Seeking Miracles

Okay, thank you. Thank you for that generous introduction. It’s nice to see so many friends as well. Thanks for coming.

As someone who still feels like a relative novice in the scriptures, I’m really humbled to have been invited to give this lecture as part of the Wonder of Scripture lecture series. I’m grateful for Kim—who I hear is recovering from surgeries—for so much help, and I’m grateful for the invitation from J.B. A couple of months ago, he approached me and asked if I would expand upon a brief talk I gave last year, and it’s been a really meaningful experience to do so. So thank you again, J.B., for the invitation.

While I’m far from being an expert scriptorian, what might most qualify me to give this lecture is that I consistently wonder at the scriptures and the words of modern-day prophets. I’m deeply grateful for the ways they’ve been a conduit for the Lord to speak directly to me.

Wonder is defined as a combination of surprise and admiration caused by something beautiful or inexplicable. As I’ve pondered the wonder of the scriptures, I’ve felt drawn to contemplate examples of scriptural miracles and how we can apply those miracles to our lives. Miracles are surprising and inexplicable and, in that sense, worthy of wonder. Scriptures can provide miracles in our lives because they are one of the primary means by which the Lord speaks to us and answers our prayers.

In addition, there are many stories of specific miracles in the scriptures that we can—and should—apply to our lives. President Russell M. Nelson reminded us that every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord.

In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, doubting nothing.

When we speak of miracles, some of you may feel you’ve never experienced miracles like those described in the scriptures. President Sidney S. Reynolds, a former member of the Primary General Presidency, reminded us that just as important as mighty miracles are the smaller, private miracles that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord.

As members of the Church, we have been counseled repeatedly to seek and expect miracles. We know that God is a God of miracles. So—large or small, mighty or private—if we let God prevail in our lives, we are promised miracles. I testify that has been true in my life.

Let me begin by sharing the first example of how the scriptures were a miracle to me. Then I’ll turn to one of the Savior’s miracles and what we can learn as we apply His example to our lives.

Over twenty-five years ago, I was a young student, much like many of you. I was attending Central Michigan University, majoring in psychology, and planning to head to graduate school for a PhD. I was a good student, and I don’t think I was a bad person. But if you’d bumped into me at that age and looked into my heart, you would have seen that I was spiritually lost—searching in all the wrong places.

In my final year of schooling, two missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on my door and put me on a path that would ultimately change my life. I wasn’t a particularly cooperative investigator. I believe the first day the missionaries met me, I told them, “You can talk to me, but I’m never joining your church.” Famous last words. That pretty much set the tone for our interactions.

My missionaries taught me every single day for months. As they tell the story, at some point I stalled in my progression. I grew up in a family where my dad was a professionally trained priest in the Episcopal Church, so joining another church was complicated and carried potential consequences. My college friends were already pulling away from me for investigating the Church, and the path forward seemed impossible.

I was very torn. One evening, I remember pouring my heart out to the Lord in frustration—pleading to know what I should do and whether what I was learning was true. But I didn’t recognize an answer.

At some point, in an attempt to reignite my wavering ember of a testimony, one of my missionaries felt prompted to loan me his own copy of the Doctrine and Covenants—because, in that ancient time in history, scriptures weren’t available at the tap of a screen.

I have a terrible memory, but I still clearly remember sitting down on my bed in my college apartment to read.

When I read Doctrine and Covenants, section 6, verse 15, I stopped in my tracks. I felt like the scripture was speaking directly to me:

“Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth.”

And then, even more so, verses 22 and 23:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace unto your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?”

At that point, I remember literally throwing the book across the room—which was not very nice, since it wasn’t mine. But I was unfamiliar with the directness of the Spirit, and I was shocked to feel that the Lord knew me so personally—heard my specific prayer—and could answer the desires of my heart so clearly.

I still had a variety of mountains to climb before I ultimately joined the Church, but this experience, and many others, have been true miracles in my life that came from studying the scriptures. I have returned to Doctrine and Covenants 6 again and again, and it continues to contain answers to so many of my questions. It has allowed the Lord to communicate His will and love for me.

I hope you have your own “Section 6,” or many of them.

As Elder Richard G. Scott taught, scriptures can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. It occurred to me that some of you might not actually know what a filing cabinet is. If you don’t, come talk to me after—it’ll make a lot more sense.

In addition to experiencing wonder in how the scriptures have led to miracles in my life, I’ve also benefited from studying specific examples of miracles in the scriptures—especially those the Savior performed during His time on earth.

Maybe we all have a miracle that resonates with us, or that we most frequently apply to our lives. For me, I’ve often turned to the miracle of the Savior calming the storm. In Mark 4:39 we read: “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

I love the constant reminder this miracle is to me of the Savior’s majesty and His ability to calm the storms in my life and lead me to safety and peace. But sadly, this is not the miracle I’ve been prompted to discuss with you today. And it’s probably a good thing—because last year Dr. Gay Strather (I’m not sure if I’m pronouncing that right) did a marvelous job in this very lecture series interpreting that miracle in a far more meaningful way than I ever could. I’d highly recommend watching it.

From my study of the Savior’s miracles, I would say the vast majority are instances of Him healing someone—physically or spiritually. Indeed, President Nelson has testified that Jesus Christ is the Master Healer.

One somewhat underrated miracle is the Savior’s last recorded miracle before His death and glorious resurrection: when He healed the ear of a man named Malchus, the high priest’s servant.

This story is told in all four Gospels, but only Luke explicitly records that the Savior healed Malchus after Simon Peter impetuously drew his sword and cut off the servant’s ear in an aggressive attempt to protect Jesus from those who came to arrest Him—armed with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

In my search of the Scripture Citation Index (which I love—scriptures.byu.edu), this miracle has only been referenced in a small handful of general conference talks. But the ways it is referenced suggest several things we can learn and apply from the Savior’s example.

First, this miracle is an example of the value of Christlike poise.

Poise is defined as being dignified, calm, balanced—having a bearing that is self-assured, genuine, and displays equilibrium. Elder Mark A. Bragg defined poise as being calm, cool, and collected in all situations, particularly in times of adversity and pressure—or, in short, being a good person even in a storm.

When sharing examples of Christ’s poise, Elder Bragg said that when confronted by soldiers seeking to arrest Jesus, Peter’s reaction was to lose his poise and lash out violently by cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus Christ’s reaction, on the other hand, was to keep His poise and bring calm to a tense situation by healing Malchus.

How can we build the attribute of Christlike poise and be a good person even in a storm?

When I thought of modern examples of Christlike poise, I was reminded of an experience President Nelson shared about being in a small plane that was plummeting toward the earth. He said that some passengers screamed in hysterical panic throughout that ordeal. Then he said:

“I knew death was coming. My paramount feeling was that I was not afraid to die. I remember a sense of returning home to meet ancestors for whom I had done temple work. I remember my deep sense of gratitude that my sweetheart and I had been sealed eternally to each other and to our children, born and reared in the covenant. I realized that our marriage in the temple was my most important accomplishment. Honors bestowed upon me by men could not approach the inner peace provided by sealings performed in the house of the Lord.”

My interpretation of the source of then–Elder Nelson’s Christlike poise was his avoidance of fear and his focus on things of eternal consequence—thinking celestial. Elder Bragg said that by framing challenging times within an eternal plan, pressure becomes a privilege to love, serve, teach, and bless. An eternal view enables Christlike poise. Christ is the great man in a storm.

Do you see how I still managed to incorporate my favorite miracle into this application? Pretty sneaky.

So what storms are we facing today?

At the present moment, we are faced with a storm of contention and hostility stoked by the news and social media. Polarization and anonymity have led to good people saying and doing things in cyberspace that they would never dream of doing to another human being in person.

Sometimes this contention is communicated under the guise of humor, and unkind words are dismissed by the claim, “I was just kidding.”

I have a child who, as a teenager, thought himself witty and would sometimes use that wit at the expense of others. In an attempt at gentle correction, my husband and I would often share parental wisdom adapted from the book Wonder and suggest that when given the choice between being funny or being kind, choose kind. (The actual quote is, “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”)

Appropriate for this weekend—and perhaps this audience—when given the choice between being contentious toward a visiting football team (who happens to be your biggest athletic rival) and being kind, choose kind.

President Nelson reminded us that how we treat each other really matters. Christlike poise means not compromising our standards and choosing healing and kindness—even in a current storm that normalizes dehumanizing those with whom we disagree.

Another nuance of Christlike poise, highlighted by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, is what he called spiritual poise. Spiritual poise is a calmness and intentionality that he contrasts with Martha-like anxiety—something I’m way too familiar with—which can have us rushing around with good-intentioned conscientiousness at the cost of meaningful experience and relationships.

Spiritual poise allows us to minister to the one instead of being distracted by a lengthy and seemingly essential to-do list. Elder Maxwell said:

“Consider the spiritual poise of Jesus, our Exemplar in all things. Jesus, who accomplished the most, was never hectically involved. This is all the more marvelous when we realize that so much of His mortal Messiahship was crowded into only three very busy years. He had empathy for others even amid His agony in Gethsemane and on the cross. He restored a severed ear. He made certain that His mother Mary would be cared for by the Apostle John. He reassured a suffering thief about tomorrow. I’m so glad that Jesus did not view each healing as merely one more duty. For Him, such duty was a delight.”

There are many evidences in the scriptures that the Savior had the spiritual poise to slow down during His busy ministry and see individuals in their need for healing.

A paralytic man at the Pool of Bethesda had been passed over and trampled as he sought healing for thirty-eight long years. The scriptures teach that when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been in that case a long time, He said unto him, “Wilt thou be made whole?”

When the Savior was making haste to the home of Jairus, whose daughter lay dying, He was slowed by the throng. Despite this father’s urgent and justified need, Jesus stopped when He perceived that someone had touched Him. He was not hasty in ministering to the woman with the issue of blood, and He gave freely of Himself, saying, “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

When the Savior met a Samaritan woman at the well, He offered her spiritual healing through His promise of everlasting life. He showed her that He knew her personally and that He was the promised Messiah. As she went her way spreading the good news, she exclaimed, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

These examples support the definition of poise that includes calm, dignified, genuine self-assurance. This kind of poise is nurtured by a deep understanding of who we are—and whose we are.

Elder Kieran assured us that we can come unto Christ with confidence in His lovingkindness and receive His gifts of joy, peace, hope, light, truth, revelation, knowledge, and wisdom—with our head held high, our arms outstretched, and our hands open, ready to receive. We can receive these gifts because we are secure and grounded in the knowledge that we are beloved children of God.

As we each come to understand our own divine worth and dignity, we must also acknowledge the divine worth of those around us and treat every person as a child of God. As we strive to understand others, we can help turn them to Christ, who will make them whole.

A second thing we learn from the Savior’s example in healing Malchus is the power of meekness.

Meekness is characterized by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint. Self-restraint overlaps with Christlike poise. It is necessary for poise, but not sufficient. Similarly, self-restraint is foundational to meekness; it makes responsiveness and submissiveness possible.

As I consider the Savior’s perspective in this moment, surely He would have been justified to falter in self-restraint and lose His temper—or at the very least overlook Malchus’s needs. He had just endured excruciating pain in Gethsemane. His disciples failed to stay awake and watch even one hour. He had just been betrayed by one of His closest followers with the intimacy of a kiss. He knew what awaited Him on Calvary’s cross.

Surely this is a moment when even the best among us would understandably let self-restraint slip. But the Savior was unshaken in His meekness.

Elder David A. Bednar reminded us that meekness is strong, active, and courageous. Meekness is not weakness. It is strength choosing to acknowledge others and submit to God’s will.

Elder Bednar taught that when the armed company arrived to seize and arrest Jesus, Peter cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. The Savior then touched the servant’s ear and healed him. Elder Bednar noted that Jesus reached out and blessed a potential captor using the same heavenly power that could have prevented His capture and crucifixion.

This heavenly power is also highlighted in a talk by President Jeffrey R. Holland, who focused on the moments just prior to this healing. When the soldiers said they were searching for Jesus of Nazareth, He responded, “I am he,” and they fell backward to the ground. President Holland observed that simply being in the presence of the Son of God—the great Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Good Shepherd of the New—who bears no weapons of any kind, and hearing the voice of the Prince of Peace, was enough to send antagonists stumbling into retreat.

Further evidence of the Savior’s strength and meekness is found in His rebuke of Peter, where He demonstrates righteous responsiveness and willing submissiveness. In John 18, He said, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” And in Matthew 26, He said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

When we are strong—or have power and privilege—but choose to submit to God’s will, we exemplify meekness.

Sometimes, opportunities to develop meekness come through what President D. Todd Christofferson has called divine chastening. This does not always mean we have done something wrong. Rather, God uses correction to guide us to a future we do not yet envision but which He knows is better for us.

Many of you are likely familiar with the parable of the currant bush, shared by Hugh B. Brown and later quoted by President Christofferson. Let’s consider it.

Elder Brown told of purchasing a run-down farm in Canada. While repairing the property, he found a currant bush that had grown over six feet tall but was yielding no berries. He pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he noticed drops like tears at the top of each stump, as if the bush were crying, and he imagined it saying, “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth and now you’ve cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. How could you do this?”

He imagined responding, “Little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I don’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush. And someday, when you are laden with fruit, you will say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

Years later, Elder Brown was in line to be promoted, but the promotion was denied because he was a Latter-day Saint. He said that on his way home he was bitter and angry. When he arrived at his tent, he clenched his fists and shook them at heaven and cried, “How could you do this to me, God? I’ve done everything I could to measure up.”

Then he heard a voice—his own voice—say, “I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.”

The bitterness left his soul. He fell on his knees and asked forgiveness. And years later he looked up to God and said, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down—for loving me enough to hurt me.”

This does not mean God causes bad things to happen or hurts us intentionally. But it does mean He knows the end from the beginning and will consecrate our trials for our good as we respond with meekness.

In Mosiah 23 we read: “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless, whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day.”

I have a related story about an opportunity to develop meekness.

My oldest son has always felt a strong obligation to serve a mission—at least in part because my life was so blessed by young men and women who chose to serve. When his time came, he was called to serve a service mission, though he was capable of a teaching mission.

Although this didn’t come as a complete surprise, I knew my son’s ability and found myself occasionally wondering whether a mistake had been made. I have since repented of that line of thinking. But it is true that some people still assume a service mission is somehow lesser than a teaching mission.

As Elder Evan Schmutz taught in general conference, if teaching missionaries are the Lord’s mouth, then service missionaries are the Lord’s hands—and they are not second-class missionaries.

When my son encountered people who suggested a service mission was lesser, he was quick to respond, “Well, Ammon was a service missionary, wasn’t he?” Given Ammon’s reputation, I don’t think anyone would argue he was anything but strong, powerful, and effective.

Sometimes we don’t yet understand why the Lord asks us to submit to His will—especially when our plans feel rooted in righteous desires. But in time—whether in this life or the next—His wisdom will be revealed, and it will become clear that His plan was better than ours.

During my son’s mission, another one of our children went through a very serious and extended health challenge, and I cannot see how we would have survived as a family if my son hadn’t been home serving as a service missionary. We needed him. And I’m so grateful the Lord was aware of our needs.

The Lord’s will and ways are always best. When we trust Him, meekness helps us accept His will with peace and hope for the future. If most of us aren’t quite there yet, Elder Bednar reassures us that meekness is an essential aspect of the divine nature and can be received and developed in our lives because of and through the Savior’s atonement.

A third lesson from the Savior’s healing of Malchus is the importance of actively choosing to be a peacemaker.

Peacemaking is fostered by both Christlike poise and meekness, but it also requires action. Recent conference talks about peacemaking strongly emphasize avoiding contention. President Dallin H. Oaks said we need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications. This does not mean compromising principles, but ceasing harsh attacks on others for theirs.

Avoiding contention matters. But in my recent study of President Nelson’s talk “Peacemakers Needed,” I was struck by how much more Christlike peacemaking requires than simply not fighting.

The Savior could have avoided contention by not confronting the mob, or by stopping Peter before he lashed out. He could have kept silent—as He did at other times. But here, He went beyond holding His peace. He reached out and healed someone who was, by all accounts, His enemy.

In counsel from Church leaders about peacemaking—especially calls that go beyond merely not hurting others—we are invited to build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire. We are asked to seek after anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report in another person and say it to their face and behind their back. We are invited to publish peace in place of hate; exemplify the pure love of Christ when others suffer; avoid judgment and express love in word and action; build bridges of understanding; forgive others; manage honest differences with mutual respect and dignified dialogue; deliberately build others up instead of tearing them down; refuse to take offense; listen to understand; develop Christlike charity for those from all walks of life; heal misunderstandings; stand as a witness of God at all times; and demonstrate how disciples of Christ speak and act, especially when under fire.

These are not easy invitations.

Whether the opportunity to be a peacemaker is at a football game—or something far more personal—peacemaking demands action.

A few years ago, my youngest son felt he was being bullied and excluded at school. That night during scripture study, he asked specifically for understanding about what he should do. Our study led us to 3 Nephi 12, where the Savior teaches the Beatitudes. My son felt the Lord was telling him he would be blessed as he chose meekness, mercy, and peacemaking.

Even when we are on the receiving end of persecution, the Lord invites us to become more like Him.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson taught that to be a peacemaker is not to be weak, but to be strong in a way the world may not understand. Peacemaking is not just the absence of contention, but the presence of reconciliation.

As I reflected on this, I realized I’m fairly good at avoiding contention—walking away to avoid an argument—but I have work to do to actively engage in peacemaking.

President Nelson taught that the best is yet to come for peacemakers who spend their lives building up others.

The Savior’s miracles are full of personal applications and lessons from His perfect life. As I close, one final perspective on this miracle was meaningful to me—perhaps because, as I studied, I realized how far I am from being a poised, meek peacemaker.

As I tried to see applications of this miracle for myself as someone striving to follow the Savior, I also saw myself as the wayward servant in need of healing—undeserving, and yet reached for.

In many examples of the Savior’s healing power, the beneficiary is seeking Him—imperfect, but exercising faith. Malchus doesn’t fit that profile. We know little about him, and perhaps he was a reluctant participant. But at worst, he was an active participant in the mob seeking to arrest and kill the Savior of the world.

He seemingly did not recognize the Savior, and he clearly “knew not what he did.” And yet, even for one such as this—and indeed for all of us—the Savior is willing to reach out and heal.

His atonement is available to all of us, all the time: when our faith is strong and when it is weak; when we behave in Christlike ways and when we lash out in impetuous imperfection; when we bravely stand as witnesses and when we find ourselves part of the unruly mob.

When we are broken, the Lord is mighty to save and heal.

I testify that our Savior Jesus Christ is the Master Healer. He is the perfect example of poise, meekness, and peacemaking. As we study His miraculous life, we will learn of Him and become more like Him.

I testify that He is a God of miracles yesterday, today, and forever—that He died for us, was buried, and on the third day rose again. He lives, and He loves us.

As we seek and expect miracles, we will more readily receive and recognize them in our lives.

President Gene B. Bingham said, “Make time and take time to come to know Jesus Christ through studying diligently, developing greater faith in Him, and striving to become ever more like Him.”

I bear witness that the scriptures are replete with wonder, and that we can become more like our Savior as we intentionally seek answers to our questions and strive to apply the scriptures to our lives.

This lecture encourages us to slow down, dive deeper, and find more in the scriptures. As we do, the Lord will communicate His will to us and will never lead us astray.

“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.”

I testify of these truths in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.