Young Adults
One Simple Answer to Feeling Helpless in a War-Torn World
I was feeling helpless about all the conflict in the world. Then I got an unexpected answer from Heavenly Father.
I have always felt peace from living the gospel of Jesus Christ, even without having many other members of the Church around me.
I’ve always been able to look to the gospel for direction when feeling overwhelmed. I can think of so many times when Heavenly Father has directed me toward hope and peace amid challenges.
However, I recently felt my trust in God’s peace falter when a horrible war broke out in the country where my best friend lives. I felt helpless. Hot anger like I had never experienced before bubbled up inside me. I didn’t know what I could do to help my friend or the other people being affected by this violence and hatred. The whole world felt dark, and I became fixated on the evil that was spreading chaos in so many places.
How could I feel peace knowing that so many people, including my closest friend, were suffering?
A Simple Prompting
I recognized that the anger I felt was starting to consume me. I needed to find peace again. So I went to Heavenly Father as I always had before. I poured out my heart in prayer and told Him that I felt helpless because there was so much violence going on in the world. I asked Him if there was anything I could do to find peace again.
I received a simple prompting from the Spirit:
Read the Book of Mormon.
I was already reading my scriptures often, so I wasn’t sure why Heavenly Father would tell me to do something I was already doing. But I decided to trust the prompting. I began to pay closer attention to what I was reading in the Book of Mormon. I noticed how many times followers of Jesus Christ faced violence, wars, and evil and felt helpless against their challenges. But I also noticed that when they centered their lives on Jesus Christ during those turbulent moments, they seemed to feel peace—no matter what. (See 2 Nephi 4:16–35; Mosiah 24:8–25.) This scenario happens repeatedly in the Book of Mormon. The promises of finding peace in Christ are everywhere.
The prophet Ether taught: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4).
As I read truths like this during my study, I began to feel the peace of Christ again. And I understood that His peace is always available to all those who seek it, even those living through wars and conflicts.
Focusing on Him
The troubles in the world can make it difficult to stay focused on Jesus Christ. I still feel helpless and heartbroken at times. But despite this, I can always feel true peace when I keep my covenants and shift my focus to Him. For me, focusing on Him means saying a prayer before reaching for my phone in the morning, making time for the scriptures each day, and renewing my covenants by taking the sacrament every week.
When I make time for my Savior, I see that He and Heavenly Father will always help me through the good, the bad, and even the ugly parts of life.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified: “As [Jesus Christ’s] followers, we are His peculiar people, called to proclaim His virtues, promoters of the peace so generously offered through Him and His atoning sacrifice. This peace is a gift promised to all who turn their hearts to the Savior and live righteously; such peace gives us the strength to enjoy mortal life and enables us to endure the painful trials of our journey.”
Jesus Christ is “the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 11:11). I know this is true now more than ever in this crazy world. Whether we feel scared, helpless, or uncertain, He can bring us light, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.
His peace dissolves the fear and anger in my heart—every time I reach for Him.
The author lives in New Jersey, USA.