Prophets

I was asked to speak last Sunday on the Restoration. The talks given the previous week were also given on the restoration so I struggled with knowing what to speak on.  As I was making dinner, I started thinking of the restoration as individual components rather than as a whole. The Lord then flooded my mind with past experiences that involved the gospel. Tears found their way down my cheeks as I realized how integral the gospel has been in my life. The gospel is not just one section of my identity -- it is who I am. It floods every aspect of me.  Every thought I have and every decision I make stems from some portion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I began to ponder on the restoration of prophets. The Lord spoke to His people in the bible through prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Peter and Paul. What a blessing it is that we have prophets who speak to God in our day. I thought on this for awhile when this past experience came back to my mind...

President Hinckley was the prophet of my youth.  I have a dear love for him as I’m sure many of you do. It was under the duration of his prophetic calling that I truly became rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Following his death, President Thomas S. Monson was called to be the president of the Church. My grandma lives in Holloday, Utah and happens to be in the prophet’s ward. I was in town visiting her shortly after President Monson became the prophet. The prophet travels often and attends his home ward sporadically.  The weekend I was visiting happened to be a weekend he would be attending.  I sat in the chapel listening to the prelude music feeling a little jittery. I knew I was going to be in the presence of the prophet and I was nervous.  I had such a love for President Hinckley and I was worried I would feel differently toward President Monson. I was sitting in the front corner pew of the chapel when suddenly the prelude music stopped and everyone stood. Butterflies swarmed my stomach as I heard the organist start to play ‘We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet.” I turned my head toward the door right as he was walking in. As he walked to the front of the chapel I could feel a permeating wave of warmth emanate from him and ripple out toward the entire congregation. I could feel of his prophetic calling and the mantel which he bore. I can still feel it as I recount this experience.  

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that God speaks to living prophets.  I can not deny and testify of this truth... and a glorious truth it is.