"A Tale of Two Prophets"
Rita Vernon
June 3, 2003
Let's begin with a scripture. Please turn with me to Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
What does it mean to trust with all thy heart? Webster's Dictionary defines the word trust as: "to rely on, to hope, to believe, to have confidence in, to have implicit faith in." Implicit means: "complete, absolute, without doubt." So, to restate that scripture, "Have confidence in, rely on, believe in, have complete, absolute faith in the Lord." The second part of this scripture admonishes us to "lean not [or rely not] unto [our] own understanding." Why is that important, even necessary, if we are to fulfill our individual missions in this life?
To illustrate, I would like to tell you "A Tale of Two Prophets." The first one is Moses. Let's turn to Exodus 3. Now you recall the story of Moses who was found in the bulrushes by the daughter of Pharoah. She adopted him and brought him up in the courts of Egypt. When he grew to be a man, however, it tells us in verse 11 of chapter 2 that
he went out unto his brethren [the Hebrews who were at that time in captivity] and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren...he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11).
Because of this, Moses was forced to flee into the land of Midian.
Now let's pick up the story in Chapter 3, verse 1, "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
And the presence of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-2, JST).
I suppose Moses was a bit astonished at that, but probably a bit more astonished when in verse 4, "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses" (Moses 3:4). In verse 6 he identifies himself.
I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God (Moses 3:6).
Now I'm not sure how I would respond if something like that happened to me, but probably much the same way Moses did.
In verse 7 the Lord explains his purpose in coming, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians" (Moses 3:7-8).
Now if you were Moses, wouldn't you be thinking, "Okay, but why are you telling me this?" Then comes the big surprise in verse 10, "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10).
Now think about Moses' background. He has had to escape from Egypt; they don't particularly like him there, and now he's being asked, or commanded rather, to go back and try to talk Pharaoh into letting thousands of slaves go free. He has reason to be a little nervous about this assignment, doesn't he? And he reacts as I think many of us would. In Verse 11, he replies, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:11)? What he is saying is, "WHAT? WHO, ME?"
Have you ever been given an assignment that you just felt absolutely inadequate to do? If not, just wait, you will! I have always thought that the worst thing that could ever happen to me would be to be called as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. It was my worst fear. It's even worse than being a nursery leader. It would just be way too scary for me. So when I was called to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher, I couldn't believe it. I literally said, "WHAT? WHO, ME? Are you sure?"
Now Moses is being asked to do something much more scary than teaching a Gospel Doctrine class. I think I can understand how he must have felt. But the Lord is prepared for that, and He comforts him in verse 12 by saying, "Certainly I will be with thee" (Exodus 3:12). At this point, however, I don't think Moses really hears that or believes it. He just wants out of this! Verse 13, "And Moses said unto God, […] when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say" (Exodus 3:13). Verse 14, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM [...] Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14). Moses is still not convinced. And in chapter 4 verse 1 he says, "They will not believe me" (Exodus 4:1).
The Lord then reveals His power by showing Moses a couple of miracles. Miracle # 1 - He tells Moses to cast the rod in his hand on the ground. Moses does so and it becomes a serpent. Then the Lord tells him to take it by the tail and it becomes a rod again. Miracle # 2 - (verse 6) "Put your hand into your bosom, [Moses]" (Exodus 4:6). He does that and his hand comes out "leprous as snow" (Exodus 4:6). The Lord tells him to do it again and this time it comes out clean. "And if they will not believe also these two signs," He says, "take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: […] and shall become blood upon the dry land" (Moses 4:). I think He's saying to Moses, "You know I have the power to do this."
Moses tries another excuse. He really doesn't want this job. In verse 10, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent...but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Exodus 4:10).
Can you sense the Lord getting a little frustrated here?
Verse 11: "Who hath made man's mouth [Moses]? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?" In other words, have a little faith, Moses.
Verse 12: "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:12). Moses still doesn't think he can do it. Have you ever had the experience of trying to teach a child to do something and he/she just says, "I can't" and won't even try? This is what Moses is doing.
Now the Lord is pretty upset with Moses. Verse 14: "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses" (Exodus 4:14). Finally, he appoints Aaron to be a spokesman for him. Now the scriptures don't say this, but I think Moses lost an opportunity there. The Lord is promising to be his mouth, but he doesn't quite have the faith to believe it or to try it. He is not "trusting implicitly" in the Lord.
Now let's take a look at another prophet, Enoch, who had a similar experience. Please turn with me to Moses 6 in the Pearl of Great Price. Beginning in 6:26, it says, "And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him” (Moses 6:26).
And he heard a voice from heaven saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and [tell them to repent] (Moses 6:27).
Another direct call from God. And how does Enoch respond?
Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant (Moses 6:31).
Sound familiar? Same response as Moses, right? "Why me, Lord? I am slow of speech." I can't do that! However, there's one significant difference here. When the Lord says to Enoch in verse 32, "Go forth and do as I have commanded thee...Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance" (Moses 6:32). Enoch is satisfied, he does not argue or try to get out of it. Unlike Moses, who said, "I just don't think I can do that," verse 37 tells us that, "Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works" (Moses 6:37).
Enoch believed that the Lord was capable of magnifying his abilities so that he could accomplish whatever the Lord wanted him to do. He did trust in the Lord implicitly and went forth to do what he was commanded. Let's look at the result.
And it came to pass when they heard him [Enoch], no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God (Moses 6:39).
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him (Moses 6:13).
I love that!
Do you think Moses could have used a gift like that when the children of Israel were complaining in the desert? The Lord gave them both the same promise that he would put the words into their mouths. Enoch believed and accepted the word of God and became mighty in speech; Moses complained and made excuses and lost the opportunity to grow. Now I'm not saying that Moses was not a great prophet; he certainly was, but could he have been greater? Could he have been more persuasive by accepting the gift that the Lord offered him? Enoch was able to take his city up to heaven; Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years and then was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. It's something to think about.
So what can we learn from these two prophets? How many of us fall short of our potential because we lack faith in ourselves or in God's ability to make us better than we are? To make us equal to the tasks he sets for us? Do we, like Moses, say, "Oh, I don't think I can do that—I'm not good enough," or "people will laugh at me," or "I'm too busy," or "I'm too tired," and we lose the opportunity to grow?
It is my testimony to you that the Lord has a plan for each of our lives, and that when we turn our lives over to him, He can make us much greater than we ever could become on our own. President Thomas Monson has said, "Some of you may be shy by nature or consider yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. It is the Lord's work. And when we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to the Lord's help. Remember that whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies" (Ensign, May 1996, 44).
Sometimes it's uncomfortable, even painful, but that is how we grow. You may not be called to be a prophet or a general authority, but you might. We are all given opportunities for callings that may take us out of our comfort zone, and we might say, like Enoch and Moses, “Why me?”
Joseph Smith must have been pretty overwhelmed when the Lord commanded him to translate the gold plates and to organize His church upon the earth. Talk about a big assignment! Now Joseph Smith had very little formal schooling, and he was young, but he had faith; he believed that the Lord would help him accomplish whatever he was assigned to do. He did not doubt but trusted, and what amazing things he accomplished. In Doctrine & Covenants 135:3 we read the testimony of John Taylor, a witness to the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum:
Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel...to the four quarters of the earth, brought forth the...Doctrine & Covenants...gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3)
You and I are now reaping the rewards of his faith and absolute trust in God. What if he had said, "No, I don't think I can do that." Where would we be today?
It is evident that Nephi understood this principle as well. When the Lord commanded him to build a ship to take his people to the promised land, Nephi did not make excuses and say, “I've never built a ship—I don't know how. I don't think I can do that.” He simply said, "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship" (1 Nephi 17:9)? No hesitation, no excuses—just absolute faith and trust. Laman and Lemuel did not have that kind of faith. Their response was, "Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters" (1 Nephi 17:17). Right! He's just a dreamer like our father. We can see the effect these different attitudes had in their lives.
Alma, after having been rejected by the people of Ammonihah who "reviled him, and spit upon him, and . . . cast [him] out of their city," left feeling pretty discouraged, but when an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to go back to Ammonihah and try again, he didn't say, "I've done that already, and they won't believe me. It's no use." The scriptures tell us that, "he returned speedily" (Alma 8:13,18).
The Savior, of course, is our primary example. Even before he came to this earth he said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27). This shows, first of all, a willingness to do the will of his father. That is the first step. We must be willing to put the Lord's will first in our lives no matter what it costs us personally. At a very young age, Jesus' first recorded mortal words were "I must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49). Jesus never lost sight of his Father's will or his own mission. Even in his incomprehensible suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, when great drops of blood fell from every pore as he paid the atoning price for all our sins, he did not surrender to the power of the adversary; his focus was firmly fixed on his mission. He could have called upon legions of angels to rescue him, but he did not (New Testament Gospel Doctrine Manual, p.111). What if he had failed? What if he had said, "This is too hard; I don't think I can do this." He did say, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Even in his intense agony, when he surely would have liked to give up, he still submitted to the will of his father. Where would we all be if he had failed because it was too hard?
Sometimes, well most of the time, the things we are asked to do are not easy. Sometimes we may have to sacrifice or give up some of the things we want to do. Many of you have already given two years of your life to serve as a missionary; that is only the beginning. I've heard President Hinckley say, "Sure, I'd like to sit home in the rocking chair like other people my age, but that would not be making a contribution." President Hinckley is a marvelous example of obedience and dedication to fulfilling the will of the Lord. All of his life he has followed the promptings of the spirit which have prepared him to be our prophet today. What if he had said, "That sounds like too much work; I don't think I want to do that." What a sad thing it would be if we had been deprived of his great leadership because he chose not to trust in the Lord to guide his life.
Sometimes we may have to struggle or even be persecuted because of our beliefs. The scriptures are full of accounts of the suffering, persecution, and trials that people have gone through to do the will of the Lord. Last year when we were studying the Old Testament, I got kind of a chuckle from reading about the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah had a pretty tough job of trying to turn apostate Israel away from idolatry. He had a life full of sorrow and grief, and his life was constantly threatened. At one point he said, "Cursed be the day wherein I was born" (Jeremiah 20:14). Sometimes we might feel like that. But Jeremiah, even though he endured overwhelming opposition, went ahead and courageously delivered the message he was asked to give and was faithful in his assignment as a prophet of God.
Joseph Smith certainly did not have an easy life either, did he? In Doctrine and Covenants 127:2 he says, "The envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life...deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me" (Doctrine and Covenants 127:2).
Sometimes we may even try to avoid spiritual experiences because they can be physically exhausting, and we're not quite ready for that. An account is told when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the vision of the degrees of glory, which is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 76. According to witnesses who were in the room, "Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which, Joseph remarked smilingly, `Sidney is not used to it as I am."' You may recall that Joseph Smith, after his first visits from Moroni, did not have the strength to work the next day either. It takes a lot out of you. Like other principles of the gospel, you learn step by step.
You students of this generation have been given great gifts of the spirit. You have been told that you have a responsibility to be leaders in the church and in the world, and you must be prepared. You must have faith in the Lord and faith in yourselves that you have the capacity to be great with his help. I love the quote by Nelson Mandela given at his 1994 Inaugural Address:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Whatever our particular missions in life are, I am convinced that we can only fulfill them effectively by listening to the spirit and following its promptings. Often we are asked to do things, and we don't understand why, but we must remember that God sees the whole plan from beginning to end and we do not. Thus we should "lean not unto [our] own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Elder Boyd K. Packer relates the following story:
Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.
I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, `The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.' I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: `You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you' ("The Edge of the Light," BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22-23).
I have learned from personal experience that this is true. A few years ago, when my youngest child was in junior high, I began to get a prompting that I needed to go back to school and finish my education. I had only had one year of college before I was married; all I ever wanted to do was be a mom, and I loved being a mom; it was my favorite job ever, but life doesn't always work out the way you planned. It's full of surprises, so be prepared to adjust! Anyway, at that time I had a very strong impression that I needed to get an education and that I needed it NOW. I thought about all the majors that would get me a job making lots of money, but that just didn't seem to be what I was supposed to do. My great love was literature, so after some consideration, I decided that what I really wanted to do was major in English and teach at Ricks College. I prayed about it and had a confirmation of the spirit that that was what I should do. I finished my associate's degree at Ricks College and then I had to move on to a 4-year university. Just to see what my chances of teaching at Ricks College were, I went to visit with the person who was the English Department chair at that time (I won't mention any names, and I'm sure that person won't remember this). He told me that the department had all the teachers they needed and that he didn't foresee any need for more teachers for a long time. He said, "If I were you, I would change my major." Well, that was a little discouraging, but I knew what I had been told to do, so I went ahead with it in spite of the odds. I knew that if that's what the Lord had told me to do, there must be a reason, although I couldn't necessarily see it at the time. I finished my bachelor's and master's degrees at Idaho State University, and interestingly enough, the year that I finished, there was an opening in the English Department. There has been almost every year since, so here I am. Obviously, the Lord knew something that that English Department chair did not—well, actually none of us did! If I had not followed the promptings of the Lord, I would not have been prepared when the opportunity came. And, more importantly, I would not have been prepared to provide for my family when, the year after I graduated, my husband died suddenly of a heart attack. I could not have foreseen that, but my Heavenly Father knew, and He helped me to be ready. I love the Lord; I trust Him, and I absolutely know that I could not do any of the things I do without His help. I don’t know the whole plan for my life, but I know that He does, and I know that if I try to live worthy and follow the promptings of the spirit, I will be prepared for whatever happens in my life.
One final story. You may recall the wonderful experience that Elder Russell M. Nelson related in his last conference talk. Elder Nelson, as you know, was a heart surgeon before he became an apostle. He told of a stake patriarch from southern Utah who came to his office more than 40 years ago, during the early pioneering days of heart surgery. He says, "This saintly soul suffered much because of a failing heart. He pleaded for help, thinking that his condition resulted from a damaged but repairable valve in his heart." After extensive evaluation, it was found that there were actually two faulty valves; one could be operated on while the other could not. After several visits, the man came to Dr. Nelson in desperation and said, "Dr. Nelson, I have prayed for help and have been directed to you. The Lord will not reveal to me how to repair that second valve, but He can reveal it to you. Your mind is so prepared. If you will operate upon me, the Lord will make it known to you what to do. Please perform the operation that I need, and pray for the help that you need."
Now here is an indirect call from the Lord by someone in need of help. Elder Nelson could have said, "I can't do that because I don't have the knowledge or experience to do that—a man's life is at stake here." But instead, he "trusted in the Lord with all his heart" (Proverbs 3:5). Elder Nelson prayed fervently, but even as the operation commenced, he still had no idea what he was going to do. Nevertheless, he went ahead, trusting that through his faith and the faith of this good patriarch, the Lord would reveal to him how to repair the valve. Elder Nelson says, "After relieving the obstruction of the first valve, we exposed the second valve. We found it to be intact but so badly dilated that it could no longer function as it should. While examining this valve, a message was distinctly impressed upon my mind: Reduce the circumference of the ring . . . But how? We could not apply a belt as one would use to tighten the waist of oversized trousers. We could not squeeze with a strap as one would cinch a saddle on a horse. Then a picture came vividly to my mind, showing how stitches could be placed - to make a pleat here and a tuck there - to accomplish the desired objective. I still remember that mental image - complete with dotted lines where sutures should be placed. The repair was completed as diagrammed in my mind. We tested the valve and found the leak to be reduced remarkably. My assistant said, "It's a miracle." The patient's recovery was rapid and he lived for many more years.
I testify to you that miracles happen when the Lord is in charge. Each of us has been given certain skills and abilities to fulfill a particular mission here on the earth at this time. You were saved for such a time as this. Doctrine & Covenants 6:36 tells us: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).
Back to our beginning scripture: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). I bear testimony to you that only the Lord knows what you are capable of—He created you. The only way that you can learn what your abilities are is to let Him guide your life. It is my prayer that you will give Him that chance. Trust Him, love Him, and let Him guide you. You might even amaze yourself In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.