Elder Pieper encourages us to trust God today and every day moving forward. He promises that each time we trust in the Lord, God will be there to catch us, and our relationship with Him will grow stronger. As we consistently choose to trust in God, we will draw closer to Him and eventually become one with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Elder Pieper expresses confidence that, like Nephi, we can declare, “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.”
In Elder Paul B. Pieper’s address, “Trust in the Lord,” he emphasizes the foundational role trust plays in our relationship with God. Drawing on personal stories and scriptural examples, Elder Pieper outlines how trust is essential for growth and spiritual progress, both in our earthly relationships and in our relationship with God. He explains that while we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, the strength and depth of our relationship with Him depend on our willingness to place complete trust in Him.
Trust as the Foundation of Relationships
Elder Pieper opens by recounting a game his family plays called “The Crazy Trust Exercise,” where one person falls backward into the arms of another, trusting they will be caught. This simple exercise illustrates the importance of trust in all relationships. Elder Pieper explains that trust is the foundation upon which all meaningful relationships are built. It is a mutual act, requiring both parties to place their faith in each other. One person’s complete trust without the reciprocal trust of the other does not result in a genuine relationship.
In the same way, our relationship with God is based on trust. While our spiritual heritage as children of God gives us a foundation, Elder Pieper points out that a meaningful relationship with God can only develop if we choose to trust Him. God desires a deep, personal relationship with each of His children, one so intimate that it mirrors the unity between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This relationship, however, can only be established on the foundation of perfect and total trust.
God’s Trust in Us
From the beginning, Heavenly Father has demonstrated His trust in us. Elder Pieper explains that God’s plan of salvation is built on this trust. Before we came to earth, God trusted us enough to give us agency, the ability to choose between right and wrong. He provided us with eternal laws, mortal bodies, and the opportunity to make decisions that would lead to growth and progression. Importantly, God trusted that we would use our agency to follow His laws and ultimately return to Him.
Elder Pieper acknowledges that Heavenly Father knew we would not always make the right choices. To account for this, He provided a Savior—His Son, Jesus Christ—whose Atonement would offer a way for us to be cleansed from our sins through repentance. This divine plan highlights God’s trust in our potential and His willingness to allow us to make mistakes as part of our learning process. As Elder Dale G. Renlund has taught, God’s goal is not just for His children to do what is right but to choose to do what is right, ultimately becoming like Him.
Trusting God
Despite the immense trust God places in us, Elder Pieper explains that our relationship with Him will only grow to the extent that we trust Him in return. Many people struggle with trust because of negative experiences with imperfect individuals, which can make them hesitant to trust a perfect Heavenly Father. Elder Pieper shares the story of Leonid, a man who initially found it difficult to pray because of past experiences of manipulation and control by authority figures. Leonid’s previous betrayals impacted his ability to trust God. However, as he learned more about God’s character and experienced His love, Leonid’s trust grew, and he developed a closer relationship with Heavenly Father.
For those who have experienced a loss of trust, Elder Pieper encourages patience and persistence. By learning more about God’s character and recording experiences of feeling His love, individuals can rebuild their trust in Him. President Russell M. Nelson has also taught that the more we learn about God, the easier it will be to trust Him. Sometimes, trusting God requires taking a leap of faith, much like the trust exercise Elder Pieper describes. It is in these moments of vulnerability that we learn the most about trusting in the Lord.
Sep 8 EQ lesson (Pieper and Gerard) by John Dye
Personal Experience with Trusting God
Elder Pieper shares a personal experience to illustrate the challenge of trusting in God during difficult times. After completing law school, he and his family moved to the eastern United States, feeling prompted by the Lord to make the move. Initially, things went well, and they felt confident in their decision. However, things soon took a turn as his law firm downsized, leaving him without a job. At the same time, his daughter was born with serious medical challenges, and Elder Pieper was extended a significant Church calling. Overwhelmed by these challenges, he began to question the decision he had felt guided to make and whether the Lord was truly with him.
In the midst of this turmoil, Elder Pieper received the distinct impression not to ask why these challenges were happening but to instead ask what the Lord wanted him to learn. This realization marked a turning point in his life, helping him understand that the best way to learn to trust God is simply by trusting Him. As he placed his trust in the Lord, Elder Pieper witnessed how God miraculously unfolded His plan, blessing his family in ways they could not have anticipated.
Spiritual Growth Through Trust
Elder Pieper draws a parallel between the growth we experience through physical or intellectual challenges and the spiritual growth we experience through trust-stretching situations. God, as the Master Teacher, allows us to face these challenges because He is focused on helping us reach our divine potential. Elder Pieper reassures us that regardless of how much trust we have demonstrated in God in the past, there will always be future experiences designed to stretch our trust further.
He uses the example of Nephi from the Book of Mormon to illustrate how God builds trust in stages. Nephi’s trust in the Lord was tested when he was commanded to return to Jerusalem for the brass plates. After initial failures, Nephi’s brothers wanted to give up, but Nephi placed his trust in the Lord and succeeded in obtaining the plates. Later, when Nephi’s bow broke and his family faced starvation, his previous experiences of trusting God gave him the confidence to trust Him again. This pattern of trust-building continued when Nephi was commanded to build a ship, an enormous task that required even greater trust in God.
Elder Pieper emphasizes that God uses this same pattern with each of us. Every time we choose to trust God, our relationship with Him grows stronger. When we ignore or decline these invitations, our progress stalls until we are ready to act on a new invitation.
dyejo
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