Pres. Obama was carried to victory last November on a wave of hope which has dissipated faster than any previous administration's.
Obviously, we cannot rely on politics or politicians to give us the hope we seek.
But, there is a source of Hope which has never failed, and to which both individuals and nations may look for answers to the problems which face us. That one, unfailing, unchageable Source is Jesus Christ.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are men designated as modern prophets, with the same calling and authority as Moses and Isaiah: to speak God’s will to His people, and to warn us and help us prepare for what lies ahead. One of these modern prophets was Harold B. Lee (1899 - 1973), who offers these words of hope:
"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America ; you and I must have faith in America , if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.
"I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through." (Ye Are the Light of the World, 350-51)
Our scriptures teach us that "When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:21)So, what is the law upon which this blessing of greatness, freedom, and hope is based?
A prophet who lived anciently in America said it best:
"And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity." (Ether 2:9)
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to compute the distance this nation and her laws have separated themselves from the Christian principles upon which she was founded. And when the elected leader of our nation travels the world, making a point of informing everyone that we are NOT a Christian Nation, one can only speculate how near we must be to enduring the wrath of an offended God.
But there IS HOPE! It is not too late! We can still turn it around, if we but choose to repent of our pride and wickedness, and return to our merciful Brother, who gave His Life for us.
We must be ready at all times to stand up for what we believe in; to defend the principles of truth upon which this Nation was founded, and which we know to be the only means of securing for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of freedom our forefathers died that we might enjoy.
This struggle will not be won in Congress, or the White House, or the courts, or the battlefields, or in foreign lands -- as important as all of those battlegrounds may be. Ultimately, the struggle will be won or lost in each home, as Americans choose whether to follow the Author of our liberties, or to adopt the secular humanism that is fast becoming the new state religion. May we choose well.
