Local Leader Message
When You Think You Have Nothing Left, Turn to the Lord
A widow’s strength helps Elder Balilemwa learn that all is not lost if you put your faith in our Heavenly Father.
I remember an experience I had almost 20 years ago as a newly called branch president. At the time, a widow and her son, neither of whom were members of the Church, had relocated from the west of the city to within the boundaries of our congregation.
Early one morning, my wife and I were surprised to hear a loud knock at our door. I rushed downstairs to open the door, only to find the woman who had recently moved into the area standing in front of me.
Troubled by the hour of her visit, I invited her in. As soon as we sat down, she began to explain how difficult it had been for her to find our house; in fact, she had contacted at least three other Church members the day before to find out exactly where we lived.
With tears in her eyes, she shared with us the story of what she was going through at the time. For the past three years, she had been locked in a painful and emotionally draining legal battle with what she called her “powerful and influential in-laws” over who was the rightful heir to her late husband’s estate.
She described a traumatic experience in which the high court’s original ruling, which had been in her favour, had been overturned in the court of appeal. This ongoing legal dispute had also drained her of all her money, and she no longer had the strength to continue with it.
As she was due to attend court that same morning to hear the final verdict in her case, she felt that her only hope was to pass by our home to ask me to pray for her.
During my conversation with the woman, in my mind I was pleading with my Heavenly Father for guidance on how to offer her comfort and assure her that the Lord was merciful, that He would handle the situation perfectly, and that all she needed to do was believe in and trust Him wholeheartedly.
I thought of this scripture from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Heavenly Father knows what is best for each of us, as the prophet Isaiah taught: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
I knew she was looking for heavenly intervention, a miracle, and I knew, as Nephi taught: “He manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:13).
“Please pray for me,” the woman persisted, but I felt prompted by the Spirit of the Lord to cautiously decline. Instead, I urged her to turn to our Heavenly Father, assuring her that she was His beloved daughter, that He knew her and wanted the best for her, and that she should believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I told her how honoured I was, as a young man, to have gained her trust, and then I invited her and my wife to join me in petitioning our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. She agreed, and three of us went down on our knees to petition our Heavenly Father in heartfelt prayer.
Afterwards, I noticed the woman’s demeanour had changed. She looked fearless and ready to face anything that came her way with full confidence, trusting that the Lord would handle the battle on her behalf, as Isaiah taught: “But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children” (Isaiah 49:25).
With that, she left our home and headed for the court.
I marvelled at what had happened that day. I knew that every heartfelt prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but since the answers we receive aren’t always what we expect them to be at the time, I felt consumed with worry for the woman. However, in time, I was comforted by the Apostle Paul’s teachings to Timothy that we must live by faith and not by fear: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Looking back on that day fills my heart with such deep appreciation for the exercising of my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul taught: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
At the April 2021 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. . . .
“Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has that power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.”1
I do know the Lord will work miracles in our life according to our faith. Even when our future seems uncertain to us, it is only by having faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, that we can be assured of peace.
At April 2022 general conference, President Nelson taught: “Seek and expect miracles. . . .
“The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing’. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ ‘giveth power to the faint; and to them than have no might he increaseth strength.’”2
On the day my wife and I were visited by the widow, she phoned me to tell me the final verdict in her case. She exclaimed: “We won, we won! It is now over; our God is good!” My heart melted with feelings of gratitude and humility. I will always be eternally grateful to have had such an experience in the early years of my ministry.
After all these years in His service, I declare with even more certainty that the Saviour is always ready to help us as we remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).
When the widow realised all her resources had been exhausted, and that powerful and influential foes were standing in her way, she knew exactly where to turn and in whom to put her belief and trust: our Heavenly Father.
We are safe on the rock that is Jesus Christ when we have put our faith in Him, as the widow did.