Latter-day Saint FAIR-Cast

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Faithful Answers, Informed Response

  1. 8h ago

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

  2. 1d ago

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson

    God Sits With You in the Dark by Autumn Dickson Psalm 102 is a chapter that reminds me a bit of one of the chapters we already discussed in psalms. The psalmist feels weary and broken, but despite the hardship the psalmist still praises the Lord. When we discussed the similar psalm last time, we spoke about the faith-building activity of praising the Lord after pouring our hearts out to Him. I want to approach it from a different angle this time. We know that the psalmist has a testimony of the Lord from verses like this. Psalms 102:24-27 24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. 25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Despite all that the psalmist is feeling, he recognizes that the Lord’s power endures beyond it all. He is strong and unending, omniscient, omnipotent. The psalmist also has a testimony that the Lord listens to those who are weak. Psalms 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This psalmist has some very important testimonies. He knows the power of God, and He knows that God is on his side. What more could you ask for in this mortal life? Surely the Lord allows difficulty in mortality for a reason, but when everything boils down, you have already won everything because of the merits of the Savior. We have every reason to rejoice. We have every reason to see the happy ending on the horizon. We have every reason to be at peace because the Lord is our God, and He has promised to make everything right. And yet, despite this testimony of God’s omnipotence and willingness to uphold His children, this psalmist also spends half the psalm crying out to God over his pain. It’s easy to think of the psalmist as complaining in the beginning. It would be easy to assume he simply doesn’t have enough faith and grows into that faith by the end of the psalm. He had to grow through a process in which his faith was building enough to comfort him. And in some ways, this viewpoint is accurate. I’m sure he did grow when he praised the Lord in pain. I’ve watched it occur many times in my own life. There have been many times where the Lord has helped me walk through faith-building activities. I’ve started at a low point only to end in a place where I sincerely feel like rejoicing because He has given me glimpses of how my story ends. And yet, as I read this psalm this morning, the Lord gave me a different viewpoint. Yes, I’m sure the psalmist grew in faith as he wrote about his testimony. However, the psalmist didn’t start from a point of faithlessness. It takes faith to praise the Lord in a time of need, but it also takes faith to be vulnerable and turn to the Lord in a time of need. I have a testimony of the Lord. I know Him. I know His character, and I often feel reason to rejoice. When things are hard, I don’t often have to force myself into gratitude. I know that He will carry me. He has proved it time and again. And yet despite the many testimonies that He has given me of Him and despite the many times that He has proved Himself, mortal life still feels heavy sometimes. So, so heavy. Faith can be a remedy to some of that heaviness, but it is not accurate to say that heaviness comes because of a lack of faith. It takes faith to find comfort when surrounded by the heaviness of mortal life. But it also takes faith to keep holding on when the Lord is silent. It takes faith to remember Him enough to wait it out when you don’t feel like rejoicing. It takes faith to turn to Him in despair even when it doesn’t feel as though He is responding much. Heaviness and difficulty in mortal life aren’t signs that your faith is weak; heaviness and difficulty are simply facts of mortal life. And sometimes sitting in that heaviness is what you need. Sometimes you don’t need to find the bright light yet. Sometimes you just need Someone to sit with you in the heaviness for a while before it’s time to find the lightness again. I remember being in a dark place on my mission. Everything felt heavy and hopeless. I didn’t want to love anyone anymore because I was so tired of all the pain that came with loving people. Maybe I didn’t actually feel that way long-term, but at that moment, I was too tired to keep loving all of these people. It had weight, especially when people didn’t choose the things that could bring hope or even when people were simply going through their own heaviness. I was just tired. As my companion took a shower, I went out to our living area and prayed in that darkness. He came. He didn’t directly comfort me. He didn’t whisper a happy ending or try to lift my sights. I actually distinctly remember feeling like He was just sitting with me in that heaviness and darkness. It was precisely what I needed. Faith can take on many forms. It can look like rejoicing, and I am so grateful to have found that powerful aspect of faith. But I also know that sitting in darkness is not an indication of a lack of faith. I testify that mortal life is supposed to be heavy and dark sometimes. It was part of His divine plan. It was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be taken to our limits so that we could expand our limits. I testify that faith often comforts and uplifts and rejoices in the midst of difficulty, but I also that sometimes faith manifests in a slightly more subtle feeling. It’s the feeling that you want to keep holding on even when the rejoicing is absent. It’s a feeling that you can be open and vulnerable with Him, and He will not scorn you for it. I testify that He will hear the prayer of the destitute and not despise them for it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  3. 4d ago

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    Keeping Silent by Autumn Dickson David was a good king who loved the Lord but fell. He chose to engage in very serious sin and commit adultery with Bathsheba. The real problem came when he chose to cover it up. When David brought Uriah home to be with his wife, Uriah refused in loyalty to his fellow soldiers. In response, David got even more nervous and sent Uriah to a dangerous part of the battle to have him killed. David spends a lot of time suppressing his own guilt until Nathan confronts him after the child is born. The fact that David doesn’t confess until after the child is born suggests that he was holding on to that guilt for 9-12 months. Psalm 51 was written after David is confronted by Nathan’s parable. I want to talk about 51, but I think that covering Psalm 32 as well will add to the conversation. Both psalms occurred after David was called out. Psalm 32:3-4 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. David describes pain and groaning all day when he kept silent about his sins. He felt God’s presence as a condemnation during this time (heavy hand), and his strength was dried up like a drought. David kept on ruling as king, married to Bathsheba with no one the wiser, and it ate him up because he knew better and had loved God. If you continue reading in 32, it talks about how David feels so much better after confessing. Now here is a verse in 51. Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. The Lord desires truth in the inward parts because He knows what that does for us. He knows what a release it is. He knows that it releases a lot of suffering. I’ve seen this in a lot of different ways in my life, but a couple come to mind specifically. I grew up in a very good home. All of my siblings are active and as far as I know, all of their kids are active too. My parents are good people who choose to love each other and their children. This made it very easy for me to live the gospel. I didn’t have to ask difficult questions about how my family would fit on the other side. It never occurred to me that this might present very real problems. And because of my naivety, I believe I was rather insensitive for a long time. I thought I was just really good at the gospel, not recognizing the fact that I had never faced obstacles and been forced to build strength as a result. I think this made me self-righteous in a lot of ways. My mission helped with that a lot. I grew up a bit. One of the indirect consequences of having my eyes opened was the fact that I got to look back at my choices with new eyes. And oh my goodness…cringe. I see why I lost a lot of friends growing up. I see how I was out of line. I’ve reached the point where I give myself grace now because I recognize that I was young and simply didn’t know better. There was no way that I could have built the depth necessary for compassion because depth hadn’t been required for me in a lot of ways. But that grace was hard to grow into. It took me a long time to make peace with my younger self and feel okay with her. I often found myself sleepless at night because of ridiculous ways that I had acted while growing up. I felt the same way when I looked back on parts of my mission before some of that maturing had occurred. It ate at me. It ate at me so much that I finally started reaching out to people. Logistics made it so that I couldn’t reach out to everyone, but I reached out to some. I apologized for my part in whatever issues we had. I told them I was sorry for being young and immature and likely hurting them because of it. Sometimes it felt weird reaching out to people after years of no contact, but I was sick of sitting with my discomfort. The result was overwhelmingly positive. I connected with a lot of people who had also matured over the years. I received thanks from people who also struggled with their younger years just like I had. Despite the initial awkwardness I felt, I found kinship with many people that I thought I would never feel close to. I still have moments where I cringe about things I did or said, but now there is mostly just freedom and peace. It doesn’t eat at me anymore. In fact, I liked the feeling so much that I do it often and immediately now. Whenever I say something dumb or worry that I offended someone, I don’t hesitate. I simply reach out and explain myself or apologize as warranted. I’m not perfect at it, and sometimes delicate situations don’t allow for directness or freedom. But I try to do it as much as possible. It’s awesome. I think sometimes people sin and then blame God when they feel guilty and torn up about it. I believe that what’s actually occurring is the fact that they’re good people, and sin eats at them. They’re trying to find some relief from it, and so they distance themselves from God and become angry with Him. It’s so much easier to lean into it and try to fix it instead of living with it. So much easier. I testify that God wants truth in the inward parts for own sake. A simple acknowledgment is going to take us a long way. I testify that the fear of facing those sins and mistakes and flaws comes from Satan because he wants us to keep living with that misery. I testify that the lightness and freedom are on the other side.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  4. Aug 25

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

  5. Aug 25

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson

    Pain and Praise by Autumn Dickson One of the most emotional psalms found in the Old Testament was written by David. He was a king who worshipped and loved the Lord. He rejoiced in the Lord, and because of that, he sometimes found himself with enemies. His enemies were not just foreigners but within his own kingdom. This chapter often speaks of them. Though David pours out his heart over his suffering, it shifts towards the end of the psalm towards praise of the Lord. Psalms 69:30-31 30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. Before these verses, David is emotionally suffering. He is in deep need. He is flooded by difficulty, overwhelmed by it. It shifts to asking the Lord to protect him from his enemies, but then it takes an interesting detour. Despite his turmoil, David starts to praise God. There are two parts that I want to talk about. Part one: Truly pour out your heart to God, but then try ending it with sincere, heartfelt praise. Do this on purpose. The Lord is not afraid of your strong feelings. Tell Him exactly where you’re at. Tell Him how afraid you are, uncertain, angry, exhausted, depressed. We do not have to muffle our despair to please Him. But after we’ve been open with Him, can I recommend praising Him? During your prayers, make the same shift that David does. Start to praise the God who has showed up for you a million times before. No matter how much despair you’re holding, it’s not going to change the fact that the Lord has already won and will provide for your eternal happiness. He’s going to do that regardless. Praising Him doesn’t change anything except you; it changes you. When you start to praise Him, you remember. Your eyes are opened. Your problems start to seem small and pathetic because you suddenly remember the character of the God who is on your side. The tricky part about this recommendation is that it has to be heartfelt. Otherwise, it does more harm than good. If you’re just trying to swallow your pain and “force” yourself into faith, you’re not going to find the peace. That’s not how you arrive at peace. So tell Him how you feel and then remind yourself of Who is on your side by praising Him on purpose. Part two: There is a reason David says the Lord appreciates praise more than an extra sacrifice. In verse 31, he declares that this specific attitude (praising God despite turmoil) will please the Lord more than the ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs. This description is important. It is describing the highest quality sacrifice that one could make. It was a fully-developed, prime animal. It was costly and ritually perfect, but according to David, thanksgiving was more pleasing. It is important to note that David participated in sacrifice. He believed in obedience. This verse describing the Lord’s approval of thanksgiving doesn’t diminish our need to do what the Lord asks. However, doing what He asks without letting it change you is just a fruitless exercise for everyone involved. This verse is emphasizing the entire purpose of sacrifice in the first place. It’s meant to turn our hearts to the Lord. David understands why he makes sacrifices. This is very pleasing to the Lord. When I think about what is pleasing to the Lord, I often think about what would please me as a parent. Would I love it if my daughter came to me randomly and said that she had vacuumed downstairs? Absolutely. I would be grateful if I asked her to do it, and she complied. I would be even more grateful if she did it before I even asked. But I think there’s another experience that would mean more to me. If my daughter felt overwhelmed with persecution and trials, I would be honored if she came to me about it. David’s heart cries out to God in the beginning. This psalm isn’t just about thanksgiving. David also lays out every reason he has that would argue against gratitude. I imagine any of my children coming to me, talking about painful circumstances, but then ending with, “I know things are hard, but thanks for being my mom. Thanks for taking care of me at home and making sure I have what I need. I know I can trust you.” I can understand why David believes that the Lord appreciates David’s trust and praise more than another sacrifice. Not only does it please the Lord to have His children love Him for all He’s done for them, this attitude of praise also pleases Him because He gets to watch us find happiness from the practice of praise. I love when my kids recognize what I do and are grateful. I love it because it feels good on a personal level, but I also love it because I know that attitude of praise and gratitude and trust are going to lead to happy lives. That’s how you get there, and I get so excited when my kids find it. It is so cleansing and cathartic to do as David does. It feels so good to pour out your heart to God but then step back and truly believe that you’re going to be okay, not because of your own merit but because of the Lord’s. If I could watch my children (or any of my loved ones) find what I’ve found, what David has found, my soul would be satisfied. Do it. Pour your heart out and then end it with praising Him. I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart, and He has all the power and wisdom in the world to bring it about. I testify that praising Him pleases Him because it enables you to be happy. He loves watching you be happy. I testify that as we consciously take time to praise Him, we find peace and joy.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  6. Aug 20

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    Some Trust in Chariots by Autumn Dickson There are different kinds of scripture that reach us through different means. The Book of Mormon is filled with stories that teach us about the dealings of God with His children; it is also filled with sermons that teach doctrine. The Old Testament is likewise filled with stories that highlight our relationship with Christ. The New Testament teaches us about the character of Christ by helping us read about His mortal life. The Doctrine and Covenants show the voice of the Lord as He speaks to His children; He answers questions that they have. There are obviously other kinds of scripture in each book, but there are some general “types” of scripture that teach us in different ways. The Psalms are different entirely; they are poems set to music. Oftentimes, they are simply filled with praise and worship. When I think of Psalms, I think of the times when I feel very close to God. When I write in my journal about ways that God has shown up for me or saved me, it often evolves into psalms. I tell whatever story has happened in life at that point, but then I shift a bit and simply start to rejoice in Him and praise Him and love Him for helping me. The principle I want to talk about today was taught to me a few weeks ago as I listened during Relief Society. The Lord whispered a principle to me, and today I saw that principle again in the verses that I read. Here is that verse. Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Upon first reading this verse, we learn that the Lord is more powerful than human technology and resources. Chariots and horses were the epitome of military technology when this psalm was written. Many leaders measured their power by how many chariots they had. Even the most advanced of mankind was negligible compared to the glory of God and the safety that He could offer to us. There is so much comfort and peace to be had when we shift our trust from earthly protections to the Lord. But as I read this verse, a different principle jumped to mind. Chariots and horses were tools of war. In our day, we do not use chariots and horses to go into battle. In fact, many of us aren’t going into battle at all. Or are we? There is spiritual warfare being waged right and left of course, but this specific verse doesn’t suggest that the Lord is fighting. There is plenty of scripture that teaches how the Lord will fight our battles, but this particular verse doesn’t say that. It specifically teaches that instead of trusting in war, we remember the Lord. Instead of trusting in anger and defensiveness, we remember the Lord. Perhaps you will not find yourself on a chariot, but you may find yourself in battle against someone who has hurt you. You feel a deep need to defend yourself and hold desperately to your anger. You are possibly presented with opportunities to fight back with sophisticated technology. Or you can choose to remember the Lord. I have heard forgiveness mocked in our day and age. I have heard anger praised and upheld as the savior of victims. There are appropriate times to be firm and even “battle” for what’s right, but righteous anger and firmness is always accompanied by forgiveness. Forgiveness is what will really save you when you feel that war has been waged against you. Forgiveness may include pursuing justice and standing up for what’s right, but forgiveness is required if we want to truly find healing and be at peace once again. As mentioned previously, rather than emphasizing the fact that the Lord will fight your battles, this verse simply implores you to remember Him. As I sat in Relief Society a couple of weeks ago, the Lord whispered to me one of the purposes of a specific part of His atonement. This is a very specific example, but it can be extended to countless examples. I have never been assaulted. So I would imagine that giving a TED Talk and starting a speaking circuit about forgiveness addressed to assault victims wouldn’t go far. These women are extremely vulnerable. Their trust has been shattered. Why would they give their trust to me about how to heal? I’ve never been where they’ve been. I have no personal experience in that kind of healing. I have no personal idea of what’s going to make them feel safe again. Honestly, the audacity of me to set myself up as an example to follow would be arrogant. But then imagine an assault survivor starting a speaking circuit about healing and peace. It’s going to hit really different. If these vulnerable women can look to this speaker who has been where they’ve been and can show them the way out of darkness, they’re going to trust this speaker. This is part of the reason Christ suffered what we suffered. He wanted to be able to teach us with power. He wanted to be able to stand before us, healed and whole, and show us the way out. He wanted to be able to say, “I know exactly how you feel. You can trust Me and what I teach about healing.” When Christ asks us to forgive, it’s because He knows the peace that it brings firsthand. When we are faced with any kind of battle or war or violence against us, it helps to remember the Lord. It helps to approach the situation with the Lord as our teacher and our guide out of darkness. He knows what He’s talking about. When He asks us to forgive and love, it’s because He personally knows what that will do for us. I testify that the scriptures can teach us how to survive mortality. I testify that they are full of the teachings of Christ that can enable us to come out on top. I testify that remembering Christ and what He went through can help us to trust Him and allow Him to lead us out of whatever pain we may be experiencing. I testify that He suffered on our behalf because He loves us and wanted that extra relatability and power to reach us.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  7. Aug 18

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

  8. Aug 14

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    A Double Portion Promise by Autumn Dickson I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God’s plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly. Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a parable. I have no idea whether Job was real, but I do know that the Lord uses physical things to help us better understand. All things are spiritual unto the Lord. The book of Job is no different. There are beautiful spiritual parallels to be drawn from Job. Here is one of those spiritual parallels. Job’s story begins with abundance. He has 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (1,000 oxen), and 500 female donkeys. He has 7 sons and 3 daughters. His life implodes with a series of horrible trials, and he loses everything including his children. Job remains faithful, and this is the end of his story: Job 42:12-13 12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. His material blessings from the Lord are doubled by the end. He also ends up with the same amount of children that he had before, 7 sons and 3 daughters. I found myself asking, “If I knew the end from the beginning, would I voluntarily choose to experience what he experienced to double what I had?” My knee-jerk reaction is “HECK NO.” Not only would I never give up my current children, but I’m also a total wuss when it comes to pain. So no thank you. I’m happy with half of my potential riches. Seems plenty sufficient to me. I don’t know what to do with 1 sheep let alone 7,000, but I digress. Interestingly enough, all things are spiritual to the Lord, and that’s actually exactly what we volunteered to do. Before we came to earth, we lived in a beautiful place with a loving family. We were safe. It was wonderful, but Heavenly Father wanted to give us more. In order to give us more, we would need to choose to go down to earth and experience opposition. We would have to walk away from all of that goodness, but Heavenly Father also had some promises for us. He would give us a double portion, and we wouldn’t have to actually lose anything important (i.e. children) because we had a perfect older Brother who would take care of us. And so we volunteered to experience pain in order to receive that double portion, and we held on to the promises that the most important things would be restored to us. It is significant that Job had the same number of children. I don’t know if Job was real and if he truly lost 10 children, but the spiritual lesson is poignant. Heavenly Father can double all of these other wonderful resources, AND we don’t need to truly lose anything valuable. He didn’t double Job’s children like the first round was unimportant; the Lord restored what Job originally had. A double portion of resources was likewise significant. It describes the Lord’s generosity and His willingness to overcompensate for anything we might have lost during our period of opposition. I truly believe that. I believe that anything I suffer here will pale in comparison to what He plans on giving me there, and I hold tightly to those promises. They fill me with peace. Honestly, part of that double portion is peace, but it’s so much more than that as well. Sure, the Lord is going to give us a heavenly place with all that we need. We will have resurrected bodies that never grow old and die, but we will have more than that. Job was given double the resources, but he was given something much better as well. He became the blessing. He levelled up. He became more like his Savior. This is a parable for us. We can be someone worth being. We can be resilient, wise, and strong. We can be powerful. We can know the truth deeply because we were given an opportunity to live the truth. We can be prepared to serve as our Heavenly Father serves, which actually leads to another insight surrounding the idea of “double portions.” A biblical double portion refers back to inheritance laws and traditions. The firstborn son always received a double portion. This was both an honor and a responsibility. That double portion was given so that the firstborn son could take care of the vulnerable members of the family. When I picture heaven, I see a beautiful place with everything we could possibly ask for. I also see good people who take care of each other. It feels heavenly because we’re all friends and build a community. Heavenly Father is actually trying to give us more than a beautiful place. He is trying to give us eternal purpose so that our forever doesn’t feel meaningless and empty. He wants to give us responsibilities to serve the vulnerable who come after us. He wants to give us a double portion to serve, but He needs to know that He can trust us to stay strong through opposition just as He does. There are far more layers and parallels to study in the book of Job, but one of those layers echoes the Plan of Salvation itself. Job began with abundance. He experienced opposition. He had his abundance restored and doubled, and he likewise came out of the experience as a better man. I testify of a Heavenly Father who has a plan. I testify that He teaches His plans over and over and over throughout His word. We just have to find the patterns. I testify that He loves each of us and has the power to restore what’s most important as well as offering a double portion. He is good and wise and powerful, and He adores us. We can trust Him as we wait to get to the other side of the opposition.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

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Faithful Answers, Informed Response

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