I am grateful to be here at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I have tremendous admiration for the faculty, administration, and students here and I'm honored to be asked to speak to you. However, I confess I was surprised when I received the invitation. I was reminded of something President Marion G. Romney said once when he spoke to a group:
"I am not here because I consider myself a speaker, for I do not . . . . I did not seek the invitation so graciously extended to me. As a matter of fact, I demurred to it at first. It was not until I had slept upon it overnight that I accepted. When I did, it was out of charity toward you. Pondering why the invitation came to me, I was driven to conclude that all speakers of superior excellence were unavailable. That led me to the awful sequel that if I refused, you would be driven to accept a speaker worse than I. So no matter how poor this talk turns out to be, I charge you to remember that it might have been worse."[1]
I want to talk about the importance of following the living prophets. As far back as I can remember, I have admired those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. I wasn't the most observant person as a child--I still am not--but I knew how important the gospel was to my parents, and I had a clear sense that they loved and honored Church leaders. I apparently had an inkling about the importance of prophets when I was quite young. When I was three or four years old, I was asked to say a prayer at the end of a family home evening. I asked Heavenly Father to "Bless Joseph Sniff to join the Mormon Church." My family has never let me live that down.
When I was 16 or 17 years old, my father had been out of town and my mother asked me if I could pick him up at the airport. This was before 9/11, so we were allowed to walk out to the gate where the plane docked to meet the passengers. As I was walking down the concourse to meet my father, I noticed that he was talking to an older gentleman in a suit and, as I got closer, I realized it was President Harold B. Lee. In the group I hung out with at that stage of my life, it wasn't very cool to be "churchy," but I wasn't completely clueless, so I knew what President Lee looked like.
I remember having two distinct impressions as I drew closer to them; first, that President Lee was shorter than I thought he was--perhaps seeing him on TV made me think he was larger than life. The second impression was that there was an almost visible spiritual presence that emanated from President Lee. I could not mistake that this man was remarkable, that there was something noble--even holy--about him.
A few years later, as a missionary in the old Language Training Mission at BYU, I watched the solemn assembly session where President Lee was sustained as President of the Church. I was deeply moved as I heard him speak. I learned about 18 months into my mission that he had suddenly passed away. I was shocked and saddened! I hardly knew President Spencer W. Kimball, but I felt that, if I was to testify to those in the mission field that we are led by prophets, I would need to gain a witness of President Kimball's divine calling as I had President Lee's. I prayed fervently for that witness. I can still picture that room in my mind as I prayed, and the strong assurance of the Spirit that President Kimball was the man whom the Lord wanted to lead the Church at that time.
I have long had a witness of the importance of following the living prophets, but in recent years, I have thought more about the connection between following the living prophets and other vital gospel principles. One of the most important things we can do in this life is to become saints--true disciples of Christ--who demonstrate Christ-like virtues. In Mosiah 3: 19, we learn that we can become "...a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and [become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Alma 7:23-24 adds a few more traits:
"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; . . . always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."
I believe the saintly virtues listed by King Benjamin and Alma are not only ultimate goals for each of us in the quest of discipleship, they are virtues characteristic of one who is willing to follow the living prophet. Can I really be humble, meek, submissive, easy to be entreated, obedient, and faithful, if I am not willing to hearken to the counsel of God's prophets? I can't imagine that a person who has developed these godly attributes would not also show a willingness to follow the Brethren.
In contrast to these virtues, think for a moment of what we know of Satan's character traits. We read in Moses 4 about his plan to forcibly bring all of us back to Heavenly Father. The Lord tells us that Satan 1) rebelled against the Lord, 2) sought to destroy the agency of man, and 3) wanted God's power. So, his rebelliousness is in stark contrast to a saint's submissiveness; one who wants to destroy our agency can hardly be described as charitable, patient, or longsuffering. And is someone who covets God's power humble, childlike, and gentle? This experience from the pre-mortal council suggests that an unwillingness to hearken to the Lord--and to his anointed--is in large measure an issue of taming our ego, of becoming meek, and of developing faith.
Followership and the Saintly Virtues
We're entering an election year when there is so much focus on leaders. Many books have been written about leadership. We read of seminars on leadership offered in our communities. I wonder if we spend enough time thinking and talking about what it takes to be a good follower. I'll mention just a few virtues referred to in these two passages of scripture and talk about how those traits describe people who love and follow our modern prophets. I wish there were time to mention more of the virtues. Willing to submit, easy to be entreated, and faith.
The saintly attributes of spiritual submissiveness, being easy to be entreated, and having faith are perhaps more closely tied together than we realize. One of the best ways to show the Lord we are submissive to Him is by following the counsel of his mouthpieces. President Marion G. Romney made the wry observation that there are too many of us in the Church who are willing to serve the Lord, "but only in an advisory capacity."[2] Years ago, I read a story about President Romney that made a deep impression on me. There is a political background to this story, but the story is not about political parties. It's about a principle President Romney's decision illustrates.
Before he was called as a General Authority, Marion G. Romney was a state legislator and a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Utah. As the 1936 election neared, it was viewed by both parties as a referendum on the record of the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt's opponents pressed him to declare himself willing to abide by the decisions of the Supreme Court. When he would not do that, the Deseret News published an unattributed front-page editorial the Saturday before the election (without mentioning Roosevelt by name) saying that the record of one of the candidates could be construed to indicate he would press for unconstitutional legislation. The editorial urged Church members to vote to protect the Constitution.
President Romney's biographer records that, when the editorial appeared, Romney was stunned. As a democratic politician working on the re-election committee of the democratic governor of Utah, he felt that his political life had collapsed around him. It was only an editorial, and some would argue it was a legal matter and not an ecclesiastical one, but it was on the front page of the newspaper considered the voice of the Church.
He began to fast. He went to his law office, locked the door, and when he left after three hours of anguished prayer, he had received an assurance that the editorial was inspired and had been written by the Church president. He believed he had no choice but to resign from the governor's committee, which he did, and then spent his efforts from that time until the election trying to dissuade his friends from voting for Franklin Roosevelt. The election was a landslide. Democratic party candidates were swept into power at all levels of government. President Romney soon realized he'd made a costly political decision, but he believed he had done the right thing and that was enough for him.[3]
I wonder whether I would have the courage to do what President Romney did. He believed in the divine calling of modern prophets and he was submissive. In his first General Conference talk, he made this telling observation:
"I have never been very particular to determine when [Church leaders] were speaking as prophets of God and when they were speaking as men. . . . It has been the rule of my life to find out if I could, by listening closely to what they said and by asking the Lord to help me interpret it, what they had in mind for the Latter-day Saints to do and then do it. I am happy to say, not boastfully, but gratefully, that I have never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church, even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life."[4]
If we receive the witness of the Spirit that those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators are in fact called of God and inspired by him, this conviction should govern our behavior all of the time. It requires deep-seated faith to follow prophetic counsel.
In a talk to Church educators, President Thomas S. Monson taught: "Follow the prophets of God. When you follow the prophets, you will be in safe territory. I know the Lord inspires His prophets, His seers, and His revelators."[5] If we reflect on our lives and on Church history, we will recall experiences when safety has come from heeding prophetic counsel.
Meek.
A saint is also meek. If we are meek, we will understand that counsel and correction from prophets will help us stay on the straight and narrow path. President Boyd K. Packer pointed out a lesson on meekness that can be drawn from what occurred at the Last Supper, after the Savior said, "One of you shall betray me."[6] President Packer said:
"I remind you that these men were apostles. They were of apostolic stature. It has always been interesting to me that they did not on that occasion nudge one another and say, 'I'll bet that is old Judas. He has surely been acting [strange] lately.' It reflects something of their stature. Rather, it is recorded: 'They were exceedingly sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?' (Matthew 26: 22). Would you, I plead, overrule the tendency to disregard counsel and assume for just a moment something apostolic in attitude at least and ask yourself these questions: 'Do I need to improve myself? Should I take this counsel to heart and act upon it? If there is one weak or failing, unwilling to follow the Brethren, Lord, is it I?'"[7]
Humble.
Saints are humble. The proud think they know more than God (and his prophets). Truman Madsen tells a story about an experience Brigham Young had with the Prophet Joseph that has been passed down by Brigham Young's descendants.
In a meeting the Prophet Joseph sternly rebuked Brigham Young for something he had done, or something he was supposed to have done but hadn't. The detail is not clear. Perhaps the Prophet was deliberately putting Brigham to a test. When the Prophet Joseph had finished the rebuke, everyone in the room waited for the response. Brigham Young rose to his feet and, in a voice everyone could tell was sincere, said simply, "Joseph, what do you want me to do?" The story says that the Prophet burst into tears, came down from the stand, and threw his arms around Brigham.[8]
Of those originally called to the Quorum of the Twelve, Brigham Young was one of only two who never apostatized. I love Brigham Young for the way he sustained the Prophet Joseph.
The saintly virtues are traits that are not only in short supply in our time, they are considered by many to be a sign of weakness. But those who follow the Master, who described himself as meek and lowly of heart, are expected to develop these traits. If we are faced with prophetic direction that troubles us, perhaps we ought to pause and ask ourselves, "I wonder what the Brethren know that I don't know?"
The Brethren are watchmen on the tower, in the prophet Ezekiel's phrase. They have both a breadth and a quality of vision that the rest of us do not have, and we are wise and humble if we are aware of this fact.
Patient.
A saint is patient. It's interesting to note that, in speaking to the saints in the early years of the Church, the Lord commanded them to receive Joseph's word in "patience and faith."[9] It may not always be readily apparent why we have received a particular piece of counsel, but disciples of Christ are willing to act now and wait for further understanding down the road.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell noted, "Prophets are alerted to tiny trends that bode ill for mankind. Prophets, therefore, are the Lord's early-warning system: they both detect and decry at his direction. What may seem to be a premature expression of prophetic concern is actually the early discovery of a difficulty that will later plague the people."[10]
Let me mention an example of a recent expression of prophetic concern about a difficulty that now plagues society, both globally and, for many of us, individually. In a talk in 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley mentioned Joseph in Egypt's interpretation of Pharoah's dream, then observed:
"We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed. . . .
"I urge you, brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.
"If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That's all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable."[11]
There are a lot of us who wish we had acted on President Hinckley's counsel back in 1998. I heard a wise man comment that, when some of us hear stirring prophetic counsel, we react like we might at a Fourth of July fireworks display. We "ooh" and "ah" and applaud for a little while, then go back to our daily lives, largely unaffected by what we saw and heard. We ought to guard against the tendency to be too quick to forget admonitions we receive from modern prophets.
It may be easy for some of us to follow the prophets on what we consider the big issues, but what about patiently following on some issues that seem less earthshaking to us? Listen to this sobering insight from Elder Maxwell:
"It is exceedingly important for members of the Church to get experience following the prophets in little things, so that they can follow in large matters. By following the prophets in fair weather we become familiar with their cadence, so that we can follow them in stormy times too, for then both our reflexes and our experience will need to combine to help us; the stresses will be so very real."[12]
Returning thanks to God for whatsoever things ye do receive. This is an attribute I have watched my mother display throughout her life. She is always expressing thanks--to God, in her prayers, and to many others she feels have blessed and enriched her life. We kid her that she is the kind of person who sends a thank you note to someone who sent her a thank you note. She exemplifies the attitude mentioned in Alma 34:38 that we "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." In the Church we sing "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet." I hope that singing this stirring hymn at Conference time does not take the place of expressing regular gratitude in our personal and family prayers for the leadership and service of modern prophets.
Some of us may impatiently wonder how frequently these men who lead the Church receive divine communication. President Hinckley related this story in answer to that question:
"Somebody asked Brother Widtsoe [a member of the Quorum of the Twelve] once . . . 'How long has it been since we've had a revelation?' Brother Widtsoe replied, 'Oh, about last Thursday.' Now that's the way it goes. Each Thursday . . . the First Presidency and the Twelve meet in the temple, in those sacred hallowed precincts, and we pray together and discuss certain matters together, and the spirit of revelation comes upon those present. I know. I have seen it. I was there that June day in 1978 when President Kimball received revelation, surrounded by members of the Twelve, of whom I was one at the time."[13]
From time to time, because of my responsibilities in the publishing department at Deseret Book, I have a chance to meet with one of the Brethren. Invariably, I feel buoyed up by these experiences. I come away feeling admiration for these men who have committed their whole lives to serving God and their fellow man. I come away feeling loved. I come away with an overriding impression that these are good, righteous men whose primary goal is to do what the Lord wants them to do. I am comforted and have a sense of assurance and peace through my interactions with these Church leaders. It is a sacred experience that is hard for me to adequately describe.
Prophets are a Source of Direction and Light
After the description of the terrible destruction that occurred on the American continent at the time of the Savior's crucifixion, we read what characteristic distinguished those who were spared--and this ought to be a sobering statement for us, who live in the latter days. "And it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not."[14]
I remember a talk Elder Monte J. Brough gave in a stake conference years ago in which he pointed out that nowadays we don't generally stone prophets, we just ignore them--but the end result for us can be the same. One of the great blessings of following the prophets is that there is safety in following them--always spiritual safety, but sometimes even physical safety.
It is interesting how often in the scriptures the choice to follow divine counsel is associated with images of light. I love the passage in Psalms 119:105 which declares, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Elder John H. Groberg tells a story that powerfully teaches the importance of following the living prophet. While he was serving a mission in Tonga, he received word that a missionary was very ill on another island. The weather was threatening, but he felt responsible for the missionary's welfare, so he left and reached the island, despite heavy seas. They gave the ill missionary a blessing, during which the impression came to get the missionary back to the hospital on the main island.
By this time, the weather had deteriorated to a small gale. The hour was late, and the sun was sinking rapidly. But the impression to return to the main island persisted. Some tried to persuade them not to go back--there was the darkness, the storm, and the formidable reef with its narrow opening to the harbor they would be attempting to reach. But soon eight people, including an experienced captain, boarded the boat. No sooner had they left than the intensity of the storm increased dramatically. There was no moon and Elder Groberg's spirits sank. As they approached the reef, all eyes vainly searched for the light that marked the opening to the harbor. Elder Groberg describes the experience:
"Then I heard the chilling sound of waves crashing and chewing against the reef! It was close--too close. Where was the light? Unless we entered the opening exactly, we would be smashed against the reef. . . . Our eyes strained against the blackness, but we could not see the light. Some began to whimper, . . . and one or two even to scream in hysteria. At the height of this panic, when others were pleading to turn to the left or to the right, . . . I looked at the captain--and there I saw the face of calmness, the ageless face of wisdom and experience, as his eyes penetrated the darkness ahead. Quietly, his weather-roughened lips parted, and without moving his fixed gaze and just perceptibly shifting the wheel, he breathed those life-giving words, 'Ko e Maama a' ('There is the light!').
"I could not see the light, but the captain could see it, and I knew he could see it. Those eyes long experienced in ocean travel were not fooled by the madness of the storm, nor were they influenced by the pleadings of those of lesser experience to turn to the left or to the right. He calmly guided us forward. On one great swell, we were hurled through the opening and into calmer waters . . . [into] the protected harbor. . . . Then, and only then, did we see through the darkness that one small light--exactly where the captain had said it was. Had we waited until we ourselves could see the light, we would have been dashed to pieces. . . .
"That night I learned this great lesson: there are those who, through years of experience and training and by virtue of special divine callings, can see further, better, and more clearly than we can. They can and will save us in situations where serious injury or death--both spiritual and physical--would be upon us before we ourselves could see clearly. . . . As we moved into that calm harbor . . . I thanked God . . . for that wonderful captain who saw the light in time. I thanked Him for our modern-day prophets whose eyes can see the light that will save us and the world. I thanked Him for the assurance that when all about us are sinking in darkness and fear and despair, when destruction seems close and the raging fury of men and demons ensnares us in seemingly insoluble problems, we can listen as the prophet calmly says, "There is the light. This is the way."[15]
If the captain in Elder Groberg's story is a symbol of the living prophets, how will we respond to the captain's direction? Will we be among those who are terrified and whimpering? Will we be critical of the prophets--telling Church leaders they should go a different direction? Or will we be calm--supporting the Brethren, praying for them, and doing whatever we can to show our support and our trust?
Brothers and sisters, I bear witness that our latter-day prophets are called of God and speak for Him. I conclude with a promise given to those who give heed to the words and commandments of prophets, seers, and revelators:
"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory."[16]
In my opinion, that is one of the most remarkable promises in all of scripture. It's a glorious promise of safety and peace. Who among us would not want to claim that promise in the turbulent and confusing world in which we now live?
May we receive the blessings, the safety, the light, the sure guidance and comfort that come from following the living prophets. It is my testimony, based on my experience and the witness of the Spirit to my soul, that our safety and happiness may depend in large measure on whether we tether ourselves securely to the living prophets and their counsel. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] F. Burton Howard, Marion G. Romney: His Life and Faith, 1988, 5; address to Utah Poultry Farmers Cooperative Convention, Hotel Utah, Feb. 16, 1952
[2] Cited by Neal A. Maxwell, "Popularity and Principle," Ensign, Mar. 1995, 15
[3] F. Burton Howard, Marion G. Romney: His Life and Faith, 1988, 102
[4] Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1941, 123
[5] Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, compiled by Lynne F. Cannegieter, 2011, 246
[6] Matthew 26:21
[7] Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified, 1982, 237
[8] Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet, 1989, 87-88
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 21:5
[10] Neal A. Maxwell, Things as They Really Are, 1978, 77-78
[11] Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Boys and to the Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53-54, emphasis added
[12] Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, 1979 paperback edition, 102
[13] Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1997, 555
[14] 3 Nephi 10:12
[15] John H. Groberg, The Other Side of Heaven, 1993, 182-85
[16] Doctrine and Covenants 21:5-6