Discerning Hearts

What if the Lord had blessed you with the gift of discerning hearts,  the gift of recognizing when a brother or sister was in pain even if never openly expressed?  What if you could see they were suffering from hurt or sorrow not necessarily from their own doings but from uncontrollable circumstances around them... what would you do?  What if you were given eyes to see these things but you were bound and limited in what you could do to help them?  What would you say to encourage them, to make their burdens a little lighter?

I would offer my faith.  I'd say, "Put on as many conference talks as you can find and soak up the words of the Living Prophets.  Hang on!  Press on!  Hold on! Be true to the truths you know.  All will be well.  All will be well!  I know this because the Lord is at the helm.  Your prayers are heard, both the spoken and unspoken."

Elder Holland says it better:

"Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. 'Pray always, and be believing.'  Indeed, as Paul wrote of Abraham, he 'against [all] hope believed in hope' and 'staggered not … through unbelief.' He was 'strong in faith' and was 'fully persuaded that, what [God] had promised, he was able … to perform.'

Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds, God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed."

 - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - An High Priest of Good Things to Come