Imagine Saints all over the world raising their hands to sustain the Church leaders at general conference. It’s a powerful image! But what does it mean?
Let’s start with the scriptures. The Old Testament has a great example of “sustaining” someone literally. The Israelites were fighting a battle. As long as their leader, Moses, stood on the hill above them with his arms raised, the Israelites won. When he lowered his arms, they began to lose. So Moses kept his arms raised—and when he got too tired, Aaron and Hur stood on either side and physically held them up. (See Exodus 17:8–12.)
When we sustain our Church leaders today, we:
- Agree to help support them.
- Do everything we can to help them fulfill their callings.
- Follow their instructions and accept assignments from them.
- Don’t bad-mouth or second-guess them.
When he was in the Quorum of the Twelve, President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities.”1
And that applies to all Church leaders, whether it’s the prophet, an Apostle, a General Officer, your stake president, your bishop, or your class president—or any other calling in between. When you raise your hand to sustain them, you are pledging your encouragement and support!
Sustaining the Prophet
Notes
1. From “Sustaining the Prophets,” Oct. 2014 general conference.