Believing is Seeing

One of the most fundamental principles that Jesus Christ taught while on the earth is faith. It is the power behind everything that we do. Everyone, whether they realize it or not, has some level of faith in something. Even waking up and getting dressed in the morning is an exercise of faith that your day will actually be worth waking up for. But, faith in Jesus Christ is more than a simple belief in something to come. It involves trust, reliance, and hope in the knowledge that because of Him, you can change, you can learn, and your prayers will be answered. We have been talking with a man recently who has a strong belief in God and in Jesus Christ. He is very educated in theology, and is interested in learning about the Book of Mormon. We explained to him that he didn't need to take our word for it, but that he could read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and ask God for answers (see Moroni 10:4-5 on page 529). We told him how it is an act of faith to pray and ask God for guidance. He responded that he believes in God, but that he bases his faith on historical evidence, proof, and information and "doesn't need God to give him answers." I know that this is not true, and that Heavenly Father is open and ready to give us answers to our questions as we are willing to ask in faith. Just like the story of the apostle Thomas in the Bible, it is better to believe and act on our belief than just to go by sight: "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." More often than not, we have to take a few steps into the dark to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.