I want to say amen. I want to ask the choir and each of you how many of you got your early training in singing in Primary. Raise your hands. When I first received this invitation, I thought, “You know what would be really great? Just to ask members of the audience what their favorite primary song is.” We could just sing for half an hour, don’t you think? Everything from “Once There Was a Snowman” to “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.” I’m so grateful to be here and to have received this invitation to come today. I drove up yesterday and was just amazed by the blue sky and the green. I grew up in New York, but you have to understand I grew up in rural New York, western New York, and it looked a lot like Idaho, except it wasn’t flat. There were lots of rolling green hills, but the green was there.
I’ve been thinking about my first visit to BYU-Idaho. It was back when it was Ricks College, but my husband and I came up, and a dear friend of ours, Brent Strong, the family we had met years before in Germany, was giving us a tour of campus. As we walked across the campus, I can’t tell you how many students said, “Hi Brother Strong,” “Hey! Good to see you, Brother Strong! How’s it going?” Bruce and I looked at each other in amazement as we could feel the family, love, and spirit here at this university. I feel that and felt that today as I drove up. You come off the freeway and you see the temple and the university together—two incredible universities of learning so closely linked.
Last November, I traveled to Ghana on a Church assignment. While there, I had the blessing of visiting several Primaries. Don’t I have the best calling? I get to sing Primary songs with children all over the world, in many languages. On one occasion, I visited a wonderful class of young children. They were seated in chairs at a round table, coloring a picture. As one little boy tipped his chair forward to reach for a crayon, his plastic chair slipped and he fell on the floor. He got up, a bit shaken, and sat down. I was deeply touched as, without saying a word, his Primary friend put his arm around him as if to say, “It’s alright. I will help you. You won’t fall anymore.” That day I was a witness to true charity, the pure love of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, today I want to share with you some thoughts about receiving and becoming witnesses of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Witnesses
Receiving and becoming witnesses of God’s love for us, and of the atoning sacrifice of His Son, the Lord, Jesus Christ, are fundamental to strengthening our faith and becoming more like our Savior.
I have often pondered the Apostle Paul’s teaching about faith in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11. Paul declared, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”1
In the Joseph Smith translation, the word “substance” is replaced by “assurance,” so this familiar scripture reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for.”2 When our faith is centered in the Lord, Jesus Christ, we have the assurance that we will receive those things that He has promised.
Paul’s definition of faith is followed by examples of men and women who acted in faith, with the assurance they would receive promised blessings, even though some never saw in this life what they had hoped for.
Through her faith in Christ, Sarah received the strength to bear a child when she was past childbearing age. Abraham acted in faith and prepared to offer up their only child, even though he had been promised posterity as numerous as the sands of the sea. Moses’ parents risked their lives as they acted in faith and hid their baby in a basket. Each of them are witnesses to us of the power of faith to bring about righteousness.
One day, as I was reading this account, a scriptural phrase in the next chapter caught my attention. “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”3
As I read, I was filled with a desire to learn more about what Paul’s metaphor of a “cloud of witnesses” might mean for me. It was clear from his teaching that a “cloud of witnesses” could have a powerful effect in my life, as it could help me lay aside every weight of sin I was carrying and patiently run the race of life, with my focus on the Savior.
This morning I pray that each of you might receive impressions from the Spirit about how you can develop a “great cloud of witnesses” that will strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ and enable you to run the race that is set before you.
Clouds of Witnesses
How many of you enjoy looking up at clouds? I certainly do! Perhaps as a child you focused on their shapes, searching for clouds that looked like animals or airplanes or funny faces. Yesterday, as I drove from Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls, I risked running off the road as I kept looking out the window and up at the beautiful, billowing, huge clouds that were floating up in the blue sky.
The Savior teaches us something important in Moses chapter 6 that we might consider as we learn about Paul’s metaphor of clouds: “All things are created and made to bear record of me, … things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, … all things bear record of me.”4
So, no matter if you are studying biology or botany, geology or geography, all things were created to bear record of their creator, Jesus Christ.
What are some ways that clouds, which are “in the heavens above,” bear record of our Heavenly Father and His Son?
In the scriptures, clouds are often associated with the presence of Deity. The children of Israel had a cloud that was a witness to them that God was directing their path, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way.”5 The angel who was sent to Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah descended “as it were in a cloud.”6 And the Lord declared through the Prophet Joseph Smith that, at the Second Coming, He would “come in a cloud with power and great glory.”7
Clouds can carry both sacred messages and sacred messengers.
Clouds
We know that clouds are created when a body of water is warmed by the sun. The heat causes the water to evaporate into a gas, which rises in the air until it is cold enough to condense into droplets.
Clouds contain millions of tiny droplets and can weigh millions of pounds. Even though each drop of water is small, when they are gathered together, the result is a beautiful cloud.
Likewise, when the Spirit of God shines in our hearts, we receive a witness of Heavenly Father and His Son that is like a drop of water. Each experience we have with the Spirit of God may be small, but when our experiences are combined, they form our own “cloud of witnesses.” President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.”8
Witnesses Come Through the Spirit in Small Drops
One Saturday, when I was a BYU student, I spent the entire day fasting and praying about whether I should accept my future husband’s proposal of marriage. I walked and prayed for hours by myself, seeking an answer. But I felt nothing. I returned to my apartment discouraged. What was I to do? Then I received a thought, a small drop, a one-word thought: Cecile. Cecile was my cousin who had been married for a few years and is seated here in the congregation today. I called her and we took a walk while I explained what I was seeking. She began asking me questions, starting from the beginning of my relationship with Bruce. She asked how I felt about him, how he treated me, how I felt in his presence, how he felt about Heavenly Father and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if I completely trusted him. Slowly but surely, as I answered her questions, I began to realize that God had been answering me all throughout our dating—with small witnesses at every step. Then, when I was looking for a final answer, He gave me a name. He gave me an additional drop of life-giving water. I was filled with peace. I joyfully accepted Bruce’s proposal and we were married in the Washington D.C. Temple. I know at this time of life each of you is facing important decisions about your future. Pray to Heavenly Father to open your eyes, heart, and mind to receive the direction He is sending—even in small drops.
Our clouds of witnesses may start out looking like cirrus clouds, which do not hold much water.
With concerted effort, they may grow over time to become cumulus clouds, which are large and billowing. They are beautiful and hold life-giving moisture that can refresh our parched souls in times of need.
Recording Our Witnesses
Recording our witnesses of the Savior and His gospel helps us remember what we have received and thereby grow in our testimony of Him. In 2007, President Henry B. Eyring spoke words that have stayed in my heart ever since. He encouraged us to “find a way to preserve that memory [of seeing God’s hand in our lives] for the day that we will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him.”9
Listen to President Eyring describe what he did to remember his own witnesses of the goodness of God in his life and notice the blessings that came:
"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: 'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.
More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened."10
After hearing President Eyring’s witness of what he experienced, our family compiled a short book of experiences when we had witnessed the hand of God in our lives. Although it has been over 15 years, my faith is strengthened every time I read those witnesses.
Think about the advantages of storing your electronic information “in the cloud.” Not only can you access it from anywhere, but your information is protected if your devices fail. Similarly, writing down our witnesses can put them in our cloud, so we can draw on them “for the day that we will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him.”
Witnesses that Strengthen Faith
In the Book of Mormon, Jacob speaks of developing an unshaken faith, “Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken.”11 Later, Sherem attempted to shake Jacob’s faith:
"And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time, wherefore, I could not be shaken.”12
Friends, you may think that these great witnesses are available only to prophets. I testify that each of these witnesses is available to you! It is remarkable that the same witnesses that helped Jacob “not be shaken” have been promised to us by President Russell M. Nelson, a prophet of God. Jacob had received revelations. President Nelson promised us, “Through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will assist us in all our righteous pursuits.”13 Jacob testified of “things which I had seen.” President Nelson promised us, “The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing’ (Moroni 9:21).”14 Jacob had “seen angels.” President Nelson promised, “When we are faithful, He and His angels will help us.”15 Jacob had “heard the voice of the Lord.” President Nelson promised us, “When we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.”16
One year I attended a class at BYU Women’s Conference where Heidi Swinton shared her experiences writing for a PBS broadcast about the Prophet Joseph Smith. As she wrestled with how to write a script that was primarily for an audience of people not of our faith, a scripture given to Oliver Cowdery, in the sixth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, came powerfully to her mind and heart: “Stand by my servant Joseph, faithfully, in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the word’s sake.”17
As Heidi read that scripture, I felt God’s love for His prophet and His invitation to me to “stand by [his] servant Joseph.” I felt that instead of leaving this experience as one drop in my “cloud of witnesses,” I should add additional witnesses of the divine mission of the Prophet. I looked for the fruits of his labors, as I knew that “ye shall know them by their fruits.” 18 When I prayed for a testimony of principles in the Book of Mormon, I knew that those words came through Joseph’s inspired translation. I treasured my witness of the reality of his First Vision. Over the years, my testimony of and gratitude for the Prophet Joseph Smith grew. Today, whenever I am in a situation where he is being criticized, I know that I can stand by Joseph faithfully because of a “cloud of witnesses” I have received of his divine mission.
When We Struggle
Sometimes we struggle with our faith and have questions that remain unanswered. In times of spiritual drought, when we are not receiving the answers we seek, the witnesses we’ve received in the past can rain from our cloud on our parched souls, reminding us of God’s love for us.
Remembering our witnesses can give us confidence that God was with us in the past and will be with us again. As you face challenges and wrestle with difficult questions, keep in mind the reassuring words from the hymn “Be Still My Soul.”19
Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
With a knowledge of His love for us, we can lay aside the weight we are carrying of unanswered questions and look up to Jesus for the strength we need to “run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.20
My “cloud of witnesses” is made up of small, simple, and profound experiences with the Spirit that have taught me, changed me, and helped me walk with the Savior.
Jesus Christ is in every drop of our “cloud of witnesses.” He bears witness of our Father in Heaven and sets a perfect example for us to follow. It is through His great atoning sacrifice that He makes every blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ available to us. He strengthens us, guides us, and loves us. We, in turn, have a sacred obligation to bear witness of Him.
As we look up to the clouds, may we be filled with a desire to stay true and faithful to God, so that we will be counted worthy to be witnesses of the Savior when He comes again in clouds of glory. “These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people.”21
I bear my witness that our Savior lives. He is the way back to the Father. May each of us seek witnesses of our Lord and Savior and may we each stand as a witness of Him is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
- Hebrews 11:1.
- Joseph Smith Translation, Hebrews 11:1.
- Hebrews 12:1–2.
- Moses 6:62.
- Exodus 13:21.
- Mosiah 27:11.
- Doctrine and Covenants 34:7.
- Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 95.
- Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 69.
- Ibid.
- Jacob 4:6.
- Jacob 7:5.
- Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 94.
- Russell M. Nelson, “The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” Liahona, May 2022, 100.
- Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 35.
- Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89.
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:18.
- Matthew 7:16.
- “Be Still My Soul” Hymns, no. #124..
- Hebrews 12:1–2.
- Doctrine and Covenants 76:63.