Remember Him through Following the Prophet

“Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38).

Have you ever asked yourself, “How would I have responded to Samuel the Lamanite’s call to repentance? To Jeremiah’s warnings of impending destruction? To the testimony of young Joseph Smith?”

All of us hope that we would have been among those who believed and followed the prophets of previous times. But we have similar opportunities in our day. The same Jehovah who called and spoke through ancient prophets continues to send us message through a living prophet. As we raise our hands to sustain the President of the Church, we express our faith that he is the one through whom we will receive divine instructions for meeting the challenges of our own time.

Do We Listen?

We are blessed to receive our prophet’s words regularly through Church magazines and other means. Yet do we take full advantage of opportunities to read and ponder his written messages? Or do we sometimes lay aside his advice because we “already know” about prayer, scripture study, honesty, and other recurring topics?

The scriptures teach us significant lessons from the past on obeying the prophet. Noah’s family accepted his warnings when their neighbors did not. And Nephi and Laman reacted in quite opposite ways to their father’s inspired requests. In both cases, dramatic consequences followed the refusal to follow the prophet.

Despondent after her fiance broke their engagement, Abigail Morris found comfort in following President Ezra Taft Benson’s admonition to seriously study the Book of Mormon. As she read, she found that President Benson’s promises of finding “greater power” and “life in greater and greater abundance” came to pass.

“Regular scripture study also brought me many other blessings,” Abigail says. “My faith began to grow—not only in the gospel, but also in myself. I realized that God is a loving Heavenly Father who … has given us, his children, important roles to fulfill in his plan for our happiness.”

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). The Lord has kept this promise; if we truly love God, we will love and obey his anointed prophet.

Suggestions for Visiting Teachers

Discuss how we can become familiar with the Lord’s word as revealed through our prophet today. You may wish to share copies of the conference issue of the magazine with the sisters you visit.
Bear your testimony that the current prophet is the Lord’s chosen leader for us today.

Illustrated by Beth Whittaker