Hello, dear brothers and sisters!

I am Elder Clark Gilbert of the Seventy and Commissioner of the Church Educational System.

We welcome you, from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, to this North America

Area Devotional for Young Adults.

Thank you for watching today.

When we began planning this broadcast, we fully intended to be joined by a live audience of young adults and priesthood leaders filling this Tabernacle.

We had planned to have a wonderful live choir.

But with the rapid spread of illness in our community, and given the size of this event, we’ve chosen not to have those wonderful Saints gather with us

in this building this evening.

We appreciate that all who had made plans to attend were willing to be here

and are thankful that they are able to join us on YouTube or the Church’s Broadcast page.

We are still being safe, and we hope you are too.

We also have a group of young adults on Zoom.

Wave hello, everyone!

They are connected from Pennsylvania to California to Alberta to Florida.

We are gathered today under the leadership of Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Melanie T. Rasband.

We look forward to hearing from them later today in the program.

I am also joined by my wife, Christine.

We are pleased to be here with Elder and Sister Rasband.

The music today will be recordings from previous young adult events.

We will begin with a young adult stake choir from Brigham Young University

and the University of Utah.

They will sing “How Firm a Foundation.”

After the musical number, Kylie Chase will offer the opening prayer.

Kylie is the granddaughter of Elder and Sister Rasband.

Dear, kind, and gracious Heavenly Father, we are grateful to be gathered here as members of Thy Church and to hear from Thy chosen servants. Help us to feel Thy Spirit, to be open to what it has to teach us, and that we’ll be willing to make those necessary changes in our lives to align ourselves more with Thee and Thy plan for us.

We are grateful for the gift of modern-day revelation, and please help us to utilize that gift to draw closer to Thee.

We are so very grateful for the missionaries and all that they are sacrificing to help gather Israel around the globe.

Please bless them and all of their efforts. And we love Thee and say these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Thank you for the beautiful music and the heartfelt prayer.

My wife, Christine, and I will speak together to open the program this evening.

Following our remarks, we will see a recording of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

The singers are Yaphet Bustos and Ellie Hughes. They are accompanied

by CJ Madsen and Karen Ferry.

We will then have the blessing of hearing from Sister Rasband and then Elder Rasband.

Christine and I have long admired Elder and Sister Rasband.

Even prior to Elder Rasband’s call as a General Authority, then as

an Apostle, the Rasband’s have served in many capacities in the Church

and are particularly attuned to the needs of young adults.

Some of this comes from their time serving together as leaders in the Washington DC mission.

They also have grandchildren who are young adults, some of whom you have met tonight.

We have watched with admiration how they listen to and learn from the experiences of young adults.

They were in the New York mission.

Oh, New York mission.

Thank you.

They served as president and mission leaders of the New York mission.

After Elder Rasband finishes his testimony, we will do something a little unusual: at the end of the program we will join a young adult group on Zoom from all across the country to discuss what they’ve learned and heard today.

Sister Gilbert will now introduce our opening message.

Good evening!

Elder Gilbert and I are thrilled to speak to you tonight and are grateful

especially to be accompanying Elder and Sister Rasband.

We had the opportunity to speak with them while my husband was serving as the president of BYU–Idaho and have admired their warmth and their

leadership ever since.

We love the young adults of the Church and have had sweet feelings for you as we have prepared for this message.

I’d like to start with a story from our family scripture reading.

Several years ago, we were reading in 3 Nephi how the power of the devil

can lead away and deceive the hearts of the people.

One of our children asked, “What does the word ‘deceive’ mean?”

We replied that to deceive is to trick people into believing something that is not true.

Our younger son, John, reflected for a moment and then said, “Oh yeah?

I will trick Satan.

I’ll tell him to look over there, and then I’ll whack him on the back!”

Well, John, only if it was that easy.

We live in a time where the adversary is trying to deceive God’s children

into believing things that are not true.

Today, Christine and I will share a message on how following the prophet

can protect us from being deceived and provide peace and comfort in these tumultuous times.

As my husband has suggested, we live in uncertain times, but the Lord explained

that He will help us by providing “a pattern in all things, that ye may not

be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving

the nations.”

In other words, God has responded to Satan’s deceptions by providing

patterns that will help to protect us.

As Sister Wendy Nelson has testified, while Satan is abroad in the land, we also have a prophet in the land, who we can look to for clarity and truth in these latter days.

On a recent assignment, Christine and I had a long drive together, and we decided to use our time to review each of the messages from President Russell M. Nelson since his call as the prophet.

This was so inspiring to both of us, and we wanted to share a part of that experience with you this evening.

Of the many themes we could have chosen to highlight, we tried to find messages that were particularly relevant to you at this critical time in your lives: let God prevail.

Second, the power of personal revelation.

Third, a home-centered church.

And fourth, hear Him.

We open with the invitation from President Nelson to let God prevail in our lives.

Shortly after he gave this message in general conference, many of the senior Brethren suggested that this talk would be one we studied for generations.

In fact, I remember Elder Rasband teaching us that when I served as an Area Seventy.

Listen to this statement from the talk: “During these perilous times

of which the Apostle Paul prophesied, Satan is no longer even

trying to hide his attacks on God’s plan.

Emboldened evil abounds.

Therefore, the only way to survive spiritually is to be determined to let

God prevail in our lives.” To introduce the idea of letting God

prevail, we’d like to have you consider the setting of a personal interview

with President Nelson.

My first interview with President Nelson came in a very unusual setting.

I love to ski, and I've tried to make this a Gilbert family tradition.

In 2011, I was racing to get to the top of the mountain in Park City to rendezvous with our older children.

As I loaded onto the chairlift, I heard a distinctive voice

from the man sitting next to me.

He had on goggles and a ski helmet, but I recognized his voice

immediately and turned to him and said, “Are you Elder Nelson?” Can you imagine sitting next to President Nelson on a ski lift?

A skier into his 90s!

Years later, President Nelson would say that this was his first interview with the Gilberts.

Just over a year ago, we had an even more memorable interview with President

Nelson in a much more sacred setting.

It was in the middle of the pandemic, and it happened over Zoom.

In January 2021, President Nelson interviewed us together and extended a call for me to serve as a General Authority and to be assigned as the commissioner of Church education.

This is a picture we took that day, and with his permission we are sharing it with you.

While we were there and formal and sacred questions were asked, the overwhelming feeling that both of us had was his love and concern for us and for our children.

Now, perhaps not every one of you will have such an intimate interaction with the prophet, but today we want to encourage you to realize that he has extended an interview to each of us in his talk “Let God Prevail.”

Please listen to these questions as if you were sitting down

with the prophet in an interview and answering the questions directly: Are you willing to let God prevail in your life?

Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life?

Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to

influence what you do each day?

Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other?

Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over

every other ambition?

Are you willing to have your will swallowed up by His?

President Nelson goes on to explain, "When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, so many decisions become easier.” I remember when Christine and I were faced with the decision to leave my career at the Harvard Business School to serve in the Church Educational System.

I loved teaching in Boston where I often felt like I was serving as an ambassador for the Church.

This is a picture of our young family from that time.

On the last day of one of my classes, a student group decided to dress in outfits similar to our family photo and then posed for a photo with me to signal their connection with our family.

It was difficult for me to let go of these experiences when it became clear

that God had another path for our family.

At the time I said to my wife, “I feel like the rich young ruler, but I know how the parable ends, so I’m going to follow the promptings.” In that same period, a friend shared with me an insight from Heinrich Hoffmann’s painting of this parable.

Hoffmann shows the rich young ruler looking away from Christ, as if he is thinking only about all of his possessions he would be forced to give up.

Unfortunately, this kept him from seeing the joy that would come through service in Christ and where Christ is pointing him.

When Christ asks us to give up something to let God prevail in our lives, He is always pointing us to something better.

Our story of leaving Boston is not only a story of letting God prevail in our lives but a story of personal revelation.

The second theme we would like to highlight is the power of personal revelation.

In President Nelson’s first general conference talk as President of

the Church, he introduced himself by sharing a pattern of revelation that has guided him throughout his life.

He titled his message “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” and stated: “One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind since my new calling as [the] President of the Church is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will.

The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.” President Nelson goes on to share a pattern for personal revelation.

Listen to his counsel to all of us: “Find a quiet place where you can [go regularly].

Humble yourself before God.

Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father.

Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart.

And then listen!

Write the thoughts that come to your mind.

Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take.

As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’” In my assignments, I have seen how President Nelson models this principle.

Consider a 2018 address he gave in Seattle, Washington.

President Nelson had been impressed to speak to the increasing secularization

and the growing number of religiously unaffiliated Americans.

Revelation that came quietly months earlier was now being shared with nearly 50,000 people in a Major League Baseball stadium in the heart of the most religiously unaffiliated states in the country.

What was President Nelson’s message?

The need for religion in an increasingly secular society.

Our prophet listens and receives revelation, he writes it down,

and then he acts on it.

I’ve seen this in other areas of his leadership, including his condemnation

of racism and his outreach to the NAACP,

as well as his ministering to the poor through humanitarian aid across the world.

Another manifestation of our prophet’s ability to receive revelation and then

act on it was his strengthened emphasis on a home-centered church.

This is the third theme we would like to highlight from President Nelson.

In his opening remarks of the October 2018 general conference, President Nelson announced: “As Latter-day Saints, we have become accustomed to

thinking of ‘church’ as something that happens in our meetinghouses, supported by what happens at home.

We need an adjustment to this pattern.

It is time for a home-centered Church, supported by what takes place

inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings." I hope we can just pause for a minute and contemplate the miracle of this prophetic utterance

that came on the eve of a global pandemic, which literally caused the closures of Church buildings across the world.

Even so, the implications of this revelation will go far beyond the pandemic.

As President Nelson later explained, “The ... home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith.” President Nelson sees our day, he knows of the tumult we face in these latter days, and he knows that each of us will need to anchor our homes as sanctuaries of faith.

As Sister Gilbert and I have worked to transform our home into a sanctuary of faith, I have felt the Lord’s protection and guidance.

I invite each of you, even if you are single and living in a shared apartment, to seek for ways to make your home a sanctuary of faith.

Our final theme tonight is to make Christ a priority as we hear Him.

I still remember the women’s session of general conference where President Nelson charged the sisters to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, with the specific challenge to mark every reference to the Savior Jesus Christ.

That experience was transformational for me and for our daughters as we realized just how present Jesus Christ is on the pages of that book.

Perhaps President Nelson was preparing us to find ways to hear the Savior in our lives.

He later stated, “Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son.” President Nelson’s message to hear Him was complemented by social media campaigns that invited all of us to reflect on how we hear Him in our lives.

Of course, one of the ways President Nelson has helped us hear the Savior is by emphasizing the correct name of the Church.

Following his general conference address on this topic, the Church’s website, visual identity, and the naming of many affiliated organizations of the Church were aligned to bring Jesus Christ into our focus.

Every time I compose an email with the address “ChurchofJesusChrist.org,”

I’m reminded that we have a prophet in the land and he is pointing us to Jesus Christ.

As Elder Neil L. Andersen echoed in his talk on this same theme: “Christians who are not among our membership will welcome our role and our sure witness of Christ.

Even those Christians who have viewed us with skepticism will embrace us as friends.

In the coming days, we will be called by the name of Jesus Christ.” In the world that is increasingly losing its connection to the Savior, our prophet is pointing all of us back to Christ.

In this most recent general conference, President Nelson spoke of strengthening our spiritual foundation in Christ.

He said: “The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ,

and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique

anxieties of this era.” God has given us a pattern in all things, and part of that pattern is that we have a prophet in the land.

Elder Neil L. Andersen has stated, “For those diligently seeking eternal life, the prophet’s voice brings spiritual safety in very turbulent times. ...

Following the prophet in a world of commotion is like being wrapped in a soothing, warm blanket on a freezing cold day.”

I know that President Nelson is a prophet of God and that he is pointing us to Christ in these troubled times.

This evening we have shared with you four themes from our prophet in the land.

We hope you will let God prevail in your life, seek personal revelation, and make your home or apartment a sanctuary of faith.

By prioritizing Jesus Christ, we hope you felt the call to hear Him.

As President Nelson stated in last general conference, “I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day.” I also share my testimony of the prophetic call of

President Nelson.

He has been called to lead this Church in these perilous times.

Along with each of the Apostles, one of whom we will hear from

tonight, these are special witnesses of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I know Christ lives. He will strengthen us in these latter days.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Thank you, our dear Gilberts, for that wonderful and beautiful reminder of our dear prophet, President Nelson’s revelatory counsel and admonitions for us in our day, amidst such troubling times. I was taught a valuable lesson by a personal experience I also had with President Nelson a number of years ago, excuse me, when my husband served as the Senior President of the seven Presidents of the Seventy and President Nelson was the quorum President of the Twelve Apostles.

We were at an annual mission leadership seminar in Provo, Utah. I happened to come late

to a meeting focused on counseling the mission presidents’ wives. The room was full of our devoted sisters. I stepped in near the back of the room, looking for a seat I could slip into. Straight up the aisle from me, though, where I stood, my eye caught Elder Nelson on the stand.

He smiled. I smiled back, despite my embarrassment for being late.

Elder Nelson, though, held my gaze, and he took his finger and he pointed to a seat on the front row.

I kind of shrugged, not wanting to make a scene or in any way disrupt the meeting.

And I indicated that maybe I could just take a seat right here by where I was standing. Elder Nelson smiled, and with his pointing finger he beckoned me to

come forward and take the front-row seat with my name on it.

There was power in that pointing finger.

I smiled back, this time with a determined yet timid desire to do as he asked me to do. So I literally took a deep breath and walked the long walk to the seat awaiting me on the front row.

After the meeting, I bolted from my seat to catch Elder Nelson and ask his forgiveness as I feebly tried to repent for not responding to his request the first time.

Elder Nelson smiled and in loving forgiveness simply said,

“Thank you for being obedient.”

I’ve thought a lot about that simple experience and what it taught me about myself, about obedience and following our sustained and ordained leaders.

I also learned about our dear prophet, President Nelson, his kindness, his caring, and his patience.

He has been ministering all of his life, one by one,

and surely did so to me, one amidst hundreds that day.

President Nelson’s request of me was a loving invitation to come forward

and be where I was asked to be,

to not just settle on a seat near the back but step up and be accountable for who I am and serve in a holier way.

Our prophet is inviting each of us to be willing to stand out, step up more faithfully, and courageously step into our role as sons and daughters of God

in these last days, to gather and build God’s kingdom on both sides of the veil and prepare for the return of the Son of God,

that we not be lulled into easy contentment but be diligent, watchful,

and ready to be all that we can be and do what is needed to be done.

The Son of God has also invited each one of us to come unto Him, to step up and be like Him.

The Lord taught, lifted, blessed, forgave, and loved,

ministering one by one, like President Nelson did for me,

like we can do for others.

Our New York City mission scripture came from 3 Nephi 18, verse 24, as our Redeemer said: “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world.

Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me

do.” He is speaking to us to stand tall, bearing His light in an ever-darkening world.

President Nelson has always held up the Lord’s light and led by example.

He has shared: “If I have learned anything in my life, it is that our

ultimate security and our only enduring happiness lies in holding on to

the iron rod of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, complete with its

covenants and ordinances.

When we do so, we can safely navigate through rough waters because we have

access to God’s power.” As we live and serve with the desire to be obedient, we will find protection from the adversary’s enticings and peace

amidst these troubled times while becoming a holier people prepared to

meet our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer when He comes again.

This is the true restored Church of Jesus Christ.

I bear testimony that He was, that He is, and that He is to come.

I testify that He has given us a living, loving prophet to truly guide

us, our dear President Nelson, whom we love and sustained.

May we be obedient to our prophet’s invitations in all things, welcoming

our Father in Heaven and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to truly prevail in our lives.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Amen.

Wow.

Thank you, dear. You're welcome.

Isn’t she just wonderful?

Thank you, dear Melanie, for your message.

You always add such a beautiful spirit wherever you go, whatever you do.

I am so blessed to have you as my eternal companion. And I, you. Thank you.

And thank you, Elder Gilbert, for that wonderful introduction.

It is wonderful to have you and Sister Gilbert here with us tonight.

This is an added blessing to this assignment which has come to

us, and we’re happy to be with you again.

And thank you, dear Kylie, for that beautiful prayer.

You have set a lovely tone for this meeting.

Kylie is our granddaughter, and we are so happy she could join us this evening.

We love you, Kylie, and we’re grateful to you and to have some of our family members here with us this evening.

Thank you all for coming and sharing with us.

In fact, another grandchild, our grandson Ammon, will be giving the benediction this evening.

We love you too, Ammon.

Thank you for being here.

Brothers and sisters, I feel very blessed to be with you tonight.

I hope you know and feel how much the Lord loves you and how much

President Russell M. Nelson,

the First Presidency, and my fellow Brethren in the Quorum of the Twelve love you.

We are counting on you to be bright lights in a darkening world, to carry in your very countenance the spiritual strength and confidence

that comes from being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Now, tonight we are speaking to you from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, a building that has great significance to me.

When I came home from my mission, a young single adult, like

many of you, I served as a tour guide on Temple Square for a number of years.

This was before sister missionaries filled that responsibility.

I remember dropping pins and nails in this Tabernacle to demonstrate the amazing acoustics of this pioneer structure, and I taught the gospel to so many visitors from so many different lands.

When I had the opportunity to choose a setting for this devotional, I chose the Tabernacle, knowing that the Spirit has filled this grand building since it was constructed in 1865.

From this pulpit and in this building, leaders of the Church, prophets in particular, have given guidance

and instruction to millions.

Now, I don't need to tell you, our dear young adults, that you and all of us are facing challenging times.

So much discussion today is about how hard things are, how confusing, how desperate, even—I’ve heard the word—how hopeless.

Those reactions should not surprise us.

Prophets saw our day and spoke of men being “lovers of their own selves, ... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,” of

“commotion,” “mists of darkness,” and “temptations of the devil.” Pursuing a discussion of these calamities of these latter days

is a road to nowhere.

Instead, I hope each of you is secure on the covenant path.

President Nelson has said: “Staying on that narrow but well-defined path

will ultimately qualify us to receive all that God has.

Nothing could be worth more than all our Father has!"

You all shouted for joy in the Grand Council in heaven at the opportunity to make this journey in mortality.

Each of you has the promise of the Savior that “where I am, ye may be also.” And where is He?

In the presence of the Father.

In contrast, one-third of the hosts of heaven chose to follow Satan, and what are their prospects?

No physical body, no agency, no future, no family, no joy.

They are not engaged in the great plan of happiness.

You are.

Of all the things I could address today, I have just one piece of advice

that covers almost any circumstance you may face and will help you stay true to the Lord your God:

Choose to follow God’s living prophet.

He is our watchman on the tower.

Let me say that again.

Choose to follow God’s living prophet, and you will never be distanced from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have shared that message in meetings with youth and young adults all over the world, most recently in a live devotional from Johannesburg to the Africa South and Africa Central Areas.

They, like you, are seeking to become more like Jesus Christ but are sometimes confounded by the pressures and problems of the world.

Listening intently and following the counsel of the prophet

is not just something for conference weekend or Sunday services.

To follow the prophet is a pattern you establish in your life to help you stand firmly with the Lord as you did in the premortal life.

When you hear the living prophet speak, you hear words of revelation.

I ask you today to align your desires, efforts, activities,

and personal prayers with the direction given by President Nelson, the prophet of God on the earth today.

The scriptures are very important; they are filled with the Spirit, with divine direction,

and with examples of how the Lord has worked through prophets in ancient days.

The words of past prophets are very important; they too remind us that the Lord speaks to His children.

But the living prophet leads and guides this Church right now

according to the Lord’s commands.

Let us put this in everyday terms in your life.

You’re anxious about getting married, getting through school, juggling a family and a job, having the finances to not live so close to the edge.

You have questions.

I promise you that as you heed the counsel of the prophet, you will have patience with your situations and with your challenges.

Some may not be fixed to your immediate liking, but with patience you will find the inner strength to square your shoulders and press on.

I testify the Lord will bless you when you follow the living prophet.

President Nelson said just months ago, “The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His

power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era.”

Do you feel the strength of the Savior in your life?

You cannot be thin-skinned in this gospel. You cannot wallow in disbelief, anger, frustration, or pity.

As the prophet Nephi questioned, “Why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?” And then his wonderful resolution:

“Rejoice, O my heart. ...

O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.” Those words were the words of Nephi at the death of Lehi as the prophetic mantle passed not to the errant older brothers but to the younger Nephi.

He took over the responsibility for keeping a record as commanded by God.

He began, “Upon these I write the things of my soul.” For years

I have been touched by that reference, and I talked about “the things of my soul” in general conference only a few months ago.

I join Nephi in his declaration: “Behold, my soul

delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth

continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.” I named seven in conference and asked you then to add eight, nine, and ten of your own.

I renew that call for you today.

Love God the Father and Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Love thy neighbor.

Love yourself.

Keep the commandments.

Always be worthy to attend the temple.

Be joyful and cheerful.

And follow God’s living prophet.

Like the prophet Samuel the Lamanite in the Book of Mormon, President Nelson is essentially standing on the wall, preaching the gospel, prophesying and “speak[ing] the words of the Lord which he doth put into [his] heart.”

Like detractors and disbelievers in Samuel’s time,

some are annoyed by our prophet’s calls for repentance, and they sling arrows out on the internet and in conversations to discredit the prophet and the Lord’s Church.

That approach is not new, nor will it be successful.

When a mob martyred Joseph Smith at Carthage Jail, they expected that silencing him would do away with the Church as led by him.

It did not.

The Church today is 17 million strong and growing across the globe,

because the truth of God, as Joseph Smith taught, will go forth

“boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country,

and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

I counsel you to keep your faith in Jesus Christ strong so you can defend

against attacks upon righteous living and the restored gospel.

Wherever you go, there will be those who will wish to do the Church

harm, who hope to dissuade you from truth, who mock faith and challenge doctrine.

Determine right now you will not join them, that you will be “steadfast

and immovable.” Recognize that as President Nelson has taught, “Their skeptical teachings try to diminish the divinity of the mission of the Savior and even try to nullify the doctrine of the Atonement.”

I have always believed that Presidents of the Church are called of God.

Each one of them in my lifetime has left an imprint that has brought me

closer to the Savior.

These men have spent a lifetime in service to the Lord, being prepared for their singular calling as the “watchman” on the tower for all the Church.

I was born when David O. McKay McKay was the ninth president of the Church.

The first time I remember personally seeing him, he was riding in a Pioneer Day parade for the 24th of July.

I was probably about eight or nine years old at the time.

My mother worked for the Church, and she had seats at the parade.

President McKay rode by in a white convertible, wearing a white hat, a white suit.

He looked at me, and that is when I first knew that he was a prophet of God.

President Joseph Fielding Smith called me to serve a mission in the eastern states.

His name was on my call to serve.

It was not lost on me that he had a special connection to his grandfather Hyrum and his great-uncle, the Prophet Joseph Smith.

My memories of President Harold B. Lee go back to my mission in New York City.

My companion was his grandson, and we were assigned to go out to the airport, meet his plane, and drive him to the mission home in the middle

of New York City.

I was driving, and I had my hands on the steering wheel in the ten-and-two position.

I was so nervous I was shaking, literally, at the wheel.

President Lee spoke up from the back seat and said, “Elder Rasband, of all the times you’re going to be protected, this is one of them.” (Laughter) We arrived at the mission home safely.

Spencer W. Kimball was President of the Church when Melanie and I got our marriage started, started our family, and began my career in business and my service in the Church.

President Ezra Taft Benson led the Church when I was fully engaged

and immersed in Church service.

He taught that “a good way to measure your standing with the Lord is to see how you feel about, and act upon, the inspired words of his earthly representative, the prophet.”

Now, I have tender memories of President Howard W. Hunter.

He was in Jon Huntsman’s stake, who was my employer and leader

in our company. And as things worked out, I had multiple occasions to travel with President Hunter, who was advanced in age.

In particular, I recall a visit to Armenia, Ukraine, and Russia.

We were staying in a hotel in Yerevan, Armenia, and in the middle of the night I was awakened to the pounding on our hotel room door.

It was Sister Hunter needing my help.

President Hunter had fallen out of bed and could not get up.

And our room was just across the hall, and I hurried over to their room.

As I lifted President Hunter up

and laid him in his bed—(Emotional) I can hardly say this and keep my composure—he pulled my head down to him and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

I certainly loved President Howard W. Hunter.

President Gordon B. Hinckley was the President when I was called as a mission president and when I was called as a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, just like you've heard about Elder Gilbert’s call earlier.

That assignment to full-time service reshaped my life.

I worked very closely with him directing the Temple Department

as temples were announced and built all around the world.

What a joy it was for Sister Rasband and I to serve with President Hinckley.

President Thomas S. Monson extended my call to serve as an Apostle.

And, I will admit, sobering the moment for me as he said, “The Lord has called you to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.” President Monson showed love to me that day just as he had years earlier to my son, Christian.

In 1997, President Monson spoke at a Scout jamboree in Pennsylvania where my 12-year-old son was in attendance.

Earlier that summer we had moved to New York for Sister Rasband and I to serve as mission president and companion.

It was a hard move for 12-year-old Christian, so having President Monson speak at the jamboree was a touch of home for the lonesome Scout.

He knew President Monson from the years we had been with him at Utah Jazz basketball games; we had all exchanged high fives when a shot would go through.

As President Monson prepared to leave the stage of the Jamboree, he looked out over the crowd and saw our son Christian in his Scout uniform about 20 rows back.

He hollered out, “Chris Rasband, come up here and say hello.”

The Scouts parted like the Red Sea as President Monson (Chuckles) reached out to take my son’s hand and pull him up on the podium.

Quietly he said something like “Chris, how’re the Jazz doing?”

Chris needed that notice.

And President Monson was never too busy for people.

I have a special memory of the calling and ordination of President

Russell M. Nelson as President of the Church.

When I first heard that President Monson had passed away, I was sad to lose this wise, thoughtful, and energetic prophet.

I knew that the Lord had prepared his successor, Elder Nelson, to shoulder the mantle of the prophet and, as the song says, “to guide us in these latter days.” Elder Nelson had been my quorum president in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a dear and loving friend.

He was then the senior Apostle and by precedent would be the next prophet.

But I sought a personal witness that this was to be the desire of the Lord.

From the day President Monson died until the day President

Nelson, senior Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve, was ordained as President of the Church, we operated in what is known formally as an apostolic interregnum.

I had never been a part of the transition of prophetic leadership

from one prophet called of God to another.

I prayed earnestly, pleading with God that I might receive my own spiritual witness.

As we gathered as the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Salt Lake

Temple to reorganize the Presidency of the Church and ordain President Nelson as prophet, seer, and revelator, holding all of the keys for the Lord’s work on the earth,

that, my friends, was one of those special experiences that enhanced my testimony and drew me closer to the Lord and enhanced my faith and knowledge in divine revelation.

When we formed a circle around President Nelson, laying our hands upon his head, I immediately received the spiritual confirmation I had been praying for and desired.

The feeling I received from the Spirit was both beautiful and memorable.

I need only look at President Nelson now and it comes back to me immediately.

I knew then and I testify to you now that President Nelson is God’s

prophet on the earth today.

He serves Jesus Christ, whose Church this is, as did the 16 Presidents

before him.

Now, how about you?

Have you diligently prayed, listening for promptings from the Holy Ghost that

President Nelson is called by God to lead this Church?

If you are casual about knowing President Nelson’s prophetic mantle, I encourage you to seek that witness.

You need to know in your very soul that President Nelson speaks for God

and Jesus Christ.

Having the Holy Spirit confirm that truth makes it natural and easy to follow his counsel, to sincerely raise your arm to the square to sustain him, and to place priority on those things he asks you to do.

President Nelson has given us clear direction.

Let’s look at a few of President Nelson’s key messages for the members of the Church:

Find joy in your life.

I, too, testify this is a joyful gospel.

“We can feel joy even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year! ...

The joy we feel has little to do with ... circumstances of our lives

and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.

Joy comes from and because of Him.

He is the source of all joy.”

Express gratitude.

“Counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems.

No matter our situation, showing gratitude for our privileges is a unique, fast-acting, and long-lasting spiritual

prescription.” Ask questions.

“Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources.

Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet’s life or a discrepancy in the scriptures.

Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters.

Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery.”

Seek revelation for answers to your questions and direction in your personal lives.

“No matter who you are, you can pray to your Heavenly Father for guidance

and direction in your life.

If you learn to hear the Lord through His promptings, you may receive divine guidance in matters large and small." And as the Gilberts taught, let God prevail.

“I have studied the gathering, prayed about it, feasted upon every related scripture, and asked the Lord to increase my understanding.

So imagine my delight when I was led recently to a new insight.

With the help of two Hebrew scholars, I learned that one of

the Hebraic meanings of the word ‘Israel’ is ‘let God prevail.’ Thus the very name of ‘Israel’ refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life.

That concept stirs my soul!” President said. “The word ‘willing’ is crucial to this interpretation of ‘Israel.’

We all have our agency.

We can choose to be of Israel, or not.

We can choose to let God prevail in our lives, or not.

We can choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our lives, or not. ...

Are you willing to let God prevail in your life?

Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life?”

Do you believe these things?

I think we could say they are some of the things of President Nelson’s soul.

Is he just talking to a few fortunate members who got a free pass in this life or a fast pass to the front of the line?

No, he is speaking to all of us with these words: “Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, ... [e]xperience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing

and being a little better each day.”

Prophets have a singular role to teach of the Savior Jesus Christ and to lead us along the covenant path to Him.

No one seeks the office.

There is no campaigning, no debate, no politics.

Lorenzo Snow is a great example.

He was president of the Salt Lake Temple and President of the Quorum of the Twelve when Wilford Woodruff died.

President Snow went to the temple and poured out his heart, saying, “I have not sought this responsibility but if it be Thy will, I now present myself before Thee for Thy guidance and instruction.” And he waited, kneeling at the altar.

He records, “No voice, no visitation or manifestation came.

Nothing.” He left the room, and then, in the temple corridor, the Lord appeared and spoke with him “face to face.”

Brothers and sisters, this is the Lord’s Church, and He calls His prophets, His watchmen on the tower.

I leave you this evening, wherever you are in this grand Church, with my apostolic blessing that when you seek your witness that President Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s prophet, your life will fall in line with sacred

teachings. You will feel the Spirit with you and the love of your Father in

Heaven and Jesus Christ.

I promise that as you act on the prophet’s counsel to repent, you will recognize the power of the Atonement in your life.

“May Christ lift thee up,” as it says at the close of the Book of Mormon, and that it will be a real experience in your life and will sustain you in your times of trouble.

May you be guided by the things of your soul that you will be prepared to join with the hosts of heaven when the Savior returns, that you will know

him as the “Lord of lords, [the] King of kings,” the “Prince of Peace.” We humbly pray tonight in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Thank you, Elder Rasband. What a powerful message. And Sister Rasband, thank you for your remarks.

Now, as we mentioned at the start of the program, we will turn to the Zoom

broadcast, and we’re going to ask some of our young adults across the Church to share reflections on what they heard.

And no pressure to any of the 30 of you who are here in the Zoom room; we’ll just ask you to share your feelings with a couple hundred thousand of your

closest peers.

So, we talked just before the broadcast, and we asked you to listen to what themes resonated with you, and what did you hear?

I’d like to start with Mark Draney.

Mark, would you share with us—sorry, Carter Draney. Carter, would you share with us some of your thoughts as you listened to

the messages tonight?

What resonated with you?

Yes sir, I’d be happy to. Something that really hit me was something that was shared by you

and Sister Gilbert.

The third instruction given by the prophet, that was creating a home-centered Church and putting Christ at the center of that home.

I was thinking about that a lot. And as YSA-age people, we may try to exempt ourselves from that, being so far away from our families, maybe living alone or with

roommates, and not having maybe a “true” home. But as I was thinking about that, I don’t think age or situation can exempt us from instructions given by the prophet. And as we strive to do what the prophet asks in this scenario, which would be creating a home-centered Church and

a Christ-centered home, we can still feel those blessings of ultimate joy that comes from Jesus Christ.

That's beautiful.

Thank you.

And I love your point that, hey, even if I’m living away from my

family and even if I’m—in your case, a single adult—I can set that

pattern in my own home or apartment right now. Thank you.

Let’s go to some others. Other reflections from our group on Zoom?

Who would like to share something?

Karen Leon?

Yes. Hi.

Karen, tell us where you’re from.

I am from Peru. I’m currently in Columbia, South Carolina.

Did you have another question?

What stood out to you tonight in the messages you heard? OK. Yes, sorry.

Well, the first thing that really helped me feel a little bit better is when Elder Rasband said that

the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, they are counting on us. That felt very reaffirming, in a sense.

And I don’t know,

I have this sense of responsibility—OK, I better shape up

and start

working on the things that I am struggling.

And another thing that stood out for me was, again, there are moments

sometimes when we—well, Elder Rasband told us to be joyful, to be

hopeful (audio cut out) in our lives.

It doesn’t happen that way all the time, right?

And there’s moments when I even have to ask for

the desire to be hopeful or the desire to

follow Christ in a more faithful way.

So those are the things that stood out for me.

Elder Gilbert, could I talk with Karen for

just a minute? Please.

Karen, you’ve been singled out in the whole world to have this little one-on-one with me, OK?

I know. Yes.

I want you to know that what I said there I really meant.

We need you young adults in the future of this Church.

We need you one by one.

We need you to feel deep in your heart, just like you just expressed, that even in a huge world with billions of people, Heavenly Father and Jesus know you personally.

I want to just bear my testimony to you, Karen, that it’s true,

that what you felt tonight came to you from the Holy Ghost, and I hope you remember it all the days of your life.

Thanks very much.

I will. Thanks.

Thank you, Elder Rasband.

And thank you for your comment. And I love that recognition of the charge from Elder Rasband, that

we’re counting on you. There are so many here who are trying to get in. I’ll go to Joe and Kaylynn Charles.

Hi.

So, we’re a married couple from Reno, Nevada.

And we’re happy to be here.

I just wanted to share—so, I’m a convert to the Church, and I didn’t grow up with a knowledge of Christ or scripture.

But, however, I’d grown up with wonderful friends who are members, and just singing “Children’s Handbook” songs or inviting me to girl’s camp was

enough to have a positive influence on me in my own youth.

So, one morning I woke up and I decided to go to a Friendsgiving event set up

by the YSA and to begin coming to service on Sunday. And I just decided to do that. And I think I received what I believe to be personal revelation, or influence from God Himself.

And Elder and Sister Gilbert and Elder and Sister Rasband’s talks about our living prophet reminded me of how important it is following our

promptings and listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the truths of our prophet. So, just knowing that there’s a living prophet on this earth has helped me

feel comforted in my own decision to join the Church, as well as in my decision to make and keep covenants on a daily basis, despite not having

any family with the exact same truths or beliefs of that of me or my husband.

So, just, President Nelson’s words remind us how important guidance

and direction can be in ourselves and others.

And I’ve experienced this in my own life and know that others will as well, as long as we have help—

we help ourselves and others to get and remain on the covenant path.

Sweet insights, Kaylynn.

Joe and Kaylynn, thanks for joining us. And what a great testimony of being a convert to the Church. It’s wonderful to have you both with us.

And I want to go to Halli Francis now, if I can. And, Halli, you’re also a convert to the Church.

And you said to us earlier you didn’t even know there was a prophet before you joined the Church. Share with us what you heard tonight.

Yeah.

So, I just want to share that the other day I was just thinking about all the chaos and all the things that are going on in the world right now.

So, in Kentucky, close to my hometown, there were some pretty bad storms, and

it ruined a lot of stuff, and a lot of people lost their lives and things like that.

And it got me thinking about the Second Coming, and I had a huge

panic attack because I was afraid that

I wasn’t going to be ready when the Savior came back. Like, He could literally come back in five minutes.

And I just felt that I was not doing enough or that I wasn’t

enough or, you know—the adversary was really trying to mess with my mind and deceive me, as was just talked about.

But the messages tonight really gave me peace and comfort and guided me to know

that I am enough and that following the prophet will help me to be ready.

So, making my home that sanctuary and making sure that I’m trying to let

God prevail in my life and also being that light to other people.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about being the Light of the World and that a city sitting on a hill cannot be hidden and that He

wants us to let our lights shine so that our Father in Heaven can be glorified.

And so, I think that that really spoke to me, and it just made me focus

on making sure that I am getting my spiritual foundation right and being a light to other people so that they can also get theirs right so that we

will be ready when Jesus does decide to come back.

That’s a wonderful insight.

Elder Rasband, do we have time for a couple more before we conclude? Let’s take one more. One more.

Let’s see, Joshua Kim.

Josh, where are you calling in from again? And share with us your thoughts.

Yeah, I’m calling in from Arizona—Mesa, Arizona.

And I was just really impressed by Elder Rasband’s invitation to align your desires, actions, and prayers with the counsel of the prophet, with

the will of God.

And I was impressed with that because oftentimes we think of following the prophet as an action-type thing: the prophet says do this, and we do that.

But what’s more important is that we align our desire with God’s,

and that’s giving our will up to Him. And that’s something that I feel like I struggle with sometimes, going beyond just doing the action but truly giving my will to God’s and truly, sincerely repenting and truly seeking a witness of the prophet and all those things. And that’s something that we can all remember to focus on, is having a true desire to become one with God and to align our will with His.

Thank you, Joshua. That’s a wonderful insight. And I had the same observation as I listened to Elder Rasband share how he built a pattern of making the prophet part of his life throughout his lifetime.

Elder Rasband, would you like to conclude our evening with a closing thought?

Well, thank you.

Joshua, thank you for that thought.

That, to me, is really at the essence of our devotional tonight, is that all of you throughout this vast Church who participated can align your

thinking, your feeling with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ

as delivered by His living prophet.

I will tell you, as I prepared my message, the image I had of Samuel the Lamanite standing on the wall, dodging the arrows and the threats and the vile words that were being spoken to him, reminded me, to some degree, of the world we live in today.

I work with President Nelson very closely in communicating his words to the world.

And, candidly, it hurts me to see some of the things that are said about him

and the Church in social media and in newspapers and other media.

And as I was pondering that and preparing my remarks for tonight, I had the sweetest confirmation that the words of Russell

Marion Nelson will prevail in many of Heavenly Father’s children’s lives.

And I think that’s evidenced by the wonderful congregation we have

joining us throughout North America tonight for this devotional.

As you’ve probably read, five of my other Brethren of the Twelve have taken

other areas of the world.

And in total six of these devotionals have happened today throughout

the world.

I hope that tells all of you how important your generation is to this Church.

I conclude with what I’ve heard President Nelson say so many times, and we echo it for you tonight.

Not only do we need you, which we’ve already spoken about, but please know

how much we love you, please know how much we thank you.

We know you are taking some arrows in your lives too.

And we thank you for standing tall, for being resolute

and following the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On behalf of the Gilberts and the Rasbands, we bear our solemn witness to all of you, our young friends—some of you are in our own families—we love the Lord. We know this is His Church.

As much as we love and honor Russell Marion Nelson, I bear witness to all of you tonight that Jesus the Christ presides at the head of this Church.

He is the King of kings.

He is the Lord of lords.

He is Alpha and Omega.

He is the babe of Bethlehem.

And we love Him, and we commend Him and His life to all of you tonight humbly

and gratefully, hoping that all the glory and all the honor of these devotionals all around the world will accrue to the Lord Jesus Christ.

May all the honor and glory be His.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

We conclude with the combined men’s and women’s choirs of BYU–Idaho

singing “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.”

Ammon McPherson will close with a prayer.

Ammon is the grandson of Elder and Sister Rasband.

Our dear Heavenly Father,

we conclude this devotional tonight with great gratitude

for the words and spirit that we felt.

We thank Thee that the Gilberts were able to be with us as they shared their wonderful insights about following the prophet. And we thank Thee for Elder and Sister Rasband, for everything that they taught us and showed us and sought to help us understand about Thy prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. We thank Thee for Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and for His Church and for His chosen prophet and apostles. We thank Thee for leaders that are willing to sacrifice their needs and put us above themselves.

We thank Thee for the missionaries in this Church and in this gospel and for the young adults and for all their desires and willingness to be Saints

and to do what is right and to listen to truth.

We ask that as together, as we remember the words that were shared tonight

about following the prophet

and finding our own personal revelation in our individual lives by listening to his words, that we’ll be able to be blessed and guided.

We ask Thee to please bless us to remember

that our needs and our sacrifices are worth it and that blessings will come

as we trust in Thee and Thy Son and Thy prophet.

We love Thee, Heavenly Father.

And we ask for all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.