My dear brothers and sisters, it is a great privilege for me and Sister Wong to speak with you today. You are so blessed to have the opportunity to study in one of the Church universities here at BYU-Idaho. This campus provides you with an atmosphere of learning in a holier way for a higher education. You may at times feel that you are just a small potato in this large institution. But you are not a small potato, because we all know that there are no small potatoes in Idaho.
Today I would like to share with you the three accounts I have found in the scriptures about 22 stones that have been helpful to me in my life for planning, preparation, and endurance. I hope they will be helpful to you too.
Planning
The first account is the one about the 16 stones found in Ether 2 in the Book of Mormon. It talks about the adventure of the brother of Jared and his family and friends as they found their way to the promised land. In verse 13 it says they dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years. Four years is about the time it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree.
At the end of the fourth year, the Lord came and stood in the cloud and talked with the brother of Jared. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. You might still remember that just a few years ago our meeting block was three hours too.
The brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and God forgave him and his brethren and asked them not to sin anymore. God also promised that He would take them to a land for their inheritance and that land was choice above all other lands.
The brother of Jared went to work and built barges according to the instruction of the Lord. When he was done, he went to the Lord and asked for further assistance. It says in verse 19 “And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.” So, he went to the Lord and asked for answers. The Lord was very kind to him in answering one of the questions and He said, “. . . Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.” So that was done— not too complex.
Then he asked the second question. “. . . Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?” This time the Lord was trying to help the brother of Jared to be more self-reliant in identifying a solution.
And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you… And behold I, prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross the great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? [1]
Now the brother of Jared understood the situation better and could concentrate on solutions that would work best given the circumstances they would be facing.
He went to “molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hand upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord.” He asked God to touch the stones with His finger and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness. God did that at the request of the brother of Jared. These sixteen stones were put in eight barges, one in each end of every barge, and “they did give light unto the vessels.” [2]
As I ponder this experience it could be compared to the experience some of you have had in planning for your futures. As students, each day you are learning and plotting the course for your future. Whether that is in your educational pursuits or career decisions, the Lord can provide you with guidance. He is especially interested in the course you are taking to the promised land. Being married for eternity and starting a family are all part of that path leading back to the promised land of exaltation. As the brother of Jared asked for the Lord’s help in lighting the stones, can He not also provide you with the light to shine in the darkness of doubts? Receiving the Lord’s guidance through the Spirit is like being touched by the finger of God, giving you the power and spiritual light to guide your family to the promised land.
Preparation
Now, here is the second stone story. It is recorded in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 17. It is the story of David and Goliath. You probably remember the story that Goliath was a big man representing the Philistines and David was young and small and standing for Israel. David knew God was on his side and he was not afraid to fight with Goliath because Goliath defied the armies of the living God.
To prepare for the ensuing battle, David chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag. He then went to meet Goliath in battle. It was not a long battle as David was able to kill Goliath with just one stone. If David knew God was on his side and only one stone was needed, why did he go through the trouble to choose five smooth stones? He was very confident according to the scripture in verse 47. He said, “. . . For the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.” Was it not a waste of time to look for five stones? Did David not have enough faith?
The lesson that I learned from this story is that we must prepare well for our future. We may not be able to change all of what is coming, but we can choose how we prepare for what is coming. It is just like what you are doing now at BYU-Idaho. You are seeking your education to learn, to better equip yourself for your uncertain future career and uncharted future life. You may use only one stone, or two, or three, or four, or even maybe all five stones. It is so advantageous to prepare as much as possible now for what you will be facing in your future. Trust the Lord and prepare well for yourself.
Endurance
Now, the last—but not the least—important stone is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 50:44; “Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall.”
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus Christ taught of a wise man and a foolish man, recorded in Matthew 7 of the New Testament. Many of you have heard the Primary song “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man.” If you have taken the time to compare the four verses in the song, you will find that verses 1 and 2 are very similar to verses 3 and 4. Both the wise man and the foolish man were building a house. They want to provide their family with a safe and comfortable home. They desire to live happily together forever as a family, just like you and me. The surrounding situation was the same — “The rains came down, and the floods came up.” We sing it six times when we sing that song. The only difference is that the wise man built his house upon the rock and the house stood still, whereas the foolish man built his house upon the sand and his house washed away. Therefore, where our foundation is really matters, and this has a decisive effect on the outcome ultimately and eternally.
I hope and pray that we all will find and stay on the sure foundation as we establish our future life. We are reminded in Helaman 5:12,
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
That is the promise from God! If we build our foundation on Jesus Christ, we cannot fall!
As you continue to chart your future consider these 22 stones: sixteen stones of planning, like the brother of Jared; five stones of preparation as evidenced by David; the most important stone, our foundation stone, our rock, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Our entire lives should be filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is not part of our life, but our life is actually part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Think about it. Is that not true? Our mortal life is only part of the whole plan of salvation and exaltation.
God is our Heavenly Father. He loves all of us. He knows our potential way better than we know ourselves. He knows not only the details of our lives; God knows the details of the details of the details of our lives.
I testify to you that Christ will come again a second time as He did the first time, but this time it will be with great glory and majesty. I hope I will be well prepared to receive Him, my Savior. To all of you, please “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.” [3] In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Ether 2:19–20, 22–25.
[2] Ether 3:1; 6:2.
[3] Proverbs 3:5–6.