My Covenants Help Sustain Me in Difficult Times

After baptism, we receive confirmation and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost brings comfort and guides us through the challenges of life. To open our communication with the Holy Ghost, we must keep ourselves clean by obeying God’s commandments, finding quiet time to study and ponder the scriptures, and listening for the still, small voice.

During the first few months after my first child was born, I was exhausted from helping my wife care for our baby at night. I began to skip scripture study on some days. I felt my life was out of order and knew I needed to make a change. I decided to wake up an hour earlier each morning to study the Book of Mormon along with the institute manual. I found greater spiritual strength to bear my burdens. I felt more joy and peace through the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Last year, my wife received devastating news. Her mother and father were both diagnosed with cancer. A few months later, my own father underwent surgery, and my wife was diagnosed with two breast cysts that could have been cancerous. Thankfully, the results after surgery showed no cancer. Then, our daughter had appendicitis. All of this happened within six months, and none of them had ever had surgery before. At around the same time, I received a new church calling that required extensive travel and time, and my new job kept me working late most nights.

To cope with these challenges, I knew only the Savior could help me through. I tried to draw closer to Him by spending more time studying the scriptures, listening to General Conference talks during my commute, and worshipping in the temple. I chose not to be consumed by worry, but to think celestial and rely on the power of the covenants I had made in the temple. This brought me peace. The Savior has promised, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

These experiences have drawn me closer to the Savior. The covenants I’ve made through sacred ordinances have strengthened my bond with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I truly believe that “…in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest” (D&C 84:20). When we make covenants in the temple, we can draw power from heaven for ourselves and our families. We can rely on Helaman’s teaching: “…it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation⁠; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).

As we build a firm foundation on the Savior by making and keeping covenants, we can have peace of mind when trials come and be prepared for future challenges. As we make additional covenants after baptism—including priesthood ordination, endowment, and sealing—we are blessed with a closer relationship with God. We are entitled to the blessings each ordinance brings into our lives. Our faith will grow stronger and stronger until we gain full confidence in the presence of God. As we look unto Him in every thought, we will “doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).

I bear my witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives. He knows our needs and has promised that those who make and keep covenants will be protected from worldly uncertainty and fear. We can always have His peace with us and go through all the challenges in life with confidence. ■