September 21, 2026 “Isaiah and the Marvelous Work”
This week I came across an ad for a book that was being shared with children in a Catholic school. The ad was written by a director who had spent countless years—countless hours, lessons, and prayers—teaching these children about Christ and the scriptures. He had poured his heart into helping them understand the stories of the Bible and the life of the Savior. Yet, after graduation, many of these children never returned to church.
As he pondered what had been missing in their spiritual journey, a realization settled on him: he had taught them about the Bible, but they had not yet learned to see that the scriptures are more than stories. They are real. They are living. They are evidence of God’s hand in the world. Christ truly lived on the earth. He truly performed the miracles recorded in scripture. And we do not rely on faith alone—we can see God’s fingerprints in history, in the scriptures, and in the ways He continues to reach out to His people. These stories are not distant; they are witnesses.
Testimonies grow when we apply faith to our lives. Want a testimony of the Bible? Read it. Want a testimony of tithing? Pay it. Want a testimony of Christ? Read of Him, walk in His teachings, and notice how He begins to shape your days. Want to know if we are truly experiencing a “marvelous work and a wonder”? Go to the temple. But let’s NOT begin to think of testimonies as transactional, just as moments to keep our eyes open to how God is involved in our lives.
“Some misunderstand the promises of God to mean that obedience to Him yields specific outcomes on a fixed schedule. They might think, “If I diligently serve a full-time mission, God will bless me with a happy marriage and children” or “If I refrain from doing schoolwork on the Sabbath, God will bless me with good grades” or “If I pay tithing, God will bless me with that job I’ve been wanting.” If life doesn’t fall out precisely this way or according to an expected timetable, they may feel betrayed by God. But things are not so mechanical in the divine economy. We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered.
God will indeed honor His covenants and promises to each of us. We need not worry about that. The atoning power of Jesus Christ—who descended below all things and then ascended on high and who possesses all power in heaven and in earth—ensures that God can and will fulfill His promises. It is essential that we honor and obey His laws, but not every blessing predicated on obedience to law is shaped, designed, and timed according to our expectations. We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual.” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, April 2022, General Conference)
It may sound transactional, but it isn’t. It is about awareness—about learning to see the gentle, consistent ways God is already moving in your life. When we act in faith and then pay attention, our hearts begin to recognize Him. And that recognition becomes testimony.
