Prayer, Priesthood, and Prophets

WARNING.......LONG BORING TALK AHEAD........CAUTION........CONTAINS PERSONAL HISTORICAL DATA..........LACKS CONTINUITY.........MOM MADE ME ADD THIS

This is the talk I prepared for today but ending up modifying due to time and inspiration. It is rather long but I think it is worthy of a purusal. Maybe you should take it in chunks. Don't try to eat the whole elephant at once......ya know. I spoke in the Woodhaven ward with Paul Boren. Talk about a fire ball. He could always preach a sermon -- now he does it with power, love, and humility.

Not long ago we felt our early morning scripture study was lacking power and having little effect on the sleepy minds of our children. After hearing Elder Dalquist’s talk in stake conference we decided that we should try to memorize one of the Seminary scripture mastery passages each week during that early morning time. Our first attempt was Mathew 5:14-16.

“Ye are the light of the World. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Memorizing this scripture has led me to ponder its significance today in all of our lives. Truly we are as a light on a hill. This year our candle power has been multiplied in a major way. A member of the church ran for the presidency or our country, members of the church in California went to the poles in support of the Proclamation on the Family, and in our own community, faithful members stood up for their standards and morals in the curriculum of our schools. The church and its members have come under the scrutiny of the press and the population at large. We with our chapels and temples cannot be hid. Some mock and scorn, some admire, and others just watch closely. Many of us, who have been, figuratively, reading under the covers with their tiny lights, are surprised to find that the blankets have been thrown back, the lights turned on, and we are exposed to the world. The question is will we run and seek the security of cover again. Will we recoil when criticized and hide our faith, or will we increase our candle power, being firm and steadfast in the gospel.

The bar truly has been raised. But we can all take comfort in the fact that we have watchmen on the towers, priesthood power to bless and guide us, and access to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and personal revelation through meaningful prayer.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

In February 1847, nearly three years after the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred, he appeared to President Brigham Young and gave him a message. In light of the political and economic climate we find ourselves in I believe we need to give very strict head to it. He said, “Tell the people to be humble and faithful and sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach [you what] to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right.”18

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is like the oxygen required for the candle flame to burn bright. When oxygen is depleted, the flame becomes dim. Eventually it flickers and dies. We need to keep ourselves in spirit rich environments to maintain the burning flame within. If we remain under the blankets we will find that, not only will the light be hidden from others, but our ability to shine gradually diminishes.

A Prophet on the Earth Today

I testify that Pres. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that he receives direct revelation for the church. His words lift and inspire us. He speaks to the church globally but as we study his words we can receive very personal, customized inspiration for our personal lives. Let me remind you of a few of the things he said in our last General Conference. Listen for the still small promptings of the Spirit that accompany the words – for they are “the mind and will of the Lord”, and, according to the scripture, when men speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost carries their words into the hearts of the eager listener.

“Throughout our lives, we must deal with change.

“I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not.

“Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know.”

“Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.”(Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 84–87)

As he closed the conference he said this:

“I assure you that our Heavenly Father is mindful of the challenges we face in the world today. He loves each of us and will bless us as we strive to keep His commandments and seek Him through prayer.

May we be good citizens of the nations in which we live and good neighbors in our communities, reaching out to those of other faiths, as well as to our own. May we be men and women of honesty and integrity in everything we do.

There are those throughout the world who are hungry; there are those who are destitute. Working together, we can alleviate suffering and provide for those in need. In addition to the service you give as you care for one another, your contributions to the funds of the Church enable us to respond almost immediately when disasters occur anywhere in the world.

There are other difficulties in the lives of some. Particularly among the young, there are those who are tragically involved in such things as drugs, immorality, gangs, and all the serious problems that go with them. In addition, there are those who are lonely, including widows and widowers, who long for the company and the concern of others. May we ever be mindful of the needs of those around us and be ready to extend a helping hand and a loving heart.

Brothers and sisters, how blessed we are that the heavens are indeed open, that the restored Church of Jesus Christ is upon the earth today, and that the Church is founded upon the rock of revelation. We know that continuous revelation is the very lifeblood of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “ (Thomas S. Monson, “Until We Meet Again,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 106–7)

Priesthood Power is the lattice work on which the vines of true religion grow.

The Oath and covenant of the Melchizedek Priesthood gives structure and purpose to our lives. Upon its structure the covenants and blessing of the temple find purchase and take hold in our lives. Listen to the words of the covenant mingled with the oath God makes to us.

It is worth reviewing the Oath and the Covenant here. The priesthood gives men license to become like God. Women already poses charity and kindness in large part but men must develop it using a very structured program of service and ordnances.

In summary, we covenant to:

1. Receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in good faith.

2. Magnify our callings.

3. Obey the commandments.

4. Go forward in faith, living by every word of God.

God’s Oath to us is:

1. We will be sanctified by the Spirit.

2. We will be numbered with elect of God.

3. We will be given all that God has.

Pres. Eyring said: Priesthood service will prepare you for living in eternal families. It will change your feelings about what it means to be a husband or a father or a son or a brother. That change in your heart will come as you feel your faith grow and the promise of eternal life through the Melchizedek Priesthood becomes real to you. (Henry B. Eyring, “Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 2008, 61–64)

The earthly effect of keeping this covenant is that we develop charity, we strengthen our marriages, and we strengthen our families. The net effect is that we inherit God’s Kingdom. That is so completely awesome!!!

I would like to share a story that illustrates how the priesthood blesses the lives of everyone it touches.

On July 13, 1980 I was sitting on a southbound train heading to Shimonoseki, the southernmost city on the main Island of Japan. I was fresh out of the MTC and was traveling to my first assignment which just happened to be on the other end of the mission. I was so fired up. I just knew I would find my first baptism on that train. I had gone above and beyond and memorized all the discussions in Japanese before I left the MTC. And, when my Stake President set me apart he blessed me with the gift of tongues. So I was sitting there with this “cummonnnnnnn gift of tongues” attitude, just waiting for it to kick in at any moment. My traveling companion was Elder Jones, a greenie himself, who had really struggled with the language in the MTC and now, every time someone spoke to him he would get this blank, panicked look on his face. He would mutter a few words of Japanese, with American accent and intonation, which would elicit the same blank look on our would-be involuntary investigator. I would then come to his rescue and recite our mantra. “Watachi-tachi wa Matsu Jitsu Seito, Iesu Kuristo Kyokai no senkyoshi desu. Ameika kara. Skoshi Nihongo, dake, shaberimasu. Yosefu Sumisu ni kyomi ga arimas ka? Which roughly translated means “we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are from America. We don’t speak Japanese worth a plug nickel. Would you like to know more about Joseph Smith? As you can imagine the trip was long and tedious; filled with nursery school level conversations and polite compliments like “Anata no Ninhongo wa subarashi desu yo!” Which I thought meant, “Your Japanese sounds like Korean”, but later learned it meant “your Japanese is really wonderful!” Before long we began to pray that no one else would talk to us. We were there to guide others to the truth, not scare them away.

About 4 hours into the 6 hour trip the train stopped at a station and people got off. Nothing new, we thought. We had stopped at innumerable stations just like this. People would get off, and some would get on. (We were paying close attentions because if the travelers adjacent to us got off their seat may be filled by a new would-be involuntary investigator, which both thrilled and terrified us.) We noticed much to our relief that no one was getting on this time. The engineer’s voice sung over the intercom for a time and then everyone got off. We were left sitting there alone, no one else in the whole car. Odd, we thought. The train sat there for much longer than normal and after 15 or 20 minutes people started to get on again. Finally the doors closed and the train started moving – in the opposite direction!!! Panic filled our hearts. We were completely empty headed about what to do. I thought if I prayed hard enough the “gift” would kick in and I would be able to understand the conductor’s explanation. I even tried to ask others what was up but the vocabulary for “why in tarnation is this train going the wrong way” seemed to elude me. And, alas, we could discern nothing. By the 2^nd stop in the reverse direction we gathered our wits, our courage, and our bags and exited the train. We called the mission home to tell them our plight, and the kind Elder who took the call snickered a bit and then told us to sit tight, help was on the way.

We sat in the eki (train station) in the town of Obatake for what seemed like an eternity. Just as I was going to call the mission home again an older fellow approached us. He spoke in English and asked if we were lost. We asked him if he was a Mormon and he replied in a gruff tone that he was Catholic. He must have seen our countenances sink because his eyes twinkled and his lips curled into a sly grin as he introduced himself as Takeuchi Kyodai (Brother Takeuchi) from the Yanai Branch about 15 miles away. He was a High Priest, raised in Hawaii; a skilled carpenter who loved the church and harassing the Elders. Upon speaking with the Station Master he learned that the torrential rain had led to a land slide that had covered the tracks just beyond the stations where the train had reversed its direction. Since it was getting late our only option was to spend the night with Brother Takeuchi. His home was amazing; very spacious for a Japanese home, designed and built by his own hand. Sister Takeuchi made us a wonderful meal and we had a very enjoyable evening in our first authentic Japanese surroundings.

Next morning was Sunday and we were off to church in the little Yanai branch chapel. (I later learned that a chapel like that was very rare for a branch with only 30 or 40 members, but it helped to have a wealthy, retired, carpenter as a member.) We learned that there were two Sister missionaries who covered the Yanai branch and they just happened to have a baptism scheduled that morning. They asked if either of us would be able to perform the baptism for them. I looked at Elder Jones and his face had a greenish tint and fear filled his eyes. I said I would be glad to and immediately went to work praying and memorizing, memorizing and praying. I didn’t know the baptismal prayer in Japanese (who’d of thought I would need it so soon). When it came time for the Baptism I was as prepared as I could be. The young lady being baptized (Sister Ishikawa) was nervous and so was I. All went perfectly until it came time for the immersion. Sister Ishikawa didn’t know what to do. She began to bend her knees and lean forward. I felt helpless trying to explain in my Japanese baby talk. Finally a member explained the correct procedure and all was well in the world again. It was a wonderful experience. I was so relieved to learn that Sister Ishikawa would be confirmed by someone else, one of the male priesthood holders of the branch. I think it was our new friend, Brother Takeuchi, but I can’t remember for sure.

As soon as the baptism was done a member drove us an hour’s distance to get around the land slide to the next available train heading to Shimonoseki. We got there just in time. The good brother ran with us all the way from the car to the station and helped us find the train we were to board. We were just in time. With sweat running down our faces we plopped into a seat, bound for our first assigned fields of labor. Ahhh…..you gotta love missionary life.

Pres. Eyring spoke in the April General Priesthood Session about having faith in the oath and covenant of the priesthood. In particular he spoke about the confidence we can have in the oath of God if we are true to the covenants we make with Him. He said this, regarding the accepting and fulfilling of our covenant:

“Let me describe some of the blessings you will receive as you go forward in faith.

First, the very fact that you have been offered the oath and covenant is evidence that God has chosen you, knowing your power and capacity. He has known you since you were with Him in the spirit world. With His foreknowledge of your strength, He has allowed you to find the true Church of Jesus Christ and to be offered the priesthood. You can feel confidence because you have evidence of His confidence in you.”

“Second, as you will try to keep your covenants, the Savior has promised His personal help. He has said that as you go forward in honoring the priesthood: “There I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”² (Henry B. Eyring, “Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 2008, 61–64)

On that day, in that tiny branch, dressed in white, standing in the tepid water of the small font, with a young woman who had responded to the stirrings of conscience and light in her heart, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that statement could not have been more true. The power and immediate efficacy of that ordinance in Sister Ishikawa’s life still stirs my soul deeply. I marvel that a young man with barely 2 months exposure to Japanese, no real exposure to the culture, and a limited knowledge and understanding of the mission field, could cross an ocean, be placed at the right place at the exact time a priesthood ordinance was to be performed, and have the Lord smile upon it with full acceptance and love. It was not imperative that I be there. There were others who could have performed the baptism, but the Lord gave me a gift. It was if He placed His hand on my shoulder and said “this is why you are here. This is what I have ordained you to do. The power is real.” I wasn’t there for Sister Ishikawa, she was there for me. With that ordinance and the many that have followed I have always felt His loving hand on my shoulder, urging me to keep going, be little bit better, do a little bit more.

I testify that the power of the priesthood is very real and that it blesses all our lives. It was real for Sister Ishikawa, and it was real for me.

The priesthood and prophets are like the wick and wax of the candle. They provide the structure and anchor for the flame.

Meaningful Prayer

The gift of the Holy Ghost, prophets and priesthood power avail us little if we do not learn to pray and practice meaningful prayer from moment to moment in our lives. True prayer is a form of revelation. If God knows what we need before we ask, then our job is to His mind and will in our lives as we pray. I believe it takes a lifetime to master that kind of prayer but we can all improve our efforts in prayer if we listen to our prophets and leaders.

“Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 752–53). Humble, earnest, and persistent prayer enables us to recognize and align ourselves with the will of our Heavenly Father. And in this the Savior provided the perfect example as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. … And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly” (Luke 22:42, 44).

The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing. Every sincere prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but the answers we receive may not be what we expect or come to us when we want or in the way we anticipate

I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as “a form of work, … is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say “amen,” by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father.

Asking in faith requires honesty, effort, commitment, and persistence.” (David A. Bednar, “Ask in Faith,” Ensign, May 2008, 94–97)

Sometimes we act in haste and then ask God to ratify our actions. Sometimes we pray and ask for peace and direction without the willingness to accept His will and follow His guidance. An understanding that our Father in Heaven knows all things, has all power, and loves us perfectly can help us take the time to pray first and then bend our will to His.

3 questions might help us pray with more meaning. Before we open our prayer it may be wise to ask:

1. What is my motivation to pray right now?

2. What am I willing to do to receive the blessings I’m asking for?

3. What am I willing to sacrifice to show God I am willing to accept his will in my life?

We are human so invariable our candles will go out frequently. Prayer is the act of lighting and relighting the candle.

As we exhibit faith in prayer, faith in the prophets words and the power of the priesthood, and qualify for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost we will naturally become Disciples of Christ. Any light we produce will surely reflect his love, and his redeeming power. That light will not only attract others but it will serve as a guide to us as we navigate the times we find ourselves in.

I testify that God lives and he knows our needs. Jesus is the Savior of the world and he loves us. We truly are lead by prophets that teach and expound scriptures for our time. This is God’s true church, perfect in organization and doctrine, with power to sanctify and fit each of us for His Kingdom.