Things Beyond Understanding – Sunday, October 12, 1941
There is one characteristic that many of us have in common, and that is our unwillingness to believe that which we do not understand. It requires a man of considerable faith to believe that which he does not or cannot understand. Lack of understanding ofttimes causes the man of primitive circumstances to doubt or distrust the operation of anything that is not apparent to his limited mind.
For the same reason—lack of understanding—ofttimes men of superior learning in the traditional ways of the world are inclined to question the purposes of God, His judgements, His decisions with respect to life and death, because His ways are past their understanding and their faith is not sufficient to go beyond the limits of their factual knowledge. Because they do not understand how the words of His prophets are going to be fulfilled, there are some who choose to disbelieve that the prophets have ever spoken under the inspiration of the Almighty. Because they do not understand how the process of resurrection is to be brought about, many, in their lack of faith, refuse to believe that it will be brought about. Because they fail to understand why faith, repentance, and baptism, and other principles and ordinances of the Gospel are requisites to high attainment in the eternal progress of man, many fail to comply with them—because to the finite mind the efficacy of these things is beyond understanding—and so, since they fail to understand, they fail to believe or to comply—all for lack of understanding.
One might as reasonably say that because we do not understand why hydrogen and oxygen make water, we do not believe in water. To all who refuse to believe, merely because they do not understand, it should be said, in the words of the Psalmist: “O Lord, how great are thy words, and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this.” (Psalms 92:5-6) It is fortunate that truth is not limited by our understanding of it.
It is fortunate that the operation of law is not limited by our knowledge of it; it is fortunate that the ways of God are not limited by the ignorance of men—and it is also well to know that our own lack of knowledge, or faith, or understanding or belief will not change these things in any particular.
October 12, 1941
Broadcast Number 0,634