Applying the Old Testament to Your Life
Trusting God’s Wisdom over Your Own
Because the Lord loves us, we can trust that He will lead us down a good path as we follow His counsel.
If someone had told me when I was 18 that I would have a baby before graduating from college, I probably would have laughed and then promised that that would never happen. When I started college, I could not fathom how some people could manage starting a family while they were still in school, and though I was happy for them, I was sure that would never be my situation.
Five years later, I am in that very same situation that I swore would never happen to me. My husband and I recently had a baby, about nine months before both of us will graduate from college. And, yes, we anticipate that it will be a challenge to have a newborn and still be in school, but we have peace knowing that we made the decision to start having kids after much prayer, personal revelation, and counseling with the Lord.
When We Don’t Know What to Do, We Can Move Forward in Faith
As young adults, we are faced with a lot of forks in the road. Should we serve a mission? Should we go to school or work? Or should we do both? Where should we work or go to school? Whom should we marry, and when? With so many things that we could be doing, it can be difficult to know what we should be doing.
In 2 Samuel 5, we read that after David united Israel and was anointed king, he had to defend his people from the Philistines, who had infiltrated the land.
As king of the Israelites, “David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand?” (2 Samuel 5:19). The Lord assured David that He would deliver the Philistines into David’s hands.
Even after being defeated, the Philistines came again into the valley, threatening the people of Israel. David, knowing that he and his men had successfully conquered the Philistines before, could have gone straight into battle and treated the situation like they had before. But rather than trusting in his own strength and skill as a leader, David turned again to the Lord for direction and counsel.
And do you know what happened? The Lord instructed David to take a different course of action than before. David was promised that if he and his men followed the counsel of the Lord, only then would they be protected. The Lord said, “Then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines” (2 Samuel 5:24; emphasis added).
Receiving the Lord’s protection was a conditional blessing; if David hadn’t followed the Lord’s commands, then he may not have received the best possible outcome in battle. David knew he had won many battles by trusting in the Lord and knew He could help him win this one too.
Trusting in Our Personal Revelation
So what do we do when we find ourselves at a personal crossroads and we don’t know which direction to take? Do we take it on ourselves, trusting our own knowledge and experience? Or do we pray about it and plead for the Lord’s guidance? And when that guidance comes, do we trust and follow it?
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously. It may seem paradoxical, but that is why recognizing answers to prayer can sometimes be very difficult. Sometimes we unwisely try to face life by depending on our own experience and capacity. It is much wiser for us to seek through prayer and divine inspiration to know what to do. Our obedience assures that when required, we can qualify for divine power to accomplish an inspired objective.”1
Because the Lord loves us, we can trust that He will lead us down a good path as we follow His counsel. Though we may not understand the inspiration that we receive, we can know that the Lord has our best interests at heart and will take care of us.
So even though the logic of the world tells me that having a baby while still in school is a foolish decision, I know that I don’t have to be worried or afraid. My husband and I sought revelation from the Lord for when we wanted to add to our family, and we received an answer that is personal to us. We have seen blessings that we did not anticipate simply because we trusted in the Lord and His perfect plan.
The Lord knows our struggles. He knows our goals and the things that we hope to accomplish in life. He also knows what is best for each of His children. As we read in 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).