The Triumph of Hope
Hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ.
My dear brothers and sisters across the world, as we begin this very special time of general conference, the eyes of heaven will certainly be focused upon us. We will hear the voice of the Lord through His servants; we will feel the “guiding, directing, [and] comforting” (1. Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost . Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives ) influence of the Holy Ghost, and our faith will be strengthened.
Three years ago, President Russell M. Nelson began general conference with these words: “Pure revelation for the questions in your heart will make this conference rewarding and unforgettable. If you have not yet sought for the ministering of the Holy Ghost to help you hear what the Lord would have you hear during these two days, I invite you to do so now. Please make this conference a time of feasting on messages from the Lord through His servants.” (2.Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 6–7. Finally, pure revelation for the questions in your heart will make this conference rewarding and unforgettable. If you have not yet sought for the ministering of the Holy Ghost to help you hear what the Lord would have you hear during these two days, I invite you to do so now. Please make this conference a time of feasting on messages from the Lord through His servants. Learn how to apply them in your life.)
The scriptures link three words powerfully together: faith, hope, charity. The gift of hope is a priceless endowment from God. (3.“Have you noticed in the scriptures that hope seldom stands alone? Hope is often linked with faith. Hope and faith are commonly connected to charity. Why? Because hope is essential to faith; faith is essential to hope; faith and hope are essential to charity (see 1 Corinthians 13:13, Alma 7:24, Ether 12:28, Doctrine and Covenants 4:5). They support one another like legs on a three-legged stool. All three relate to our Redeemer.
“Faith [is rooted in] Jesus Christ. Hope centers in his atonement. Charity is manifest in the ‘pure love of Christ’ (see Moroni 7:47). These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable and may not always be precisely distinguished. Together, they become our tether to the celestial kingdom” (Russell M. Nelson, “A More Excellent Hope” [Brigham Young University devotional, Jan. 8, 1995], 3, speeches.byu.edu).
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Alma 7:24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
Ether 12:28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.
D&C4:5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
Moroni 7:47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
The word hope is used for many things we want to happen. For example, “I hope it won’t rain,” or “I hope our team wins.” My intent is to speak of our sacred and eternal hopes centered in Jesus Christ and the restored gospel and our “confident expectation[s] of … the promised blessings of righteousness.” (4.Gospel Topics, “Hope,” Gospel Library. Hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness. The scriptures often speak of hope as anticipation of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Hope for Eternal Life
Our hope of eternal life is assured through the grace of Christ and our own choices, allowing us the remarkable blessing of returning to our heavenly home and living forever in peace and happiness with our Heavenly Father, His Beloved Son, our faithful family and precious friends, and the righteous men and women from every continent and every century. (5. “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, … even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, [making] them sure and steadfast always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” (Ether 12:4).
On earth we experience joy and sorrow as we are tested and proven. Our victory comes through faith in Jesus Christ as we triumph over our sins, difficulties, temptations, unfairness, and the challenges of this mortal life. (6.Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: “Allow me to acknowledge that depression and other difficult mental and emotional challenges are real, and the answer is not simply, ‘Try to be happier.’ My purpose today is not to diminish or trivialize mental health issues. If you face such challenges, I mourn with you, and I stand beside you. For some people, finding joy may include seeking help from trained mental health professionals who devote their lives to practicing their very important art. We should be thankful for such help” (“A Higher Joy,” Liahona, May 2024, 66).
Before we discuss how to find joy, allow me to acknowledge that depression and other difficult mental and emotional challenges are real, and the answer is not simply “Try to be happier.” My purpose today is not to diminish or trivialize mental health issues. If you face such challenges, I mourn with you, and I stand beside you. For some people, finding joy may include seeking help from trained mental health professionals who devote their lives to practicing their very important art. We should be thankful for such help.)
As we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we see beyond our struggles to the blessings and promises of eternity. Like a light whose brilliance grows, hope brightens the darkened world, and we see our glorious future.
Hope Comes from God
Since the beginning, our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son have eagerly blessed the righteous with the precious gift of hope. (7.Our Heavenly Father has declared that His work and glory is to bring to pass our eternal life (see Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.).
After leaving the garden, Adam and Eve were taught by an angel of the promise of Jesus Christ. (8. Moses 5) The gift of hope enlightened their lives. Adam declared, “My eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy.” (9.Moses 5:10 And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.)Eve spoke of “the joy of [their] redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” (10. Moses 5:11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.)
Just as the Holy Ghost brought hope to Adam, (11. Moses 5:9 And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.) the power of the Lord’s Spirit enlightens the faithful today, illuminating the reality of eternal life.
The Savior sends us a Comforter, the Holy Ghost, a companion bringing faith, hope, and peace “not as the world giveth.” (12. John 14:27 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.)
“In the world,” the Savior said, “ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer [keep a brightness of hope]; I have overcome the world.” (13. John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.)
In times of difficulty, we choose to trust the Lord in faith. We quietly pray, “Not my will but thine be done.” (14. Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.)We feel the Lord’s approval for our meek willingness, and we await the promised peace the Lord will send in His chosen timing.
The Apostle Paul taught, “The God of hope [will] fill you with … joy and peace … , that ye may abound in hope,” (15. Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.) “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;” (16. Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;) “through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (17. Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.)
A Lesson of Hope
The prophet Moroni knew firsthand about having hope in Christ during tribulation. He explained his harrowing situation:
“I am alone. … I have not … whither to go.” (18. Mormon 8:5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.)
“I make not myself known … lest they should destroy me.” (19. Moroni 1:1 Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished; and I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.)
Remarkably, in this dark and lonely hour, Moroni records his father’s words of hope:
“If a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.” (20. Moroni 7:42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.)
“What is it that ye shall hope for? … Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal.” (21. Moroni 7:41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.)
My brothers and sisters, hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” (22. Hebrews 11:1. In the Joseph Smith Translation it reads, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (in the Bible appendix). We see the assurance of our faith in the blessings that come to those who keep the covenants they have made with the Lord; Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.) We build this substance—the evidence blocks of our faith—through prayer, temple covenants, keeping the commandments, continually feasting on the scriptures and the words of modern-day prophets, taking the sacrament, serving others, and worshipping weekly with our fellow Saints.
A House of Hope
To fortify our hope in a time of increasing wickedness, the Lord has directed His prophet to dot the earth with His temples.
As we enter the Lord’s house, we feel the Spirit of God, verifying our hope.
The temple testifies of the empty tomb and that life beyond the veil continues for all.
For those who do not have an eternal companion, the ordinances powerfully confirm that every righteous person will receive every promised blessing.
There is sublime hope as a young couple kneels across the altar to be sealed, not just for time but for eternity.
There is an immensity of hope for us in the promises made to our posterity, whatever their current circumstances.
There is no pain, no sickness, no injustice, no suffering, nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the house of the Lord. It is a house of light, a house of hope.
When Hope Is Discarded
We shed tears of sorrow as we see the sadness and despair in those who have no hope in Christ.
I recently observed from a distance a couple who at one time had faith in Christ but then decided to discard their belief. They were successful in the world, and they found pleasure in their intellect and the rejection of their faith.
All seemed well until the husband, still young and energetic, suddenly fell ill and died. Like an eclipse of the sun, they had blocked the light of the Son, and the result was an eclipse of hope. The wife, in her disbelief, now felt disoriented, painfully unprepared, unable to comfort her children. Her intellect had told her that her life was in perfect order until suddenly she could see no tomorrow. Her despair brought darkness and confusion.
Hope in Heartbreaking Tragedy
Let me contrast her painful despair with another family’s hope in Christ during a heartbreaking time.
Twenty-one years ago the newborn son of my nephew Ben Andersen and his wife, Robbie, was life-flighted from their Idaho farming community to Salt Lake City. I arrived at the hospital, and Ben explained the severe, life-threatening complications with their baby’s heart. We placed our hands on Trey’s tiny head. The Lord blessed him with continued life.
Trey had heart surgery the first week of his life, and more surgeries followed. As the years passed, it became apparent that Trey would need a heart transplant. Although his physical activities were limited, his faith expanded. He wrote, “I have never felt sorry for myself because I have always known the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and a testimony of the plan of salvation.”
Trey kept on his phone this well-known quote from President Nelson: “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” (23. Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82. My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.)
Trey wrote: “I have always looked forward to serving a full-time mission, but … my doctors won’t let me serve a mission until at least a year after my transplant. … I’ve put my faith in Jesus Christ.”
Trey was excited at being accepted into the accounting major at BYU beginning this semester, but even more excited in late July when he received the very anticipated telephone call to come to the hospital for his heart transplant.
“One year,” Trey said, “and I will be on my mission.”
There were great expectations as he entered the operating room. However, during the surgery there were devastating complications, and Trey never regained consciousness.
His mother, Robbie, said: “Friday had been the most heartbreaking day … just trying to wrap our minds around it. … I had stayed up late just trying to process everything. … But Saturday, I woke up with a feeling of absolute joy. It wasn’t just peace; it wasn’t denial. I felt joy for my son, and I felt joy as his mother. … Ben had gotten up a lot earlier than me, and when we finally got a chance to talk, Ben had awakened with the exact same feeling.” (24. Talk given by Robbie Andersen at the funeral of her son Trey Andersen, August 12, 2024. Trey had his surgery on July 31, 2024. He passed from this life on August 3, 2024.)
Ben explained: “Clarity came to my soul as God taught me through His Holy Spirit. I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and was filled with indescribable peace and joy. How is this possible? … The passing of Trey is so very painful, and I miss him so much. But the Lord does not leave us comfortless. … I look forward to a joyful reunion.” (25. Talk given by Ben Andersen at the funeral of his son Trey Andersen, August 12, 2024.)
The Promise of Hope
Trey had noted in his journal these words from President Nelson’s general conference talk: “It doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our ‘afflictions shall be but a small moment’ [Doctrine and Covenants 121:7] and be consecrated to our gain.” (26. Just as the Savior offers peace that “passeth all understanding,” He also offers an intensity, depth, and breadth of joy that defy human logic or mortal comprehension. For example, it doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our “afflictions shall be but a small moment” and be consecrated to our gain. Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” 82. Oct 2016)
Brothers and sisters, the peace you seek may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, His peace will come.
May we nurture our precious faith, pressing forward with a perfect brightness of hope. (27.See 2 Nephi 31:20. The hope Nephi speaks of is perfect and bright because it is centered in Christ. He is perfect, and His Atonement, which offers this bright hope, is also perfect. "20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.") I testify that our hope is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him, all our righteous dreams will be realized. He is the God of hope—the triumph of hope. He lives and He loves you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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