2 Sundays ago, Colleen taught Relief Society on Lesson 2 in
the “Howard W. Hunter” Manual: “My Peace I Give Unto You”. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the lesson:
Jesus Christ was known as the Prince of peace, and President
Hunter said this is because it is only through Jesus that we can find true
peace. “Peace is a state of existence
that comes to man only upon the terms and conditions set by God, and in no
other way…
As we search for the shore of safety and peace, whether we
be individual women and men, families, communities, or nations, Christ is the
only beacon on which we can ultimately rely. He is the one who said of his
mission, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6.) …
Consider, for example, this instruction from Christ to his
disciples. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute
you.”
Think of what this admonition alone would do in your
neighborhood and mine, in the communities in which you and your children live,
in the nations which make up our great global family. I realize this doctrine
poses a significant challenge, but surely it is a more agreeable challenge than
the terrible tasks posed for us by the war and poverty and pain the world
continues to face.
When we try to help those who have offended us, when we pray
for those who have unrighteously used us, our lives can be beautiful. We can
have peace when we come into a unity with the Spirit and with each other as we
serve the Lord and keep his commandments.
The world in which we live, whether close to home or far
away, needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. It provides the only way the world will
ever know peace. … We need a more peaceful world, growing out of more peaceful
families and neighborhoods and communities. To secure and cultivate such peace,
“we must love others, even our enemies as well as our friends” [Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 393]. … We need to extend the
hand of friendship. We need to be kinder, more gentle, more forgiving, and
slower to anger.
A life filled with unselfish service will also be filled
with peace that surpasses understanding. … This peace can come only through
living the principles of the gospel…
One may live in beautiful and peaceful surroundings but,
because of inner dissension and discord, be in a state of constant turmoil. On
the other hand, one may be in the midst of utter destruction and the bloodshed
of war and yet have the serenity of unspeakable peace. If we look to man and
the ways of the world, we will find turmoil and confusion. If we will but turn
to God, we will find peace for the restless soul. This was made clear by the
words of the Savior: “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33); and
in his bequest to the Twelve and to all mankind, he said, “Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth. …” (John 14:27.)
We can find this peace now in a world of conflict if we will
but accept his great gift and his further invitation: “Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt. 11:28–29.)
This peace shelters us from the worldly turmoil. The
knowledge that God lives, that we are his children, and that he loves us
soothes the troubled heart. The answer to the quest lies in faith in God and in
his Son, Jesus Christ. This will bring peace to us now and in the eternity to
follow.
As always, he was watching over them. He loved them and
cared for them. In their moment of greatest extremity they looked and saw in
the darkness an image in a fluttering robe, walking toward them on the ridges
of the sea. They cried out in terror at the sight, thinking that it was a
phantom that walked upon the waves. And through the storm and darkness to
them—as so often to us, when, amid the darknesses of life, the ocean seems so
great and our little boats so small—there came the ultimate and reassuring
voice of peace with this simple declaration, “It is I; be not afraid.” Peter
exclaimed, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” And
Christ’s answer to him was the same as to all of us: “Come.”
Peter sprang over the vessel’s side and into the troubled
waves, and while his eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind might toss his
hair and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well. Only when with
wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious
waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink. Again,
like most of us, he cried, “Lord, save me.” Nor did Jesus fail him. He
stretched out his hand and grasped the drowning disciple with the gentle
rebuke, “O thou of little faith, [why] didst thou doubt?”
Then safely aboard their little craft, they saw the wind fall
and the crash of the waves become a ripple. Soon they were at their haven,
their safe port, where all would one day hope to be. The crew as well as his
disciples were filled with deep amazement. Some of them addressed him by a
title which I declare today: “Truly thou art the Son of God.” (Adapted from
Farrar, The Life of Christ, pp. 310–13; see Matt. 14:22–33.)
It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as
families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on
Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over “the swelling waves of disbelief”
and remain “unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.” But if we turn away
our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world
is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible
and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us,
then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair.
At such times when we feel the floods are threatening to drown
us and the deep is going to swallow up the tossed vessel of our faith, I pray
we may always hear amid the storm and the darkness that sweet utterance of the
Savior of the world: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (Matt. 14:27.)
In the lesson, this story was told of President Hunter: “He
was in Jerusalem to dedicate the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for
Near Eastern Studies. Several groups had protested the Church’s presence in
Jerusalem, and some had threatened violence. One of the speakers at the
dedication was Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve, who later
related this incident:
“As I was speaking, there was some excitement in the back of
the hall. Men in military uniforms had entered the room. They sent a note to
President Hunter. I turned and asked for instructions. He said, ‘There’s been a
bomb threat. Are you afraid?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Neither am I; finish your
talk.’” The dedication services proceeded without incident; there was no bomb.
In situations like these, President Hunter trusted in this
promise of peace from the Savior, which he often quoted: “Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”
