Ye Cannot Go Amiss - 18 September 2022

Last week, I was teaching my current district of missionaries online and trying to prayerfully decide which of the missionaries the Lord would have me do a one on one with (I only had time to do one more, and none of them had expressed more concerns than any other). As I stared at the list of names on my screen, a phrase from the following scripture (where the Lord is speaking to a missionary) came to my mind:

"Go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss" (D&C 80:3).

At that moment, I realized the Lord was telling me that no matter which missionary I chose to meet with, I would be able to make a difference and do good, and, in this case, the Lord did not have a specific missionary in mind that he needed me to meet with. I was free to choose.

---MORAL OF THE STORY---

Since that experience, I have noticed that there are many times when I get frustrated because I can't figure out exactly what the Lord would have me do or say (which chapter I need to read this morning, who I should sit by or try to help, which goal I should work on with my limited time) but the Lord's will for me isn't really that structured or particular. Sometimes the Lord really does need me to do or say something in the right place at the right time--and often that's when I receive a strong impression or a clear prompting. But most often, the Lord seems to just be eager to guide and support me as I just jump in and do or say something rather than be held back by revelation "analysis paralysis."

As we are asking, seeking, and knocking, and counseling with the Lord in all our doings, the Lord will certainly direct our paths as necessary. He will make sure we get to do and say the right things at the right places at the right times when it really matters. But most of the time, as long as we are being good, doing our best, keeping our covenants, and pressing forward, "it mattereth not" to the Lord exactly where we go or what we do, and so we will most often not get a very specific or strong answer. Most often, God allows us to make a decision, move forward, and learn from that experience. 

In short, if there is a way you can go amiss and you start down that path, the Lord will quickly make that very clear. But as long as you are doing what matters most, in most cases, "ye cannot go amiss."