“Prove Me Now Herewith”

Elder Moisés Villanueva is a General Authority Seventy. When he was 10 years old, he and his family were baptized. He had never been to any church before!

Being a member of the Church changed many things for his family. One of the hardest was paying tithing. Tithing means giving one tenth of the money we earn to the Lord. Elder Villanueva’s mom was taking care of eight children by herself, and they did not have much money. But when the missionaries taught them about tithing, his mom chose to trust the Lord’s promise.

In the Bible, the Lord promises that if we pay our tithing, He will open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Elder Villanueva said sometimes we expect blessings to come the way we want. But the Lord blesses us in His own way and His own time. One sister was sad because she paid her tithing but did not get the better job she hoped for. Elder Villanueva told her what an Apostle, Elder David A. Bednar, taught: tithing blessings are often quiet and easy to miss.

So Elder Villanueva made a list of his own blessings. His family has been healthy. He has had a steady job. Their home has been kept safe. He was able to get an education. He learned to be grateful. He invited the sister to make her own list too.

Another sister said the propane tank at her home lasted much longer than she expected. It almost seemed like it would never run out! She knew it was a tender mercy from the Lord.

That reminded Elder Villanueva of the children of Israel. They walked in the wilderness for 40 years, and their clothes and shoes did not wear out.

He also told about a widow in the Bible. The prophet Elijah asked her for some bread. She only had a little flour and a little oil, just enough for one last meal for her and her son. Elijah told her, “Fear not.” He asked her to make him a little cake first, and he promised her that her flour and oil would not run out. She trusted him. And her flour and oil did not run out!

Elder Villanueva is thankful his mom trusted the Lord. He said Heavenly Father knows each of us and knows what we need. He gives us commandments because He wants to bless us.

A scripture for this talk: Malachi 3:10. The Lord says, “Prove me now,” and promises to bless people who pay tithing.

Elder Moisés Villanueva, a General Authority Seventy, was 10 years old when he and his family were baptized. He had never attended any church before. Joining the Church brought big changes as his family tried to live the gospel.

The change that took the most faith was paying a full tithe. Those were hard years. His mother had separated from his father and worked tirelessly to support eight children, most of them still very young. But when the missionaries taught them the law of tithing, his mother chose to trust the Lord’s promise in Malachi: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”

He taught that every blessing from God comes by obeying the law it is based on, and that the Lord keeps His promises. “Sometimes we expect the Lord’s blessings to come the way we would wish, rather than in His own way and timing.”

After one sacrament meeting, a faithful sister told him her testimony of tithing was getting weaker. She had always paid a full tithe, but she never got the promotion or the raise she hoped for. Elder Villanueva shared what Elder David A. Bednar taught in his talk “The Windows of Heaven”: tithing often brings blessings that are significant but subtle, not always what we expect, and easy to overlook.

That prompted Elder Villanueva to list his own blessings from paying tithing. He has had steady work for many years. His family has had good health. Their home and belongings have been preserved even in hard times. He was able to manage his time and money to get an education. “I have developed the gift of gratitude by learning to appreciate the Lord’s hand in each of His tender mercies.” He invited the sister to make her own list.

Later, another sister shared that the 20-liter propane tank in her home lasted far longer than expected. It almost seemed it would never run out, and she knew it was a tender mercy for paying her tithing. That reminded him of the Lord’s words to Israel: during 40 years in the wilderness, their clothes and shoes did not wear out. He asked, have you ever wondered whether the Lord has made your things last longer because you pay tithing?

Thinking of his mother’s faith, he remembered the widow of Zarephath. The Lord sent the prophet Elijah to her. She had only a handful of meal and a little oil, enough for one last meal for herself and her son. Elijah said, “Fear not,” and asked her to make him a little cake first. He promised her meal and oil would not run out until the Lord sent rain. She trusted him and gave all she had, and the promise was fulfilled. “Elijah understood that blessings will come after the trial of our faith.”

Elder Villanueva is grateful his mother trusted the Lord’s promises in their hard circumstances. He testified that God is our loving Heavenly Father, who knows our needs even before we ask, and that He gives us commandments because He wants to bless us.

Scripture to look up: Malachi 3:10. “Prove Me Now Herewith” saith the Lord, who keeps His promise to open the windows of heaven.

Elder Moisés Villanueva, a General Authority Seventy, was 10 when he and his family were baptized. “I had never attended any church before.” Entering the covenant path brought profound changes, which he now understands reflected their sincere efforts to apply the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

“Perhaps the change that required the greatest faith and sacrifice was to honorably pay a full tithe.” Those were financially difficult years. His mother had separated from his father and worked tirelessly to support eight children, most still very young. Yet when the missionaries taught the law of tithing, she chose to trust the Lord’s promise: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

He cited the revealed principle that “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21), and the Lord’s question, “Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?” Then came a caution: “Sometimes we expect the Lord’s blessings to come the way we would wish, rather than in His own way and timing.”

After a sacrament meeting, a faithful sister told him her testimony of tithing had begun to weaken. She had always paid a full tithe but never received the promotion she hoped for, nor even the salary increase she deserved. He gave her the counsel he gave everyone listening: in “The Windows of Heaven,” Elder David A. Bednar taught that as we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked.

Elder Bednar’s words prompted him to make his own list, and the Holy Ghost helped him recognize many blessings: steady employment for many years, good health for his family, home and possessions preserved even in difficult times, and the ability to manage time and resources to obtain an education. “I have developed the gift of gratitude by learning to appreciate the Lord’s hand in each of His tender mercies. I have learned to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost when making important decisions in my life.” These blessings, both temporal and spiritual, are evidence that the Lord has indeed opened the windows of heaven. He invited the sister to write her own list of blessings that are often easy to overlook.

Later, another faithful sister shared in sacrament meeting that the 20-liter propane tank in her home had lasted far longer than expected: “It almost seemed as though it would never run out.” She recognized it as a tender mercy for paying an honest tithe. He was reminded of the Lord’s words to Israel after 40 years in the wilderness, that their clothes and shoes had not grown old (Deuteronomy 29:5). “Have you ever asked yourselves whether the Lord has caused your personal possessions to last longer because you have faithfully lived the law of tithing? I have seen those subtle blessings many times in my own life.”

His mother’s faith also reminded him of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17). The Lord told Elijah, “Arise, get thee to Zarephath … : behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” Elijah found her gathering sticks and asked for water and a morsel of bread. She had only a handful of meal and a little oil, enough for one final meal for herself and her son. Elijah said, “Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” She did as Elijah said. “Elijah understood that blessings will come after the trial of our faith.” The widow offered up all she had, and the Lord’s promise was fulfilled.

“I am especially grateful that my mother trusted the Lord’s promises and chose to live the law of tithing regardless of our difficult circumstances.” He testified that God is our loving Heavenly Father: “He knows each of us and is aware of our needs even before we ask (see Matthew 6:8).” Jesus Christ is His Son and directs His Church today, and “He gives us commandments because He wants us to receive His blessings.” By living the law of tithing, the Lord indeed opens the windows of heaven.