Not Even the Raging Sea

The Savior told His Apostles to get into a boat, and to go across the Sea of Galilee. He told them that He would wait a little while, and meet them later on. And then Christ went up on a hill to pray, while his apostles departed in their ship.

The sea was very rough that day. They toiled and rowed against the "contrary winds" without much success. The record says that the Lord saw them toiling, from His mountaintop (Mark 6:48). 
And in the fourth watch, He went to them, leaving the shore and walking to them across the water. They cried out, being troubled and supposing that they had seen a spirit.
And then the Savior spoke, "Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid" (Matthew 14:27). It was the Savior, who, hours earlier, they had seen on the shore as they set out to sea. 

I think that they must have thought of Him, in the midst of this storm, having seen the miracles that He had performed. But I imagine they did not expect the Savior to come unto them. He was on the land, and they were out at sea.

But He came. 

He saw them toiling, and He came unto them. 
There was no barrier that could keep the Lord from coming to His struggling sheep. The raging sea could not stop Him from giving them aid.



There is no place that we, as sheep, can wander, that the Lord our God cannot reach us. We must not think, "I am in the midst of this raging storm. The Lord is on the shore. He has no ship. I must look elsewhere for salvation." When we are sinking, in our storms of life, we can and must rely on Him, for He is the only one mighty enough to save us.


The Savior walked on water. He will come to us. He will succor us.

"Fear not, I am with thee. O be not afraid. For I am thy God, and will still give the aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand."
("How Firm a Foundation", LDS Hymnbook #85)

Pages Turned, A Heart Changed

It had always been hard for me to imagine what others might think about the Book of Mormon until I spent two years in El Salvador inviting people to read it. Now I know a lot of what people think - many hate it; they denounce it as being evil without ever reading it. Others, however, have come to love it, and have increased their relationship with Christ by reading this true account of God’s dealings with His children who lived anciently in the Western Hemisphere.

So why does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints focus so much on the Book of Mormon?

We have the Bible. We love the Bible. It contains two wonderful testaments that God lives, that He loves us, and that He “so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son,” Jesus Christ, that we might live (John 3:16)..

And just as we believe that the testimony of Old Testament prophets does not detract from the testimony of New Testament prophets, we believe that the testimony of Book of Mormon prophets does not detract from the Biblical testimonies that all Christians love and study.

I will not attempt to answer every question concerning the Book of Mormon in this article. I will share with you, however, a promise of how you can come to know if the Book of Mormon is true.

Read it.

As a child, I was often told that I had to at least try the food on my plate before decided that I did not like it. How can we approve or renounce anything concerning the Book of Mormon if we have never read it? This is the first step.

Here is the second step:

Ask God.

There is no surer way. We have learned, time and again, that the wisdom of man fails us. The earth is not flat, but centuries ago the wisest men would have told you that it was. So do not ask man. Do not ask me if it is true! Ask God. He will not lie. He cannot lie. If the book is true, wouldn’t He want you to know, so you could read it and learn more about Him? And if it is false, wouldn’t He want to expose that to you so you would not deceived? So just ask God with faith and He will answer you. I promise.

The Book of Mormon is an evidence that God still speaks to His children. It is an evidence that Joseph Smith, who translated the book, is a prophet of God. It is an evidence that God has established His true Church through Joseph Smith. It is the same Church that was established during Christ’s lifetime, complete with Apostles and Prophets.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Please, find out for yourself. It will change your life.

God loves you. He wants to guide you. Let Him guide you, either toward or away from the Book of Mormon, and the Church that it espouses. Ask Him, and follow Him. He loves you. He will answer.