Developing the Faith to Reap

grain

There seem to be two distinct levels of faith. The first level is the faith to try, the faith to thrust in our sickles. The second level is the faith to do. It is more than the faith to thrust in our sickles—it is the faith to reap.

Laban and the records

Laman and Lemuel had the faith to try, but Nephi had the faith to do. Laman and Lemuel had enough faith to thrust in their sickles.

Nephi, however, had enough faith to reap (1 Nephi 3:15-16).

Lehi and the records

That subtle distinction between the faith to thrust in our sickles and the faith to reap will make all the difference in our lives. To live again with our Heavenly Father and to live productive and joyful lives on earth, we need to develop the faith to reap.

What exactly is the faith to reap, and how can we develop it?

Have Faith in Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ

First, unlike the faith to thrust in our sickles, the faith to reap is not faith in ourselves. It is not the same as self-confidence or positive mental attitude. The faith to reap is faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. It is faith in His power, not ours.

When I was called as the stake president of the Mesa Arizona Maricopa Stake, Elder W. Mack Lawrence, at the time a General Authority Seventy, invited my wife and me into the stake president’s office and extended the calling. I dutifully accepted. Then he invited us to enter the high council room and prayerfully consider men to recommend as my counselors. As I entered the room, I saw pictures of all the stake presidents who had previously served in the stake since it was organized, and my heart sank. They were great leaders both in the Church and in the community.

I looked at my wife and said, “Kathleen, I don’t think I can do this. I’m not in their league.”

She said, “Don’t talk to me about it. You had better talk to Elder Lawrence.”

To my surprise, when I told him that I didn’t think I could fulfill the calling, Elder Lawrence responded, “Well, I suppose you’re right.”

Wilford Andersen
Elder Wilford Andersen

But then he said, “You can’t do it, Brother Andersen, but the Lord can. He has the power to do His work, and if you will be worthy and work hard, He will do it. You will see.”

And He did. The faith to reap is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It never yields.

Align Your Will with God’s Will

Second, to exercise the faith to reap, we must be certain that our desires and objectives are consistent with the will of God. Moroni taught, “And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33; emphasis added). Conforming our desires to God’s will is a prerequisite to the faith to reap.

basketball

When my sons were younger, they played on the high school basketball teams. Back then they used to have a team prayer prior to beginning each game. If they were praying to win the game, their prayers lacked the faith to reap. This was clearly evidenced by the number of games they lost! The Lord apparently did not share their desire that they necessarily win every game.

In other words, God will help us to achieve only the goals that are good for us. He knows better than we do what will be for our good. We should pray each day that Heavenly Father will bless us with righteous desires to conform our will to His. We must learn to pray as the Lord did in the Garden of Gethsemane that God’s will, not ours, be done (see Luke 22:42). Only then can we exercise the faith to reap.

Go to Work

The third prerequisite of faith to reap is work. The Apostle James makes it clear that faith without works is dead (James 2:17-20). The faith to thrust in our sickles requires belief, but the faith to reap requires more than belief.

quail

I heard a story about a father who noticed his young daughter kneeling beside her bed, praying that Heavenly Father would protect little birds from entering a bird trap her brother had built and placed in the backyard. Later that day, the father grew concerned. He knew the trap was a good one. He had helped his son build it.

“I heard you praying this morning that Heavenly Father would protect the little birds from your brother’s trap,” he said to his daughter. “But sometimes sad things happen even when we pray that they won’t.”

She responded, “I just know he won’t catch any birds, Daddy.”

“I admire your faith, sweetheart,” the father said. “But if he does catch some birds, I hope that won’t hurt your faith.”

“He won’t, Daddy,” she said. “I know he won’t.”

The father asked, “How can you have such great faith?”

“Because after I said my prayers,” his daughter replied, “I went out back and kicked his bird trap all to pieces.”

We cannot expect the Lord to guide our footsteps if we’re not willing to move our feet. We must work at reaching our righteous goals and keeping the commandments. Don’t be discouraged with your failures or mistakes, but be constant and determined in your efforts.

I invite you to develop the faith to reap. Place your faith firmly in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and in His Atonement. Make sure that your desires align with and conform to His will. Then go to work with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, with unfailing determination and persistence (D&C 4:2). There is no challenge, no problem, no barrier that will not yield to the faith to reap for: “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).