“Seeing God’s Prophet,” Friend, May 2018
Seeing God’s Prophet
The author lives in Alberta, Canada.
“Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Illustration by Brooklyn Walker
“But, Mom, I really want to go!” Norah begged again, wrapping her arms around Mom’s waist. “Please?”
Smiling, Mom set down her hairbrush and gave Norah a hug. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t take you with me.”
Norah’s shoulders slumped. Mom was going to the Tabernacle on Temple Square to sing in the choir for general conference. She would sit in front of the tall organ pipes in the same seats the Tabernacle Choir usually sat in. And—best of all—she would see the prophet!
There was only one problem: Norah couldn’t go.
“Remember, we can watch conference together next time,” Mom said.
“But you won’t be in the choir then,” Norah said. “We’ll just watch it at home. And I still won’t get to see the prophet in person.”
Mom looked at Norah gently. “Is that what you want the most? To see the prophet?”
Norah nodded. Sister Thompson once told Norah’s Primary class about meeting the prophet. When he shook her hand, she felt something special. She felt for sure that he truly was a servant of God. Norah liked to imagine what it might be like to be in the same room as the prophet, not just see his face on a screen. But now it seemed like Norah’s wish wouldn’t come true.
Mom gathered Norah into a hug. Then she pulled a Bible off the bookshelf. “I’m going to tell you a story,” she said. Norah frowned. She didn’t want to hear a story. She wanted to see the prophet. But she curled up next to Mom and listened anyway.
“After Jesus was resurrected, He visited His Apostles. They saw Him, they touched the wounds in His hands and feet, and they knew that He was truly resurrected.”
Norah thought about how amazing it would be to see Jesus.
“But one Apostle was missing when Jesus came. His name was Thomas. When the other Apostles told Thomas about Jesus’s visit, he said he wouldn’t believe them unless He saw Jesus himself.”
Mom turned to the story in the Bible. “Jesus did appear to the Apostles again. And Thomas was able to see Jesus. Here, why don’t you read what Jesus said to Thomas?”
Norah read the verse Mom pointed to. “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
“What do you think Jesus was trying to teach?” Mom asked.
Norah looked at the verse again. “That we can believe in something even without seeing it?”
Mom smiled. “That’s right. I’ve never shaken the prophet’s hand. And I’ve never seen him in person before. But the Holy Ghost has told me that he really is a prophet of God. You can ask Heavenly Father in prayer, and the Holy Ghost will tell you that he really is God’s prophet.”
Mom hugged Norah again. Norah had a warm feeling in her heart. Maybe this was the beginning of her very own testimony.