LDS Quotes on Faith
“Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father. Without all three—first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity—without these three all we have is a counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith.”
| Shall He Find Faith On The Earth?, October 2002 General Conference
One “biography of faith” Howard W. Hunter mentioned was that of Nephi. “With his parents, he left prosperous circumstances in Jerusalem and then for eight years, in great affliction, journeyed in the wilderness. The family then cross uncharted seas to a new land. During this period, Nephi was assailed, ridiculed, and persecuted by members of his household. Following the death of his father, Nephi and other family members had to separate themselves from his older brothers because they sought his life. Out of his despair, he declared, ‘My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.’ (2 Ne. 4:20)
Today other biographies of faith are being written – Saints who, like Job, suffer physical pain, emotional sorrow, and even disloyalty from friends – yet remain faithful; Saints who, like Jacob, see sons and daughters not so valiant as they should be, but who bless them for their potential; Saints who, like Paul, endure great ridicule and endure to the end; Saints who, like Nephi, must separate themselves from family because of their commitment to the gospel. There are those who know pain and sorrow because of loss of loved ones; who know spiritual sorrow because children go astray; who experience loss of health, financial reverses, and emotional distress, and yet, like Job, resolve, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
We recently celebrated the birthday of President Spencer W. Kimball. Most of us are familiar with the fact that great adversity has been his companion for a great portion of his eighty-five years. He spoke from experience when he wrote these words: “Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1972, p. 98).
| “God Will Have a Tried People,” Ensign, May 1980, p. 24
Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. . . . Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.
| “The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign, November 2008, pp. 21-24
“Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.”
| Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?
“You have to be willing to offend. You have to be willing to take the risk. That’s exactly where the faith comes in. Our commitment is supposed to be a test. It is supposed to be hard. It is supposed to be impractical in the terms of this world.”
“Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time… Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.”
| The Infinite Power of Hope, Ensign, Nov 2008, 21–24
“My boy, you must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and perhaps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move ahead of you.”
| Counsel given by Elder Harold B. Lee to Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple, pp. 184-86
Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we’ll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). . . .We live in complex times. We deal with serious problems, all of us. There is not any question in my mind that in this congregation today there are those who are deeply concerned about various matters, wonder about them, what to do about them, and how can they handle this and handle that. . . . “Trust in the Lord.”
| Ogden Regional Conference, Sept. 19, 2004; “Trust the Lord,” Church News, September 25, 2004
“My testimony to you is that miracles do happen! They are happening on the earth today, and they will continue to happen, particularly to those who believe and have great faith. Miracles occur frequently in the lives of humble, fine Latter-day Saints who have the faith to make them possible. My feeling is that the greatest of all miracles is the one that happens in the life of a person who really learns how to pray, who exercises faith to repent, and who lives the gospel in a simple and obedient way.”
| Ensign, January 1989. p. 69