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.