The Voice of Thunderings

Adversity is an invitation to turn our hearts to God.

The Savior characterized the cataclysmic events of the last days as a call to repentance:

What will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying—Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?

Doctrine and Covenants 43:21

He spoke of these natural disasters as part of a continuum—a series of wake-up calls of increasing intensity:

How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind…

Doctrine and Covenants 43:25

This echoes the lament of Mormon, who observed:

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 12:3

Elder Paul B. Pieper had an experience in which everything seemed to be going wrong in his life. He repeatedly prayed without receiving the relief he desired. One day, the following instruction entered his heart: “Don’t ask why; ask what I want you to learn.” The experience was not a punishment; it was not intended to harm him. It was an opportunity for learning and growth, if he was willing to receive it. (See “Trust in the Lord,” General Conference, April 2024).

Elder James B. Martino encouraged us to ask the same question when we face trials:

We must always attempt to correct the problem and overcome the trial, but instead of asking “Why me?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” maybe the question should be “What am I to do? What can I learn from this experience? What am I to change?”

“All Things Work Together for Good,” General Conference, April 2010

We like to hear God’s voice through the quiet whisperings of the Spirit in calm and peaceful settings. These are extraordinary experiences which fill us with hope and gratitude. But sometimes He speaks to us in other ways, that are more difficult to recognize and accept. Could our current trials be a form of “the voice of thunderings”? Could the Lord be speaking to us, teaching us, and invite us to come unto Him through the challenging events of our lives?

After experiencing severe natural disasters and losing many loved ones, a group of people in the Americas heard the Savior extend a compassionate invitation:

Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

3 Nephi 9:13

Perhaps if we are attentive, we will hear the same invitation in the midst of our own trials. Perhaps we can allow those difficulties to soften our hearts, so that we can receive His grace more fully than ever before. Those challenges may even play an essential role in our spiritual development.

Today, I will strive to recognize adversity as an invitation. I will ask what God wants me to learn from each experience, and I will listen for His voice in the “thunderings” of my life.