Let God Prevail

Last October President Nelson gave a talk about letting God prevail. This seems contradictory because prevail means to come off victorious in a struggle, but let implies that we are not meant to struggle with the Lord. If we are meant to let God prevail, then clearly we are not the ones that God is struggling and prevailing against. Letting God prevail does not mean letting God gain mastery over us, but over the natural tendencies that would keep us from letting God into our life. The natural man is an enemy to God, but it is probably more clearly stated that the natural tendencies of man are the enemy of God, and we only become God’s enemy as we embrace those natural tendencies and let ourselves become the natural man. When we yield to the Spirit, we aren’t yielding as a combatant against a superior force, but we are yielding our position on the front line to a superior ally. If we let Him, God will go before our face. He will be on our right and on our left. He will send His legions round about us to bear us up. Letting God prevail is only a struggle insofar as we become attached to the things of this world, to pride and lust and ambition and hatred and fear and doubt and pettiness. These temptations, these natural tendencies will always be around us, but we don’t have to fight them on our own. We can let God prevail. We can invite Him into our Hearts and let Him fight against the pride and the fear and the hatred. And God will prevail, if we let Him.