Bishop L. Todd Budge told BYU students in a Feb. 2 devotional address not to turn away from God during hard times, as God will redeem, not break them.
Bishop Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, also shared four ways God leads His children: through desire, inquiry, requirement and an invitation to rest.
He said he recently read, “A Broke Heart,” a book written by a Christian horse trainer. As Bishop Budge read this book, he recognized patterns in how the trainer “breaks” an untamed horse. He related these patterns to how God works with and teaches His children.
He said God has the same desire for His children that a horse trainer has with their untamed horse — to become completely united with one another.
“He does not want us to be brokenhearted but to have broke hearts and contrite spirits so that He can take the reins of our lives and guide us with His love to receive all of His promised blessings,” Bishop Budge said.
Bishop Budge spoke on four key objectives he has seen in the way God leads His children. The first objective is desire. Heavenly Father desires His children to align their desires to His.
It may be easy to feel scared, stuck or frustrated during tribulation. However, God “wants us to start moving — to trust Him. He wants us to begin the process of aligning our desires with His,” Bishop Budge said.
The second objective is to inquire. It’s important to ask questions and pray with intent. Consistent prayer and inquiry to the Lord will bless students’ lives, Bishop Budge said.
Bishop Budge quoted what President Russell M. Nelson has said on inquiring of the Lord: “When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours.”
The third objective is to require. God will require us to change direction based on His will. Similar to how a horse trainer’s goal is to teach a horse to follow their instructions, Bishop Budge said God wants His children to repent and change their wills to meet His.
The fourth objective is to retire. He said Jesus Christ wants to give all His rest.
A horse trainer makes the center of the horse’s pen a center of rest. Likewise, Jesus Christ is the leader who offers all a place of rest with Him, Bishop Budge said. “The confident and gentle leader that we can trust and respect is Jesus Christ.”
