From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 11/22/2019
In God We Trust
I was only twelve years old when my grandmother Harper died. She lived across the road from our home. She was nearly blind and would often ask me to read scripture to her. After a reading she would explain the meaning of it, and would often share a related testimony. One scripture she emphasized was Jeremiah 17: 5-7. “Cursed be the men that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm; . . . Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” Those who trust in their own wisdom and judgment, or that of others, are often disappointed.
There are those whose purpose is to deceive us. All of us are acquainted with the “scam artists.” Paul wrote: God called “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:11,14).
In the coming year, election year, many will be saying “lo here, and lo there.” Who can we trust? During the Civil War the sentiment of many persons within our nation was that we needed to place our trust in God. On November 13, 1861, a letter was received by the Bureau of the Mint proposing that the words “In God we Trust” be placed on our coins. In 1863, the US Congress officially declared In God We Trust as our national motto.
Our nation’s motto, printed on every bill and coin of our money, should serve as a reminder that it is God we can trust who “hath made and preserved us a nation” (The Star Spangled Banner). How wonderful it would be if every person, of every family, in all the nations of the world, would adopt In God We Trust, as their motto. But we must remember printing these four words on our money is only the beginning. We must not be satisfied until the words are imprinted within our hearts and minds and are revealed in our lives.
Alma counseled his son Helaman to trust in God: “O remember my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God; yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest, let it be in the Lord; yea, let thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord for ever; counsel the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good: yea, when thou liest down at night, lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning, let your heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 17:68-70).
Alma also counseled his son Shiblon: “And now my son Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye shall put your trust in God, . . . ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions; and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Now my son, I would not that ye should [think] that I know these things of myself, but it is the Spirit of God which is in me, which maketh these things known to me” (Alma 18:5-6).
Alma’s counsel to his sons so long ago, is still good for all the sons of earth today. As God said, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). We can safely trust in him as individuals, and as a nation.
I will finish this message by a few more words from Alma: “I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions . . . yea, God has delivered me . . . and I do put my trust in him . . . and I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him for ever” (Alma 17:25-26). This is Alma’s Thanksgiving message.
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Dear Ones,
Where wilt thou put thy trust? No! Place thy trust above this shadowed
In a frail form of clay that to its realm of night, In Him whose boundless power
element of dust must soon resolve away? And love Thy confidence invite
(Hymns of the Restoration. #206).
Near the end of my term of service with the U.S. Army, it was required of me to take a joint inventory with the officer who was replacing me. All the property, valued at many thousands of dollars, had to be accounted for piece by piece. After days of tedious counting, everything checked out pretty well except for blankets and barracks bags. We were short a few hundred of each of these. The shortages were valued at more than three thousand dollars, and if the missing items were not found, I would have to pay for them out of my own pocket!
We counted the blankets and barracks bags again, but some were still missing. I shared my problem with my fellow officers and was counseled that I didn’t have anything to worry about. I was told that all I needed to do was to tear good blankets and bags into pieces and turn them into the salvage officer, and he would replace each part of a blanket or bag with a new one. I asked, “But what if he doesn’t’ want to cooperate? I was told that I surely had some “trading material,” such as extra steaks or coffee from the mess hall, that I could give him.
I didn’t approve of this method of making up my shortages, but I was being tempted. I didn’t have the money to pay for the losses. I might have to leave the service with a debt hanging over my head. It would also reflect on my record of service. I had always tried to be a good steward of the property for which I was responsible. I was troubled and worried.
One evening, after returning home to our little duplex in Augusta, Georgia, I said to my wife, “I’m tired of worrying about the missing property. Let’s let God worry about it!” We went to the bedroom, knelt by the bed, and asked in our desperation for the Lord’s help. We felt better after placing our burden at his feet.
After our prayers, I sat down in the chair near the bookcase, and opened my Bible. It opened at Psalm 1, and I began to read,
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).
The message of Psalm 1 was the help I needed. The Holy Ghost was at work. When I read, “he shall be like a tree,” I could see a strong oak that doesn’t bend easily. The words gave me the strength to refuse the counsel of my fellow officers. I would not make up the shortages in ways that were contrary to the law of the Lord. Now I was ready to face the consequences of the losses. I had overcome the temptation to violate the commandments of God.
A few days later as I arrived at my office, I was met by a smiling supply sergeant, who asked me to come with him to the supply room. He pointed to the highest shelf near the ceiling and said, “Guess what I found in those burlap bales up there?” I didn’t need three guesses. They contained the missing blankets and barracks bags!
I had learned two valuable lessons. 1) God can be trusted to help us with our troubles and afflictions. 2) The Holy Ghost will help us resist the counsel of the ungodly, and will give us the strength to keep his commandments, no matter what the cost may be.
I had been comforted and helped through a difficult situation by the power and presence of the Holy Ghost.
I know that the Holy Ghost stands by to comfort and help in time of need.
My Love to All,
High Pries Francis Harper
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