“I was in deep turmoil because I had been counseled to do something I had never done before- to sign a contract without having the resources to meet the payments. When Brother Lee sensed my feelings he sent me to President David O. McKay, who listened very carefully as I explained the circumstances. He said, ’You do this. It is the right thing.’ But he extended no resources to make the doing of it possible.”
“Until After the Trial of Your Faith”
This concept is further illustrated in the following experience of Elder Boyd K. Packer: “Some years ago I learned a lesson that I shall never forget. I had been called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, and we were to move to Salt Lake City and find an adequate and permanent home. President Henry D. Moyle assigned someone to help us. A home was located that was ideally suited to our needs. Elder Harold B. Lee came and looked it over very carefully and then counseled, ’By all means, you are to proceed.’”
“Ye Receive No Witness Until After the Trial of Your Faith”
To have our spiritual eyes opened through faith necessitates a “trial” of our faith. Believing without seeing will result in greater seeing. This opening of our spiritual eyes is not granted by God to us without effort on our part. It comes only as we are willing to exercise our faith anti trust in the Lord when the path we must pursue is not completely illuminated.
Regarding his return to the city of Jerusalem on a dangerous mission to procure the sacred brass plates that were in the possession of Laban, Nephi said: “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” (1 Nephi 4:6, italics added). Nephi’s “witness”- seeing the mission fulfilled in a miraculous and unexpected way- came only after a “trial’ of his faith. The way was opened for him to do what the Lord commanded, but only after he was willing to ”walk by faith, not by sight“ (see 2 Corinthians 5:7)”