From where I live just south of Provo Canyon, I have a wonderful view of Mt. Timpanogos. It’s especially stunning when it’s covered with snow, towering majestically on the other side of the canyon, stark white edges crisp against the blue sky. Its beauty and stability fill me with a sense of awe and safety. Like Elder Karl D. Hirst, I enjoy the “symbolism of mountains being evidence of the certainty of God’s love.”
Which is why it’s always unsettling when the mountain disappears.
After the Mountains Have Left
Logically, I know Mt. Timpanogos is still there behind the clouds and mists. But it doesn’t feel like it’s there because how could something as intangible as mist completely consume something as solid and stable as a mountain? The truth is, though, that when the mists get dense enough, they can block anything from view.
The same feels true of trials. Sometimes they descend on our lives with such density that God’s presence and love seem to vanish. Depression, doubt, and discouragement can cloud the mind so completely that it seems impossible God could be real or could really love you if He was letting you suffer like this.
It seems that way, but in reality isn’t. Elder Hirst taught:
“When we don’t feel the warmth of divine love, it hasn’t gone away. God’s own words are that “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but [His] kindness shall not depart from [us].” So, just to be clear, the idea that God has stopped loving should be so far down the list of possible explanations in life that we don’t get to it until after the mountains have left and the hills are gone!”
Hope Amidst the Mists
Lehi’s vision in the Book of Mormon teaches us what to do when God’s love disappears from our vision. In 1 Nephi 8:19–22, Lehi says that he saw a straight and narrow path with a rod of iron beside it and countless people following that path toward the tree of life which Nephi taught “was a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:25). When “an exceedingly great mist of darkness” arose, there were many who could no longer see the tree of life—could no longer see God’s love in their life—and they “did lose their way” (1 Nephi 8:23). But there is hope. Losing sight of God’s love doesn’t have to mean losing your way.
And for others in Lehi’s vision, knowledge of God’s word (which was symbolized by the iron rod) did suffice. “They did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree” (1 Nephi 8:24).
Speaking to those “wrestling with grief, depression, betrayal, loneliness, disappointment” and more, Elder Hirst said, “For a season at least, perhaps you will not be able to feel His love, and knowledge will have to suffice.”
Knowledge to Cling To
So what does the word of God say about His love? What knowledge can we cling to when His loving presence seems impossible to feel? Here are seven truths about God’s love to cling to when mists of darkness arise.
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
- “We have a loving Heavenly Father who will see that we receive every blessing and every advantage that our own desires and choices allow” (President Dallin H. Oaks).
- “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).
- “In a way, we are seeds.... Though at times we may feel buried by the trials of life or surrounded by emotional darkness, the love of God and the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will bring something unimaginable to spring forth” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf).
- “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life” (2 Nephi 26:24).
- “Your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there” (President Thomas S. Monson).
- “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
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