Chapter 9: Things Unseen Make Things Seen

Faith is the process that creates, fleshes out, and revises ideas in yourself and others sufficiently to generate actions that would not otherwise occur, yielding physical outcomes that would not otherwise be.

A person’s faith can therefore be measured in terms of the frequency and degree of outcomes that have occurred that would never have otherwise come to pass.

Detractors claim that “ye cannot know of things which ye do not see.” (Alma 30:15) However, things which we don’t yet see are an integral part of all progress in life.

It is essential to understand that the outcome of faith will always include actions, thoughts, and feelings that are different than what you had before you exercised faith. If they did not change, it would be impossible for you to bring to pass anything different than what you were capable of before exercising faith.

Faith creates reality independent of what already exists:

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3)

We receive no evidence of a belief until after we test it by first living it. Even adopting something we have observed to work for another has no guarantee of reproducibility until after it is tried. We live according to the belief that you can know of things which you don’t see every single day. To claim that this principle somehow doesn’t apply to spiritual things in the same way it does to everything else in our lives is simply absurd.

The spiritual space is greater than and includes the physical world

All things in our physical world were first created spiritually:

...For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.... (Moses 3:5)

For example, we read how God created all plants before they existed here:

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. (Genesis 2)

As another example, the Lord told Jeremiah that he existed as a spirit before he was born:

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Not everything that exists or can exist spiritually has been manifested in the physical world:

31 For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal—
32 First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work—
33 Speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto myself my works have no end, neither beginning; but it is given unto you that ye may understand, because ye have asked it of me and are agreed.
34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. (D&C 29)

Faith is the mechanism that creates in the spirit and that, from spirit, creates in the physical world.

Faith creates bridges between the spirit and the flesh

The ideas existing in the spirit are far greater than those here. Faith is the process by which these things come forth into existence here:

`And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. (Ether 12:6)`

It is only through faith that they can come into being:

`For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. (2 Nephi 27:23)`

You exercise deep faith by creating outcomes here based on desires and reasons that exist only in the spirit.

Reason, desire, and action are the nexus between the spiritual and physical world. Reason and desire drive the creation of new things on earth and the reconciliation of things on earth to things in heaven.

For example, through desire, the Lord can drive us to search to fill longings that surpass those which satisfy normal people. Every person has within them a faint but pervasive memory of God—planted deep within them from their interactions with him before birth. In a way, every desire we have—no matter how base or carnal—is an attempt either to satisfy or silence that deep drive to reconnect with the divine.

Some few manage in this life to make explicit this divine longing, coming to realize what it is and that normal life cannot satisfy it. For example, Peter pointed out that, after learning from Jesus, nothing less would do:

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

Paul similarly remarked how learning about the Lord decreased the value of all not found in him:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

It is in the mind that our access to the spirit provides us greater understanding over what we observe in the physical world, as well as the physical instantiation of the limitless information we have access to in the spirit. Physical objects are limited instantiations of the infinite spirit. Physical objects provide a filter through which specific facets of the infinite are discretized and made more apparent to our limited understanding.

Reason transforms carnal experiences and observations of the real world into the space of the mind, where higher-order analysis can take place. Higher order reflections on reality include, for example, the motives, means, and feelings of sentient beings. In all things, higher order reflections include relationships between the parts of the whole and different objects. For example, higher order thought is not limited to the eye’s view of a drop of water, or to the feeling of wetness, but includes the microscopic bustle of the countless small organisms and molecules comprising the droplet yet invisible to the naked eye, as well as questions about why droplets are physically drawn to each other, or why they roll down a vertical surface in the way they do.

Reason is the link between matter and mind. Reason projects the contents of the mind into the physical world. Reason is the means through which information is channeled from the physical world into the mind, and from the mind into the physical world. This transmission happens through action.

Action is required to observe and think about the physical world. Action is required to act on information thus extracted. These actions generate further observations to provide updates to desire and reason.

So, we see that, without each component of the faith cycle, it is not possible to bridge the gap between the spiritual world and the physical world. While the Christian world continues the long-standing debate about what James meant exactly when he proclaimed “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20), we could further complicate the controversy by adding that faith without reason is dead, as is faith without desire.

On earth as it is in heaven

The Lord taught that we should pray that his “will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Much of what happens here does not reflect his will. When Jesus came here, he did things no other man had done¹, because he did and said all the things the Father would do were he in his place.^{2, 3} As we keep the Lord’s instruction to bring about the Father’s will here on earth, we will—like Jesus—obtain outcomes that have never before been obtained. Faith is what causes us to notice God’s unfulfilled will here and attempt to do what no one else has done to bring it to pass.

In the parable of the talents, the king suggests that, at a minimum, the slothful servant could have put his money into a bank to earn interest (see Matthew 25). This is like using what is already here to obtain beneficial outcomes. However, God wants us to produce much more than this, which is like multiplying what he has already given us. We do this through faith.

Normal people react to the rest of the world. Faithful people act upon the world. A person with faith does not subvert the choice of others. However, a person with faith will relentlessly see and do things that others will not see and do. Invariably, they leave in their wake outcomes that never would have otherwise occurred, notwithstanding the agency of all other people with which they have interacted.

Normal people conform their thoughts to things that act upon them. The faithful conform things to thoughts, through action. Faithful people act upon other people and things to bring about outcomes that would not otherwise occur.

Normal people live in such a way that the world would be no worse without them. The faithful remake the world in their own image. God made man in his image, not the other way around. Those who act like him will do the same.

Normal people react to their space of possibilities from the finite space of their surroundings. Faithful people create their surroundings from the infinite space of ideas.

People act according to what they are willing to do and what they believe is possible. A faithful person will act very differently than a normal person because they will gladly do anything God wants them to (see Psalm 112:1), and they believe God when he says all things are possible (see Matthew 19:26).

Seeing opportunity where no one else does

This world was created out of utter darkness. Things seen were created from things not seen:

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3)

In other words, God stared into the darkness and, through faith, saw everything this world could and would be. He created the earth based purely on potentiality.

His faith is so great that when he looks into complete darkness, he cannot help but see inevitable success based on principles he unshakably knows.

With an understanding of the faith process, we can avoid the trap of believing that creation happened through magic. As God contemplated what would be, he did so, based on reasons and desires. That information is the key to imitating in our scope what he does in his.

You are created in the image of God. You are created in such a way that the same process that God used to create everything you see is available to you. As he created things seen from things unseen, you can create things seen from things unseen. As he channeled what existed only as an idea into tangible reality, you can generate ideas and instantiate them in the physical world. This is what Jesus meant when he taught that our prayer to God should be: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Normal people do not do this to any remarkable degree. You must see the same darkness as everyone else does, but interpret it very differently. You must see a world of divine potential and act relentlessly to bring it into reality.

When you have faith, you interpret things differently than other people do. When you have faith, you see the opportunity in what others see as affliction. You see afflictions as opportunities to show your love for God, for God to show his love for you, for you to show others God’s love for them.

As a missionary-turned-servant, Ammon found himself among the other servants of the king when troublemakers came to scatter the flocks they were responsible for guarding. While the men were bitterly upset, knowing that the king would severely punish them for losing his sheep, Ammon rejoiced for the opportunity it would give him to show the power of God:

28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.
29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words. (Alma 17)

Without this setback, Ammon could never have shown God’s power to these servants and to their king through his miraculous defeat of so many men.

The example of Ammon may seem particularly religious in nature and unlikely in occurrence. However, consider Paul who, through faith, remained cheerful when shipwrecked and imprisoned.

So many bleak situations exist where faith can create bright light in the midst of darkness. Faith is needed to rise to the challenge of finding joy in life when most people are miserable, of finding love when most marriages end in divorce, and of finding success when most businesses fail and most people are poor.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. (Psalm 139)

When you have faith, you see potential where others see only limitations. God does great things through weak people. Faith lets you see the possibility of outcomes beyond the limits of your flesh—that the goodness of God is not limited by the nothingness of man, so long as you believe, think, and act. This is why David fought the bear and the lion and how Samson pulled down the columns he was chained to.

When you develop faith, you develop the ability to do everything you see yourself doing, independent of anything in your past and anything other people think about you.

Recognizing and walking paths no one else wants to

In order to see things as they could be, you have to begin by first seeing things as they really are. All too often, we are sadly mistaken in our perception of ourselves, others, and the world around us. We think that we are better than we are in some ways, we think we are worse than we are in others.

The starting point of all things desired is wherever you are right now. You will never find the right path to what you desire without first ensuring you really are where you think you are. Anyone with experience using a map and compass will attest to this fact.

The thoughts of the faithful always begin with the current state of things—not to limit themselves to the present situation, but in order to devise an accurate starting point for their journey of faith. They are concerned with the chain of actions between how things are and how things could be.

The faithless will keep their dreams well separated from their daily actions. They would rather hold onto hope in what they have no reason to believe is possible than risk failure in attempts to obtain it. The faithful, in contrast, dare to stare at what needs to be done to accomplish what they set out to do. They don’t shy away from discovering the path, no matter how horrible it might be. If their hope is misplaced, they want to know so that they can improve by choosing a better thing to hope for. If their current actions are insufficient to obtain what they seek, they want to know so that they can do what is necessary to obtain what they seek. They actually seek what they say they seek, not just the vapor of false hope that comes from intentionally vacuous dreams.

When his fancy bow broke, Nephi was left without the means of obtaining food (see 1 Nephi 16). His brothers complained. Nephi turned to God in faith. It didn’t matter that he was as hungry as everyone else, or that he had to bear the extra burden of their complaints. He courageously faced reality—he would have to find a way to hunt. He made a bow and arrows, which is not an easy feat, even when you have a full belly and plenty of time. He sought God with a willingness to do what was necessary, and he responded to the instructions he received to climb a mountain to find animals to shoot. It didn’t matter that he was quite hungry at that point, having gone days without food. He simply did what needed to be done. Nephi could have done what normal people would do by complaining instead of doing anything about it. Instead, he realized that the choice was either doing the difficult or dying of starvation. He opted to do what was reasonable, in spite of it also being difficult.

People with faith will do hard things, because they decide what to do not based on whether or not it is difficult, or how long it will take, but based on whether it is worth it . Because they do things based on whether they are worth it, they do things that no one else will do.

Believing as if you have seen

Faith promotes ideas to the same strength of evidence as experience. Through desires and reason, you can come to take the same actions you would if the outcome were already experienced.

To begin exploring this concept, consider that those who believed in Christ before he came to earth as a mortal received the same blessings as those who believed in him after giving his life as a witness to his reality and mission:

`Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh. (Jacob 4:11)`

`And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them. (Mosiah 3:13)`

`And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole. (Enos 1:8)`

This kind of faith doesn’t just apply to forgiveness of sins through Jesus. Abraham exercised this kind of faith by leaving his homeland and traveling to a new land—two explicitly temporal actions—even though he had never seen it and did not know how to get there:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8)

Note that, in these cases and all besides, these people were still acting on information. They weren’t guessing or wishing. The difference between these situations and those without faith is that the information was ideological, not experiential: it consisted of desires and reasons concerning the future, not physical sensations experienced in the present.

There are outcomes God possesses and desires to share that can only be obtained through faith. If one does not act in faith before obtaining the knowledge that renders faith impossible, they cannot obtain the same standing as those who believed before having that information. Those who require a physical witness before acting can’t have the same results as those who are willing to act on ideas only. Once you see it, you can’t have the same share of blessings as those who believe and act without seeing it. Those who believe without seeing are blessed more than those who first see and then believe.

For example, after his resurrection, Jesus explained how those who believed him because of the words of his apostles would be blessed above those who believed because they had seen him:

1 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am.
2 And again, <u>more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that</u> ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. (3 Nephi 12)

Note here that believing in the words of those who testify of ideas superior to your own is not the same as outsourcing your faith to another. Hearing comes by faith, but faith is not limited to merely hearing. Hearing must be followed by obtaining and evaluating reasons to believe and acting so as to obtain the firsthand knowledge that will always come from living truth.

Those who are willing to act for mental reasons to the same extent as they would for physical reasons obtain greater outcomes because of the law of justice:

13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.
14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, <u>do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?</u>
15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, <u>much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble.... (Alma</u> 32)

They are willing to do more with less, therefore they will obtain more.

Sacrifice for the future

Most people do not look ahead. Most people do not see or think about new things. Most people do not actively seek to increase what they perceive and understand. Most people deny even what is obvious in their present experience:

...in this ye have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many evidences which ye have received.... (Helaman 8:24)

Even when people pay attention to what is evident before them, they still routinely overlook what is beyond their immediate experience but fully within their capability of understanding through reason:

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. (Helaman 12)

Too many people treat life as if it were comprised of static resources. They live their daily lives as if things will always be exactly how they presently are:

11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49)

In Proverbs, we read:

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

The problem with avoiding plowing in the cold is that the season of cold weather is exactly when you need to plow. If it were already warm, it would be too late to plow. There are more productive things to do in the season of warmth, like sowing seed, but that requires that you have already plowed. Spring rains will germinate seed, but only if it has already been planted.

Furthermore, the fact that cold weather is unpleasant is totally irrelevant to whether or not one should plow. The question is: what will be the future need for grain, and will the benefits of having it then outweigh the costs of sowing it now?

This proverb is also useful in highlighting the fact that present abundance does not imply that present action is unnecessary for future benefit. While harvested grain provides a store of food, it also provides the seeds for next season’s crop. The presence of a store of grain does not indicate that there is no need to plant again this season.

Those who act based only on the present will not only miss out on many outcomes available only to those willing to think of the future, they will also lose even their present situation when unforeseen challenges invariably strike:

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12)

Honest reflection causes us to recognize that things can change in extreme ways, whether over time or suddenly.

Faith helps us gain improved future outcomes through sacrifice of the present. Faith means obtaining outcomes beyond what is presently before you by preferring desires, reasons, and actions that are beyond what is presently before you.

If you can mentally visualize what you want and what it will take to get it, you can choose to willingly sacrifice present pleasure for future gain. If you can mentally visualize potential future changes in your circumstances, you can choose to willingly sacrifice present comfort for future preparation.

We apply a discount to future benefit. Faith requires you to value future outcomes as if they were in the present. All faithful people submit to present discomfort for the sake of the future:

...others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35)

This “torture” can and does consist of much broader experiences than mere literal torture. The torment of life for a faithful person includes a litany of affliction, ranging from loneliness to betrayal to sickness to deep unfulfilled yearnings.

Abraham had faith in the future when he submitted to the sacrifice of Isaac:

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. (Hebrews 11)

Moses had faith in the future when he preferred to be a servant of God over being a prince in Egypt:

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11)

The ability to value future outcomes as if they were in the present is something that manifests through nearly every aspect of a faithful person’s life. A person who values future outcomes as if they were present will act very differently in things big and small in their lives.

Future-believing people don’t do things that are well-known to have bad long-term outcomes. They don’t ignore them because of their obviousness:

O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever. (Alma 37:46)

For example, they will not do things like smoke cigarettes, because they clearly view the future health problems that they would have by smoking. No rational person would opt to trade a diminishingly effective nicotine hit for lots of wrinkles at a young age or a high probability of cancer if these things were immediate.

Future-believing people honestly assess the consequences of present choices. Ammon and his brothers had great faith because they understood the ramifications of their work: “...for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.” (Alma 17:13)

Future-believing people react promptly to subtle indications of major long-term effects. For example, they will notice if they are heavier than they were a year ago, and they will make necessary changes to reverse the trend because they see this will lead to obesity, and no rational person would opt for that.

Future-believing people make daily small contributions to major longterm outcomes. They understand that “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:6) For example, they will spend time each day focusing on God, knowing it will provide a tremendous treasure of familiarity with his word. They will save a little money every day, seeing future opportunities to invest and knowing that will require capital that can only come from consistent sacrifice long before then.

Future-believing people do not stop once they’ve accomplished something. They continuously seek the best present course of action for the best future outcomes. They do not seek to “finish”, but rather they seek to continuously do the best they can with whatever resources they have. For example, Alma never ceased preaching, even after a lifetime in God’s service:

And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth. (Alma 43:1)

Future-believing people do things in the present that will have absolutely no effect for a long time. For example, they do things like plant nut trees, which can take seven years or more just to bear the first crop, and sugar maples, which take forty years of growth before they can be tapped for maple syrup. Nephi and his descendants invested significant time and effort in engraving their spiritual records into metal plates for the benefit of people who would live many generations after them.

Working miracles through faith

A miracle is an outcome whose means are generally unknown. However, miracles are not magic. Though the means of miracles are generally unknown, they are known to some, and they are available to all. All outcomes are determined by specific preconditions stipulated from before the foundation of the world:

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (D&C 130)

Miracles, which are a subset of all possible outcomes, are not an exception to this rule. Even miracles are subject to laws. The difference between a common outcome and a miracle is not the existence or absence of a law of cause and effect, but our awareness of such.

We know miracles can happen because they are plainly described in scripture and because Jesus said that they are a permanent fixture of the gospel. Why are they rare? Are they meant to be?

Since outcomes are predicated on specific conditions, uncommon outcomes can only be uncommon because their specific conditions are only rarely fulfilled. This is just as true with miracles as any other outcome.

34 And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.
35 ...has the day of miracles ceased?
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men.... (Moroni 7)

Miracles are rarer than other outcomes because their conditions are less known than those of other outcomes. They are less known because people are rarely willing to do what is required to learn those conditions or even willing to fulfill those conditions when they are plainly taught to them:

15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?
18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. 
20 And <u>the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. (Mormon 9)</u>

Rather than think of miracles as exceptional and mystical phenomena, we ought to think of them as no different than any other instance of the faith cycle, except that the actions and reasons are beyond the understanding of most, and the outcomes are greater than most are willing to desire. They are, in a sense, the purest example of the faith cycle because they result in outcomes that can’t come except through the exercise of great faith. If one can work miracles, they are expert enough at the faith cycle to obtain any lesser outcome. The reverse is not true. Though all outcomes are obtained through faith, those most common do not require very much desire or reasons or action. Miracles require extreme desire, reasons, and action.

Miracles, like every other outcome, happen through faith. Miracles occur as a result of the faith process: desire, reason, and action. There is never a miracle except as the result of someone having more desire, stronger reasons, or different actions than they otherwise would have had. This description of what causes miracles to occur is also the prescription for causing them to happen.

Melchizedek used faith to obtain miraculous outcomes that were not automatically available, such as stopping the mouths of lions, quenching fire, etc.⁴ He did not have a right to those outcomes through some arbitrary power he received from God. Rather, he first had faith to envision these potential outcomes in spite of a lack of a known path to obtain them, and he worked according to his knowledge of God’s power and character. Melchizedek learned from God what he could do to bring about God’s will, leaning on God to carry whatever part of the transaction only he could.

God can only work miracles after faith

People don’t gain faith by performing miracles. They have to have faith before that happens:

12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can <u>do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.</u>
13 Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.
14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites. 
16 Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.
17 And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.
18 And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after <u>their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God. (Ether</u> 12)

God can only work miracles after faith because those things that are possible without faith in God consist of desires and reasons that are already present on earth. Outcomes that are unattainable with presently available desires and reasons require additional desires and reasons. These can only come through revelation.

Only faith engages God to bring about what would not otherwise be possible. Only faith changes what it is possible. Everything else is just a rearrangement of pre-existing parts.

God will only reveal new information to those who believe in him:

`...I will not show unto the wicked of my strength, to one more than the other, save it be unto those who repent of their sins, and hearken unto my words. (Helaman 7:23)`

He reveals new information to those who believe in him, so they can use that information to work mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, to give them greater reasons to believe themselves in God:

5 And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy <u>great and marvelous things</u> unto the people, which <u>they did not believe, because they saw them not.</u>
6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are <u>hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.</u> 7 For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto <u>them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs</u> be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.
8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the <u>world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way</u> <u>that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.</u>
9 Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith. (Ether 12)

25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ...
30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of <u>strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.</u>
31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto <u>the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.</u>
32 And <u>by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may</u> have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.
33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. (Moroni 7)

...[God] manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him...working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith. (2 Nephi 26:13)

16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.
17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, <u>rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.</u>
18 <u>Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings. (Mosiah 8)</u>

Miracles are a part of our faith when we have sufficient trust in God and knowledge of his character to seek him to find the way to the outcomes whose actions we do not yet know.

Faith is much greater than knowledge. Knowledge obtains an outcome through the faith of the person who obtained and revealed the causes of that outcome. Faith is an appeal to, receipt of information from, submission to, and participation with God in the obtaining of outcomes.

So much and so many of the wonderful outcomes possible through God have not yet occurred because people here have not exercised sufficient faith.