Chris Stewart

"'Elizabeth, do you remember Jerusalem? The pools of Bethesda, the porch and the water where the lame and halt used to wait for the angel to stir the water for them? There was a beggar there. His body was broken and feeble. He was so weak and lame, he was unable to walk, unable even to stand. Do you remember him, Elizabeth? Do you know who I mean?" "Yes, I remember. He was one of the crippled. And my Brother healed him." "Do you remember how long he waited?" "I don't remember specifically, but it was a long time." "Thirty-eight years, Elizabeth. Almost his entire life. Thirty-eight years he suffered alone, waiting patiently. Yet whenever the angel came, he never could reach the water in time, for he was too weak and feeble to be the first to the pool. Can you imagine his disappointment? Can you imagine how he felt? Thirty-eight years he suffered, waiting for a miracle. He felt so sick and abandoned, so completely alone, for there was no man to carry him and no one who cared. "And sometime in your mortal life, you will feel like this man. You will feel sick and abandoned, unable to deal with the challenges of the world. You will want to be healed, but there will be no one there. And when you feel that way, Elizabeth, I want you to remember this man. Remember that Christ healed him when no one would carry him to the pool. When he felt most alone, after patiently waiting so long, the Savior came out of nowhere and made him whole. There will be times you feel you have been abandoned, but that is never so. Your Brother will heal you. Our Father will always look after you. And from time to time I may be able to help you as well. "But Teancum, how can all this be true? With the entire universe to manage, how can we matter so much to the Father? With all the suffering in the world, all the long prayers and urgent cries, will he still have time for me when I pray?" ... "He controls the heavens," he answered. "He controls the seas and the universe and the armies of men. He controls the course of each nation and the course of each man and womam. The sun will rise as he tells it to, and he can make kings of men. And if he can do all this, Elizabeth--and you know that he can--then can he not hear your prayers and give you help when you ask? The galaxies, they are nothing, when compared to his love for you. He can make you holy, and he can answer your prayers. And remember this Elizabeth, for this is important too. It is a plan of happiness he has created, not a plan of misery. He sends us to be happy! And he will provide a way. ... "You must have faith when the answers don't come immediately.'"