“I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”

BY PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON

Our Heavenly Father … knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass.

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In my journal tonight, I shall write, “This has been one of the most inspiringsessions of any general conference I’ve attended. Everything has been of thegreatest and most spiritual nature.”

Brothers and sisters, six months ago as we met together in our generalconference, my sweet wife, Frances, lay in the hospital, having suffered adevastating fall just a few days earlier. In May, after weeks of valiantly strugglingto overcome her injuries, she slipped into eternity. Her loss has been profound.She and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple on October 7, 1948. Tomorrowwould have been our 65th wedding anniversary. She was the love of my life, mytrusted confidant, and my closest friend. To say that I miss her does not begin toconvey the depth of my feelings.

This conference marks 50 years since I was called to the Quorum of the TwelveApostles by President David O. McKay. Through all these years I have feltnothing but the full and complete support of my sweet companion. Countless arethe sacrifices she made so that I could fulfill my calling. Never did I hear a word ofcomplaint from her as I was often required to spend days and sometimes weeksaway from her and from our children. She was an angel, indeed.

I wish to express my thanks, as well as those of my family, for the tremendousoutpouring of love which has come to us since Frances’s passing. Hundreds ofcards and letters were sent from around the world expressing admiration for herand condolences to our family. We received dozens of beautiful floralarrangements. We are grateful for the numerous contributions which have beenoffered in her name to the General Missionary Fund of the Church. On behalf ofthose of us whom she left behind, I express deep gratitude for your kind andheartfelt expressions.

Of utmost comfort to me during this tender time of parting have been mytestimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge I have that my dearFrances lives still. I know that our separation is temporary. We were sealed in thehouse of God by one having authority to bind on earth and in heaven. I know thatwe will be reunited one day and will never again be separated. This is theknowledge that sustains me.

Brothers and sisters, it may be safely assumed that no person has ever livedentirely free of suffering and sorrow, nor has there ever been a period in humanhistory that did not have its full share of turmoil and misery.

When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask thequestion “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel,no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by thedisappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We joinin uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?”¹ We feel abandoned,heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunesthrough the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a solution toour problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience isrequired.

The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability toendure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us: Shall Ifalter, or shall I finish? Some do falter as they find themselves unable to riseabove their challenges. To finish involves enduring to the very end of life itself.

As we ponder the events that can befall all of us, we can say with Job of old,“Man is born unto trouble.”² Job was a “perfect and upright” man who “fearedGod, and eschewed evil.”³ Pious in his conduct, prosperous in his fortune, Jobwas to face a test which could have destroyed anyone. Shorn of his possessions,scorned by his friends, afflicted by his suffering, shattered by the loss of hisfamily, he was urged to “curse God, and die.”⁴ He resisted this temptation anddeclared from the depths of his noble soul:

“Behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.”⁵

“I know that my redeemer liveth.”⁶

Job kept the faith. Will we do likewise as we face those challenges which will beours?

Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let usremember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then haveovercome.

The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, isreplete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who haveremained steadfast and of good cheer. The reason? They have made the gospelof Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This is what will pull us through whatevercomes our way. We will still experience difficult challenges, but we will be able toface them, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious.

From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are lifted heavenward bythat divine assurance and precious promise: “I will not fail thee, nor forsakethee.”⁷ Such comfort is priceless.

As I have traveled far and wide throughout the world fulfilling the responsibilitiesof my calling, I have come to know many things—not the least of which is thatsadness and suffering are universal. I cannot begin to measure all of theheartache and sorrow I have witnessed as I have visited with those who aredealing with grief, experiencing illness, facing divorce, struggling with a waywardson or daughter, or suffering the consequences of sin. The list could go on andon, for there are countless problems which can befall us. To single out oneexample is difficult, and yet whenever I think of challenges, my thoughts turn toBrother Brems, one of my boyhood Sunday School teachers. He was a faithfulmember of the Church, a man with a heart of gold. He and his wife, Sadie, hadeight children, many of whom were the same ages as those in our family.

After Frances and I were married and moved from the ward, we saw Brother andSister Brems and members of their family at weddings and funerals, as well as atward reunions.

In 1968, Brother Brems lost his wife, Sadie. Two of his eight children also passedaway as the years went by.

One day nearly 13 years ago, Brother Brems’s oldest granddaughter telephonedme. She explained that her grandfather had reached his 105th birthday. She said,“He lives in a small care center but meets with his entire family each Sunday,where he delivers a gospel lesson.” She continued, “This past Sunday, Grandpaannounced to us, ‘My dears, I am going to die this week. Will you please callTommy Monson. He will know what to do.’”

I visited Brother Brems the very next evening. I had not seen him for a while. Icould not speak to him, for he had lost his hearing. I could not write a messagefor him to read, because he had lost his sight. I was told that the familycommunicated with him by taking the finger of his right hand and then tracing onthe palm of his left hand the name of the person visiting. Any message had to beconveyed in this same way. I followed the procedure by taking his finger andspelling T-O-M-M-Y M-O-N-S-O-N, the name by which he had always known me.Brother Brems became excited and, taking my hands, placed them on his head. Iknew his desire was to receive a priesthood blessing. The driver who had takenme to the care center joined me as we placed our hands on the head of BrotherBrems and provided the desired blessing. Afterward, tears streamed from hissightless eyes. He grasped our hands in gratitude. Although he had not heard theblessing we had given him, the Spirit was strong, and I believe he was inspired toknow we had provided the blessing which he needed. This sweet man could nolonger see. He could no longer hear. He was confined night and day to a smallroom in a care center. And yet the smile on his face and the words he spoketouched my heart. “Thank you,” he said. “My Heavenly Father has been so goodto me.”

Within a week, just as Brother Brems had predicted, he passed away. Never didhe dwell on what he was lacking; rather, he was always deeply grateful for hismany blessings.

Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that welearn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials throughwhich we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experienceheartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to ourlimits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild ourlives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become somethingdifferent from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than wewere, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we hadbefore.

This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but also to becomemore spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Wereit not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain muchas we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal life. The poetexpressed much the same thought in these words:

Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.8

Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. Healone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our torturedsouls with His comforting words:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: andye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”⁹

Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He haspromised that this will never change.

My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our Heavenly Father thatdoes not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. We should notneed to experience difficulties for us to remember Him, and we should not bedriven to humility before giving Him our faith and trust.

May we ever strive to be close to our Heavenly Father. To do so, we must pray toHim and listen to Him every day. We truly need Him every hour, whether they behours of sunshine or of rain. May His promise ever be our watchword: “I will notfail thee, nor forsake thee.”¹⁰

With all the strength of my soul, I testify that God lives and loves us, that His OnlyBegotten Son lived and died for us, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is thatpenetrating light which shines through the darkness of our lives. May it ever beso, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.