Have you ever felt weighed down, heavy with pressures or concerns for a loved one? Well, if you have, you’re not alone. I certainly have, and I imagine these are feelings that at one time or another everyone has felt.
This world is challenging, and as a result, we each have great need for inspiration. Receiving inspiration in times of trouble is like sunshine to the soul. It warms our spirits and motivates our actions. Sometimes inspiration can be found immediately, without much effort. And yet other times, it requires patience, looking forward with hope even while remembering inspiration received in the past.
Tchaikovsky, the famous composer, once said, “Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.” True. Inspiration takes work! It isn’t something we simply download and receive with the click of a button, like we might do for the newest app on our phone. Instead, we must look for it, internalize it, and even appreciate where it can lead us.
So where do we look for inspiration? We look to God and to all He has created. As we do so, we recognize that everything that is good comes from Him and is inspired by Him.[1] He is the ultimate source of our inspiration.
Inspiration from God often comes as a thought or a feeling. But to fully benefit from inspiration, we must act on what we feel. Inspiration is given to move us to do something that will better our circumstances and fill us with a quiet confidence that with God, nothing is impossible.[2]
A woman I know suddenly found herself raising several young children on her own. She worried, “How can I do this alone? How can I support my children in their struggles while I, myself, feel so burdened and even at times hopeless?”
This strong woman looked for and found inspiration from God. With effort and focus, she received the guidance she needed and the strength to move forward. Her children thrived, her happiness increased, and she found contentment and even joy in the journey.
God did not abandon her. And He will never abandon you. He desires for us to find joy and purpose in our lives. As we go forward, may we seek Him as the ultimate source of our inspiration and strength, trusting that He is with us every step of the way.
[1] See Moroni 7:13–16.
[2] See Luke 1:37; Genesis 18:14.
November 17, 2024
Broadcast Number 4,966
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Andrew Unsworth
Host
Derrick Porter
All Creatures of Our God and King
German hymn tune; Arr. Mack Wilberg
I Feel My Savior’s Love
K. Newell Dayley; Arr. Sam Cardon
Prelude on “Little David, Play on Your Harp”
African American spiritual; Arr. Andrew Unsworth
Come to My Garden, from The Secret Garden
Lucy Simon; arr. Kurt Bestor
Pilgrim Song
American folk hymn; Arr. Ryan Murphy
Standing on the Promises
Russell K. Carter; Arr. Ryan Murphy