Right Now! Faith

Nothing quite like a beautiful morning sunrise!

Matt is currently serving his mission in the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission. He is serving in a small town on the border of WV & OH. This past week he set a goal to give a blessing. On Sunday a man came up to him and asked for a blessing. The man asked if Matt could come over to his house sometime in the coming week. Matt then asked, "How about right now?"

When Matt told me of this experience it hit me hard. A new term went racing through my mind. Right Now! Faith.

Too often, I haven't exercised such faith and trust in the Lord. From the small things like, not putting air in my car tires to not switching the clothes from the washer to the dryer and then having to re-wash them again. About the only thing I have been really consistent with doing right away is hanging up on spam callers!

Right Now! Faith is seriously powerful. It is what makes up the hinges of our life.

It is Nephi stating to his father Lehi, "I will go and do the things the Lord commands" and then stating to his brothers, "Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? Therefore let us go up; let us be strong....Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians."

Ammon had Right Now! Faith after seeing the kings servants weep with fear. "Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words."

The 2000 stripling warriors had such faith when asked by Helaman if they wanted to go and fight and help Antipas. Despite their inexperience in war they said, "Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus."

Moses had Right Now! Faith when he came to the Red Sea. I have always pictured the water splitting only after he waited into it chest/neck deep. I am sure he knew what RN!F was and had used it before but boy did he need it when the water was up to his neck!

Thirty plus years ago when I was serving my mission I remember one cold day in Rapid City, South Dakota. I was in the mission office and seriously want to do more "real" missionary work. I prayed to be guided and directed to know what to do right then. The thought came into my mind, "go outside". before remembering it was cold, I immediately stood up from my desk and went outside. As I stood there getting cold I looked for around wondering why I had such a thought. For a while nothing, but then I noticed the mailman get into his mail truck a ways down the street and pull towards the parking lot were I was standing. There was only one open parking space, directly in front of me. He parked, got out and went into the mission office delivering mail. When he came out he stopped and turning to me asked, "So what do you guys do in that office anyway?"

Seriously, what if we could have Right Now! Faith ALL THE TIME? What if when we thought a good thought we could immediately act on it? It's obvious that doing things right now takes great faith.

For example, when I asked Jen to marry me that was some serious RN!F. I mean why on earth would she want to leave her mother and father and marry me? In December of 1994 when Jen shared with me she wanted to start a family that was some serious RN!F.

RN!F doesn't mean to eat, drink and be merry. "It means that, while we learn from the past and plan for the future, we make decisions now, in the present."

Choosing to act now takes faith. It's not easy to give a blessing now if you are not prepared. You have to be ready, willing and able. To be successful at Right Now! Faith, you need to trust in God. Trust that He will deliver, clear the path, and sanctify the effort. As you look to act now we will need to follow the whisperings of the Spirit. A simply way to do this is to act on every good thought! Try it for a day - act on every good thought. See what happens. If you think it - do it.

Right Now! Faith also portrays that life happens now. Life doesn’t stop while we wait for answers. “The pioneers received inspiration as the wagon wheels turned.” Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. [D&C 123:17]

As I strive to follow the example Matt set, I hope my faith will grow and I will be able to have greater Right Now! Faith.