Listen to a Prophet’s Voice

By Diane S. Nichols

“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, … whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38).

If Jesus Christ was coming to speak to you, would you take time to listen? Each April and October, the prophet and other General Authorities speak to us in general conference. They tell us the things the Savior would tell us if He were here. Their words will guide us in our lives.

In the Book of Mormon, we read about King Benjamin, a prophet. When he was old, he wanted to teach his people about the Savior one more time. He had a tall tower built near the temple, so he could be heard by all the people.

The people pitched their tents around the temple and were ready when King Benjamin spoke. However, there were so many people that everyone couldn’t hear him. So he had his words written down and given to the people.

When he finished speaking, the people wanted to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. They made a covenant to always remember Jesus. The people did what the Lord, through their prophet, asked them to do (see Mosiah 1–6).

Last October, our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, spoke to us, and he will speak to us this April. Like King Benjamin, he speaks to us for the Savior. He doesn’t need a high tower; he speaks to us from the new Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

Not everyone can go to the Conference Center to hear President Hinckley speak. So his words are carried by television, satellite, radio, computer, videotapes, and Church magazines to people all over the world. It is important to listen to his words just as we would listen to Jesus Christ. Through President Hinckley, the Savior is speaking to us!

Instructions

Glue page 5 onto heavy paper.
Cut out the two sections and the window in section 1.
List four things our prophet asks us to do. List four things you will do to follow the prophet’s counsel.
Color the pictures of children doing things prophets have asked us to do.
Form two tubes by gluing the ends of section 1 together, and then gluing the ends of section 2 (see illustration).
Place section 2 inside section 1, and turn it until a picture is visible. Each day, turn the pictures and remember what you will do to follow the prophet.

Border art by Sharri Cook; photo illustration by Steve Bunderson; illustrated by Jerry Harston

Section 1
THINGS THE PROPHET ASKS ME TO DO
THINGS I WILL DO TO FOLLOW THE PROPHET
Section 2
I will pray.
I will study the scriptures.
I will remember the Savior.
I will be kind to others.

Sharing Time Ideas

Attach statements from conference addresses or from “Special Witnesses of Christ” (see Liahona, April 2001, 2–24) along a string, with BIRTH as a label at one end and ETERNAL LIFE at the other. Explain that when we come to earth, we cannot remember Heavenly Father’s plan for us. We must learn from the scriptures and our living prophets about His plan. Place a blindfold over a child’s eyes to represent forgetting our premortal existence, and have him or her move along the string from BIRTH to a statement. Remove the blindfold and have the child read the statement and tell how the message can be applied to his or her life. Continue until all the messages have been read. Sing “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (Hymns, number 19).
To help the children understand how we progress line upon line, make a poster of a ladder without rungs. Have the children choose the rungs from a container. Write on each rung something the prophets have counseled us to do. Explain that with only one or two rungs, it is impossible to climb the ladder, but with all the rungs, we can climb to the top and obtain the happiness Heavenly Father has in store for those who follow the prophets’ counsel. Reinforce the topic on each rung by singing a song or hymn.