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Our self-reliance sometimes gets in the way of relying on the Lord, and even inhibits us from trusting in Him\u2014in having faith that He can provide for our salvation. The fleeing Israelites described in Exodus seem to be caught between the armies of Pharaoh and the waters, leaving them to despair. Their salvation didn\u2019t depend on acting to save themselves, but rather on \u201cstanding still\u201d and watching the miracle happen. Yes, they had to accept the miracle, and use faith to cross between the waters on dry land, but the miracle itself wasn\u2019t in their control.<\/p>\n
In a world where we are taught to rely on ourselves, to solve our own problems, how often do we \u201cstand still\u201d and allow the Lord to \u201cdo a great work\u201d in our lives? What does that look like? How do we know when we should act to fix our own problems, and when we should \u201cstand still\u201d and let the Lord do His work?<\/p>\n
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Still more confusing is the issue of timing, since sometimes, unlike with the Israelites, the \u201cstanding still\u201d happens after we do our part\u2014after we exercise faith and act. For example, Orson Hyde\u2019s mission to the Holy Land in 1842, to dedicate the land for the return of the Jews, didn\u2019t see significant results for decades, most of which was after the lifetime of Hyde and of the Prophet Joseph, who communicated the call to Hyde.<\/p>\n
Those results were also after this poem, and the life of the poet, John Lyon, despite his claim that \u201cThat mandate’s fulfilled, and long years past and gone \/\u00a0Since that land was restored to old Jacob anon\u201d, likely based on the early colonies of Jews who moved to Palestine in the 19th century. I suspect Lyon would be surprised (and perhaps dismayed) at the subsequent history of the land.<\/p>\n
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by John Lyon<\/p>\n
1853<\/p>\n
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The Salvation of the Lord not only comes at surprising, unexpected times, but also in paradoxical ways. In the depths of suffering, we usually don\u2019t see how the suffering can possibly be \u2018sweet.\u2019 Even so, the atonement can often make suffering into strength and bitterness into sweetness.<\/p>\n
This is what the poet Joel H. Johnson sees \u2018inscribed on the cross\u2019\u2014the influence of the atonement in our lives, which makes the bitter sweet and leads us to eternal lives.<\/p>\n
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by Joel H. Johnson<\/p>\n
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1882<\/p>\n
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The mana the Lord provided to the Israelites in the wilderness is often seen as a metaphor for the spiritual nourishment that we need in life. \u00a0Many of the practices of spiritual nourishment we are commanded to use \u2014 scripture study, listening to sermons and classes, pondering what we have been told \u2014 all can be called \u2018education\u2019, whether as part of a formal, institutional system or as an independent personal practice. Spiritual education is spiritual nourishment.<\/p>\n
In this poem, Richard Haag praises the Schools of Zion as important sources of spiritual nourishment.<\/p>\n
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by Richard Haag<\/p>\n
1890<\/p>\n
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Another kind of spiritual nourishment lies in our relationship with Jesus Christ, often called the \u201crock of our salvation.\u201d Through our relationship with Christ, we can receive the living water that the scriptures describe.<\/p>\n
Here, the poet Hannah Last Cornaby describes how to depend on the \u201crock of our salvation,\u201d a \u201crock that is higher than I.\u201d<\/p>\n
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by Hannah Last Cornaby<\/p>\n