission call or a testimony. And some may be waiting for more grandchildren or children to get married or children to come back to faith. Maybe we are waiting for trials to pass and hardship to end. Or maybe some are waiting to simply hear the voice of the Lord convey His will to give us a direction to our lives.
The chorus of “The Waiting Place” asks “Why has God hidden His face? And why has He left me alone in my waiting place?” In times of waiting, we may get discouraged and suffer disappointments. Our faith and patience may be tried. We may even lose hope for the future as we lose sight of God’s love for us and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Fast forward to Sunday morning of General Conference, I was listening to President Eyring and I knew that this talk was for me. He started off talking about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail pleading with Heavenly Father: “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?” President Eyring goes on to say, “Many of us, in moments of personal anguish, feel that God is far from us. The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God but occasionally covers us. God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are, covered by a pavilion of motivations that draw us away from God and make Him seem distant and inaccessible. Our own desires, rather than a feeling of ‘Thy will be done,’ create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God. God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time.”
He then goes on to tell two different stories to help illustrate the importance of not only seeking God’s will and but also God’s timing in our lives. The first story he tells is about his time as president of Ricks College. As he was completing his fifth year as president, he was presented with “an attractive job offer.” He considered taking it. He prayed about it and even talked it over with the First Presidency. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Well, Hal, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity! And if we ever needed you, we’d know where to find you.’ President Eyring goes on to say, “They would have known where to find me, but my desires for professional success might have created a pavilion that would make it hard for me to find God and harder for me to listen to and follow His invitations.
The second story he tells is about his daughter-in-law and her long wait for the blessing of another child. After many years of struggling with this trial, she finally submitted herself to God’s will through a prayer seeking a “divine errand.” This removed the pavilion and she was blessed with another child. President Eyring states: “Submitting fully to heaven’s will, as this young mother did, is essential to removing the spiritual pavilions we sometimes put over our heads. But it does not guarantee immediate answers to our prayers….The Lord’s delays often seem long; some last a lifetime. But they are always calculated to bless. They need never be times of loneliness or sorrow or impatience. Although His time is not always our time, we can be sure that the Lord keeps His promises.”
What can we do to ensure we remain close to God and unhidden by pavilions? We must become like little children. We must learn humility to be able to not only submit to but also embrace His will for us, knowing that He has great things in store for us. We must learn patience and wait upon the Lord and His timing. President Uchtdorf has said of patience: “I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort. There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!”
As we become like little children, we can learn the eternal truth that “God is close to us and aware of us and never hides from His faithful children.” President Eyring spoke of his young granddaughter who asked where Jesus was when she visited the Brigham City temple open house. The child’s mother explained that she wouldn’t see Jesus but that she would feel Him. The little girl thought about this and then concluded that He was gone helping someone else. President Eyring goes on to say, “No pavilion obscured Eliza’s understanding or obstructed her view of reality. God is close to her, and she feels close to Him….The Spirit could reveal to her childlike mind and heart the comfort all of us need and want. Jesus Christ lives, knows us, watches over us, and cares for us. In moments of pain, loneliness, or confusion, we do not need to see Jesus Christ to know that He is aware of our circumstances and that His mission is to bless.”
Waiting places can be a great time of learning and growth if we allow them to be. One thing that is always certain is that God loves us and is there waiting with us. The last part of that song I started with states:
As we beg for peace and trust in His love
We may not get the answers we want
But answers come pouring from heaven above
And He whispers – You will know what to do
Just keep listening for direction
The path is yours to choose
Turn your heart where I beckon
Every question will be answered
So don’t lose your faith
God is here waiting with you in your waiting place
You are never alone in your waiting place.
If we humble ourselves and submit to His will and His time, we can step out from our pavilions. This allows God to teach us and help us become what we need to become to move on to our next big adventure in life. He can help us fulfill the mission we were sent to earth to accomplish. Satan knows the importance of this time and he seeks to slow or even stop our growth and progress by making us feel discouraged and disappointed. He can cause doubt and fear to creep into our hearts drowning out faith and hope. We should never allow our waiting place to become our hiding place.
“O God, where art thou?” In a Mormon Messages video on YouTube, Elder Holland says, “That is a personal, painful cry, a cry from the heart. A spiritual loneliness we may all have an occasion to feel. But whenever these moments of our extremities come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. The Savior reminds us that He has graven us upon the palms of His hands. Considering the incomprehensible cost of the crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When lonely, cold, hard times come, He is there. Our prayers are heard.”
If there has been something here that has touched you or you have had a prayer answered, this is evidence to you that the Lord is aware of you and He loves you very much. He does not hide from His faithful children and is doing waiting of his own while He waits for you to turn to Him for help.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.” (D&C 78:17–18) “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, . . . and mine angels [shall be] round about you, to bear you up.” (D&C 84:88) “The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.” (D&C 78:18)
To echo the words of Nephi, I do not know the meaning of all things but I know that the Lord loveth His children. I am so grateful for my testimony that President Monson and apostles are all called of God and they are His mouthpiece on the earth. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who does not tire of my seemingly endless pleadings, even when I may not be fully submitting to His will. I feel His love for me and I desire for each of you to feel of His love for you.
