Jesus Christ, a Pattern for Peace

 

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best thought, by day or by night

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise

Thou mine inheritance, now and always

Thou and Thou only first in my heart

High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's sun

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall

Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall

Still be my vision, O ruler of all

Songwriters: Audrey Nicole Assad

In our journey through mortality, 

as glorious as our intended destination may be 

and as exhilarating as the journey may prove, 

we will all be subject to trials and sorrow along the way. 

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: 

“The dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. 

At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt.”¹ “

The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.”² 

However, our ability to travel this road in peace is, in large part, 

dependent on whether or not we have a 

hard time thinking about Jesus.

Doctrine and Covenants 19:23-24

Learn of me, and listen to my words; 

walk in the meekness of my Spirit, 

and you shall have peace in me.

I am Jesus Christ; 

I came by the will of the Father, 

and I do his will.

Peace of mind, peace of conscience, 

and peace of heart are not determined by our ability to 

avoid trials, sorrow, or heartache. 

Despite our sincere pleas, not every storm will change course, 

not every infirmity will be healed, 

and we may not fully understand every doctrine, 

principle, or practice taught by prophets, seers, and revelators. 

Nevertheless, we have been promised peace—with a condition attached.

In our search for peace amidst the daily challenges of life, 

we’ve been given 

a simple pattern to keep our thoughts focused on the Savior, who said: 

“Learn of me, and listen to my words; 

walk in the meekness of my Spirit, 

and you shall have peace in me. 

I am Jesus Christ.”⁵

In the Gospel of John, 

the Savior taught that despite the tribulations of life, 

we can be of good cheer, 

we can be of good hope, 

and we need not fear, because He declared, 

“In me ye might have peace.”³ 

Faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice is, 

and forever will be, 

the first principle of the gospel and the foundation upon which our hope for 

“peace in this world, 

and eternal life in the world to come” is built.⁴

We will find peace to our souls as we walk with Jesus Christ, 

repent of our sins, 

and apply His healing power in our lives.

The peace we all seek requires more than a desire. 

It requires us to act—by learning of Him, 

by listening to His words, 

and by walking with Him. 

We may not have the ability to control all that happens around us, 

but we can control how we apply 

the pattern for peace that the Lord has provided

—a pattern that makes it easy to think often about Jesus.

New Testament 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: 

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me

I testify that 

Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life”¹⁸ 

and that only through Him can we obtain true peace in this life 

and eternal life in the world to come. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Excerpts from the talk:

A Pattern for Peace

By Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

2016