“They That Be with Us,” Liahona, Aug. 2025.
Covenant Women
They That Be with Us
The power of the Savior will descend on His faithful covenant people.
I love the story of Elisha the prophet. The king of Syria wanted to capture Elisha and sent armies to surround the city where he lived. When Elisha’s young servant saw them, he was afraid and asked Elisha what they were going to do. (See 2 Kings 6:11–15.) Elisha’s response was “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16). The servant may have wondered how this could have been possible because he could see that they were surrounded by the enemy. But then Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the eyes of this young man, and he saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).
Wherever you may be in the world, always remember that those who are with us and helping us and cheering us on are more than those who may be against us, no matter what the appearances may be. As we choose to stay securely connected to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ through our covenants with Them, we can be assured of that fact. And those who will be with us are more powerful than those who may be against us. I testify of that!
Just as the great Book of Mormon missionary Ammon proclaimed after his many years of hardship and joy preaching to the Lamanites, one day we too will proclaim:
“Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. …
“… Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?” (Alma 26:12, 16, emphasis added).
A God of Great Power and Mercy
That is the God we worship! A God of great power and mercy and long-suffering! A God who has a plan to redeem us—the great plan of happiness—made possible by our dear Savior and His atoning sacrifice in our behalf (see Alma 42).
Our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, will always be with us wherever we go in the world, if we allow Them to by choosing Them and continuing to choose Them. They won’t force Themselves into our lives. It is our choice, but why choose to go it alone when we can have the divine power, protection, and promises They offer us as we choose to joyfully bind ourselves to Them through a covenant relationship? That is what Elisha the prophet had, and because of that, he didn’t fear, even when he was surrounded by the wicked king’s armies.
Nephi saw our day:
“And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few. …
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:12, 14).
Covenant People Armed with Power
As members of Christ’s restored Church throughout the world, we are relatively few in numbers, but the promise is that the power of the Lamb of God will descend upon the covenant people of the Lord who are scattered upon all the face of the earth. That is us! As we keep our covenants with God, the promise is that we will be armed with His power.
I testify with President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, that we have angels around us on both sides of the veil. As he declared: “God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. … And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.”