Trust in God during the storms of life

God is our Father.

Jesus taught, “Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9)

God is a Creator.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

The Book of Mormon teaches that “the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.” (1 Nephi 17:36)

God is a Planner.

Jeremiah says God has “thoughts of peace” toward us that will lead to “an expected end.” (Jeremiah 29:11) In other words, God has a plan for his children. This is a plan of happiness. His work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) He never fails. “There is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.” (Abraham 3:17)

God is a Caregiver.

Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) In other words, “be happy.”

God is a Provider.

“For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof and there is enough and to spare.” (1 Corinthians 10:26)

God is a Protector.

Beyond the Earth, between Mars and Jupiter is a region of the solar system known as the “asteroid belt.” This band serves as a protective barrier for the Earth by drawing the intergalactic debris toward them through the force of gravity.

I personally believe this barrier exists because Heavenly Father loves us, cares for us, and wants the Earth to be safe from harm. For example, Shoemaker-Levy 9 (named for the astronomers who first observed it) was a comet, the fragments of which impacted the face of Jupiter on July 16-22, 1994.

As astronomers from all across the globe watched through telescopes, one of the most amazing intergalactic displays of our lifetime unfolded as fragments of the comet began to hit the face of Jupiter, leaving impact craters the size of Earth.

The sun is said to be a medium-sized star in the Milky Way galaxy. It is one of 100 billion stars in the galaxy. One hundred billion is a difficult number to understand. To simplify, think of it this way: Holding a single grain of wheat between your thumb and index finger while looking out across two square miles — or 1,280 acres — of wheat in Eastern Oregon or Washington, the single grain of wheat would represent our sun. The other grains of wheat would represent the approximate number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

I am reminded of the “size” of my problems every July 16-22 when I remember the comet fragments from Shoemaker-Levy 9 that were drawn into Jupiter.

By the love of an omnipotent God — our Father, Creator, Planner, Provider and Protector — we are safely cared for in the midst of the storms of life.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Trust in God during the storms of life."