After the Fourth Day

Understanding the Story of Lazarus

Elder Bassett uses the story of Lazarus" resurrection to illustrate the despair we may feel when facing trials and tribulations. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining faith in Jesus Christ, even when it seems like all hope is lost.

During our greatest worries, we, like Mary and Martha, seek the Savior or ask the Father for His divine intervention. The story of Lazarus teaches us principles that can be applied to our own lives as we face our individual challenges.

When the Savior arrived in Bethany, all had lost hope that Lazarus could be saved—it had been four days, and he was gone. Sometimes during our own challenges, we might feel like Christ is too late, and our hope and faith might even feel challenged.

• What is the significance of the story of Lazarus in the context of our own trials?
• How can maintaining faith in Jesus Christ help us during times of despair?
• Can you recall a time when you felt like all hope was lost? How did your faith in Jesus Christ help you through that trial?
• What are some ways you can strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ during challenging times?

The Role of Faith, Patience, and Action in Overcoming Challenges

Elder Bassett emphasizes the importance of faith, patience, and action in overcoming challenges. He suggests that while we may feel like divine intervention is delayed, we must remember that trials help us learn, grow, and become stronger.

My witness and testimony are that as we move forward with faith in Jesus Christ, the fourth day will always come. He will always come to our aid or to raise our hopes back to life.

Sometimes it may seem like He doesn’t come to us until the figurative fourth day, after all hope seems lost. But why so late? President Thomas S. Monson taught, "Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass."

• Why is faith important in overcoming challenges?
• How can patience help us during trials?
• What role does action play in overcoming challenges?
• How has your faith helped you overcome a particular challenge?
• Can you remember a time when patience helped you through a trial?
• What actions can you take to overcome current or future challenges?

The Importance of Counsel, Commandments, and Covenants

Elder Bassett highlights the importance of abiding by the counsel of prophets, obeying commandments, and making and keeping covenants. These principles, he suggests, can help us move forward, arise from despair, and loosen ourselves from what binds us.

How can we move stones and build upon His rock? We can abide by the counsel of prophets.

How can we figuratively arise and come forth? We can joyfully repent and choose to obey commandments.

How can we, with the Lord’s help, loose ourselves of all that binds us? We can intentionally bind ourselves first and foremost to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, through covenants.

• Why is it important to abide by the counsel of prophets?
• How can obeying commandments help us overcome challenges?
• What is the significance of making and keeping covenants in our spiritual journey?
• What counsel from the prophets have you found particularly helpful in your life?
• How has obeying commandments helped you overcome a particular challenge?
• How have the covenants you've made influenced your spiritual journey?