Our Savior Is Beside Us All ~

The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ~

The Third Article of Faith:
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

I believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that our Savior had to walk the path through the Garden of Gethsemane to the Cross alone in order to bring us the blessings of salvation.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following:
...."The loneliest journey ever made and the unending blessings it brought to all in the human family. I speak of the Savior's solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly, He would say: "I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none with me....I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold me."
 ....."Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually - that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

......"Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ's mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean things had to know how the rest of humankind - us all of us- would feel when we did commit such sins. For His atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit with draw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone".
"But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish....When the utterly invincible, finally and mercifully, it was "finished." Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair. With faith in God He knew was there, He could say in triumph, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
....Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.
Read Elder Jeffery R. Holland's complete message here. 

Beside Us All

by my daughter Jenni-Marie Thomas

She is in the darkest corner

as people pass her by

Dreams have faded, a friend not found

her hope begins to die.

He knows she can not see Him

 He knows just what she needs.

She wants someone to care for her,

it will come if she believes.

They say she's numbed of feelings

He knows that she has pain

hiding from a lonely past

if she tries, new hope she will gain.

So many times He has called to her,

but she just blocked Him out.

And so He reaches one more time,

with love, hope and not doubt.

His arms stretched forth to send her warmth

He prays that it will work,

it's then that she looks upward,

she did not have to search.

A warm smile, a touch, a hand.

He gave her this with love.

All she ever needed

was her Savior, up above.

Her soul emerges peacefully,

now she has a friend.

Someone who care is beside us all

and will be through the end.

I know that I have a Heavenly Father who watches over me. I know that our Savior Jesus Christ walks with us on our journey through life. I know that we can have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to guide us. 

In closing his message,  Elder Holland expressed these thoughts: ".... Angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ......Truly the Redeemer of us all said: "I will not leave you comfortless: (My Father and ) and I will come to you (and abide with you)."

 Read about my Granddaughter Averi's Miracle Story  at Mormon Women ~