Psalms 6:2–4, 6, 8; 57:1
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?
Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake. . . .
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. . . .
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
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Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamaties be overpast.
Every one of us has occasion—often frequent occasion—to cry out that not only our bones but also our souls are “vexed.” And sometimes that vexing goes on and on. At such times we have occasion also to cry out, “O Lord, how long?” as did the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail.44 As the Psalmist says later in this collection, “How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”45 So, too, did the Prophet Joseph cry out in his feelings of abandonment, “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, . . . yea, O Lord, how long shall . . . these wrongs and unlawful oppressions” continue?46
Sometimes these woes come just because life has its troubles, but other times they come from actual “workers of iniquity.” Such was the case with the Prophet Joseph Smith’s trials, and such might be the case with ours as well. Nevertheless, we need to remember that even in such extremities, even when we have suffered “wrongs and unlawful oppressions,” God is still with us and still whispers, “peace be unto thy soul.”47
In encouraging us to be peaceful in such difficult times, He asks us to remember these things:
First, our adversity and affliction shall be but a small moment. Our trials seem to be long-lasting—or everlasting—when we are in the midst of them, but they do come to an end. With an eternal view, they really are of a small moment. When we have done all we know how to do to prevent a problem or redress a wrong, sometimes all we can do is endure. Often enough in our mortal struggle the only response we can make is to hang on and hide in “the shadow of [God’s] wings . . . until these calamities be overpast.” Difficulties do pass, hard times end, the trouble we thought would never go away goes away. So there is hope, not simple stoicism, in enduring.
Second, if we endure our challenges well, God will exalt us on high and we will triumph over our foes, whether those foes be actual people seeking to do us harm or simply the vicissitudes of life that bring grief and trouble with them. In any case, we are promised that we will rise above and conquer our foes.
Third, we need to remember that we do have friends. Thank heaven for friends! The Prophet Joseph was reminded that his friends were still standing by him and that they would yet hail him again with “warm hearts and friendly hands.”48
Fourth, in our despair, there can always be a tendency to self-pity. We need to resist that at all costs, for it damages everything it touches. We need to remember that we are “not yet as Job.”49 We have many, many blessings, and there are many, many people in the world who face far more difficult circumstances than do we.
All of this can help dry our tears, but that is not to say tears don’t come. The Psalmist has wept so much his bed is “swimming.” Near the end of his life, the prophet Nephi said he “water[ed his] pillow by night” praying for his people.50 The “voice of . . . weeping” is part of mortal experience. Tears are all right. They are the price we pay for love, care, and compassion in the world. One day God will, in great victory, “wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”51 One day our calamities will be overpast.
Notes