Weathering Life with the Companionship of the Holy Ghost
Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Good evening, brothers and sisters. I’m so thankful for that song. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and it’s given me a sense of peace and love at this time. I also want to express my humility and love for being here with you this evening. Knowing many people around the world, it’s very humbling to know the prayers that have been spoken. And I want to send my love to our grandchildren we haven’t seen for many months. Hopefully they’re listening and know how much we love them.
If they were here, they would testify to the fact that I love weather, all kinds of weather: sunshine, pleasant breezes, snowstorms, windstorms, thunderstorms, and even nor’easters, with giant swells and waves breaking on a beach. Over the last 45 years we’ve lived in many different parts of the United States and around the world, and each place had its own weather challenges. In the United States, in the Midwest it was dramatic lightning storms and tornadoes; in the Southeast it was hurricanes; in the Northeast, blizzards, freezing rains, and ice storms; in the West, hot Santa Ana winds and earthquakes. In West Africa there were torrential downpours and dust storms from the Harmattan, which were the red sands from the Sahara blowing across the country; in Europe there was rain, sleet, snow, and sunshine, sometimes all in the same day; and then in Asia we felt the power of typhoons. All of these different weather experiences were always exciting to me! What can I say? I love weather!
That being said, as much as I look forward to experiencing Mother Nature and her grandeur, I have a profound respect for the power and possible danger always present in fierce weather events. I would never risk my life, no matter the temptation or beauty I see in that force. I would never purposely choose to put myself in the middle of an open field just to observe an amazing show of lightning; I would not dive into an ocean while powerful, majestic waves are crashing dangerously on shore; and I would not tempt Mother Nature by failing to take shelter with the coming of a tornado or hurricane. I definitely recognize my own puniness compared to the full force of the weather present around me.
For me, the force of shifting weather is an important life metaphor. As we walk out our doors each day, you and I are greeted not only by uncontrollable physical weather events but also by ever-powerful spiritually weathering forces and temptations. Though the circumstances are likely different for each of you, it should cause you to ask, “How can I best prepare for the daily weathering that surrounds my life?”
I believe we do this by what our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, strongly counseled at our recent conference, to follow the “profound declaration that opened this dispensation [when] God … said, ‘This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!’ [Joseph Smith—History 1:17].”1
We may not fully see or comprehend what may be swirling toward us, above us, or behind us, or always be able to anticipate powerful and unseen forces coming our way, but we can be confident in our daily journey if we “hear Him.” Elder Boyd K. Packer was often heard to say, “If all you know is what you see with your natural eyes and hear with your natural ears, then you will not know very much.”
A great truth of the First Vision is this reality: if you depend solely on your own vision and knowledge, you will be sorely limited in seeing the larger picture surrounding you, and your soul may be in danger. At the recent general conference, President Nelson again said:
“It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord.
“I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.”2
Long ago, through spiritual tutoring with personal struggles and answers to prayer, I became aware of this profound reality and truth: To help us see and prepare for any swirling weather or storms, God gave us the promise and gift of the Holy Ghost and personal revelation. It is a priceless gift in our daily lives, able to “show unto [us] all things what [we] should do.”3
When I was growing up, I thought of revelation as something only for Church leaders or prophets, apostles, bishops, and older people, but certainly not for me as a young person. Today I know differently, and I testify this evening that personal revelation is a blessing we must seek. When our hearts and minds are humble, teachable, and open with faith in Jesus Christ, we will be taught truths and guided by the Holy Ghost. Some of you may feel you are not worthy of God’s guiding voice. You may feel as Laman and Lemuel, that God will not make his voice “known” to you. Do not believe that. His Spirit is available to all. Elder D. Todd Christofferson recently said, “We do not need … some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be [yours] every hour of every day.”4 God will meet you where you are, without conditions. Jesus said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.”5 Of course, heaven draws even closer and more open as you humbly and diligently seek to understand and keep His commandments.
Your life and the lives of others will be blessed as you act boldly on any and all promptings given to you by the Spirit. May I share an experience that taught me this truth years ago? Many years ago, when our oldest daughter was a student at the University of Utah, I was peacefully awakened in the middle of the night and received an immediate, calm impression about her. I was wide awake but did not feel any fear—just love for her—but was impressed that she may be in danger. We lived in Connecticut, and she was clear across the country, in Utah. Then this thought came to me: “Call the police. Ask them if they can send a police car to check out the area around where she lives.” I hesitated for a minute, trying to understand what I was hearing, and heard the voice again: “Call the police.” So I did just that. I called the police. I couldn’t explain to the officer exactly why I was asking this in the middle of the night, but I told him I would really appreciate it if he would please send a car to check out the area around my daughter’s house. He assured me he would, and I calmly went back to bed. I awoke the next day hardly remembering what had occurred during the night.
Several days later, while traveling to Utah and while driving to our hotel, we heard on the radio that the police had arrested a man in connection with assaults that had taken place around the housing near the University of Utah campus. The report said that a young woman had been tragically murdered one evening that week. My heart stopped, and I immediately remembered my middle-of-the-night call to the police several days earlier. I have no idea if that was even the same evening. And I have no idea if her sorority was one of the targeted houses. I will never know exactly what happened that night, but I do know that a quiet nudge awoke me in the middle of the night and compelled me to make a call to help ensure my daughter’s safety in what was an apparently unsafe situation.
The storms of life may seem overpowering at times, but there is no more powerful force than the power of the priesthood and the gift of the Holy Ghost in your life right now. On the night of His Atonement, the Savior taught that the Father’s priceless gift of the Holy Ghost is given to bring peace and comfort to your soul, to “teach … all things” and to “bring all things to your remembrance,”6 to “guide you into all truth” and “shew you things to come.”7 We are given the Holy Ghost to “fill [our souls] with joy.”8
These blessings humble and overwhelm me at times. Is it any wonder that President Nelson is inviting us to do all we can to receive personal revelation and hear the voice of God through the Holy Ghost in our lives? Have you noticed the theme of personal revelation and counsel to recognize the Spirit’s gift in your life emerging from the last three years of conference? I have and am profoundly grateful for their counsel to anchor our testimonies and life with our own personal, purposeful, and individual gifts of light and spirit.
In the days and years ahead, you will have experiences that will manifest different ways the Spirit works and speaks in your life. Do not ignore these impressions. It may be a small whisper or a gentle nudge. It may be a feeling or a thought or even direct and clear instruction. It may be a reoccurring impression or a person’s name. The Holy Ghost definitely brings bursts of intelligence and understanding that enlightens our minds. I personally have experienced most of these manifestations and have learned that if a person’s name or face keeps coming to mind, then I need to pick up the phone and call them. I have learned to follow thoughts and promptings even when there was no specific explanation or outcome that I could see. The Spirit has warned me not to go to certain places and to turn away from certain people and certain activities. This experience of having the Spirit whisper to you and talk to you is a lifetime experience. It doesn’t just happen once. It will take many times for you to learn to discern what you are hearing and how you are being directed.
Why did I choose to speak to you about this? Just as we cannot fully see or hear all forms of severe weather on the horizon and are not always aware of all the circumstances before us, if we only use our natural eyes and ears to understand the circumstances, then we will not be prepared for life’s forces and the storms around us. I am impressed that the only true language we all must hear, know, and understand is the language of the Spirit. May you perfect that language in your life. As you do, you will be guided, protected, and lifted in every needful way.
Dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters, I am not a scholar. I am not a master of the scriptures. But I am a believer. I know that this is the true and living Church of Jesus Christ, that revelation is real, and that the heavens are open to you. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He is your Savior, and He desires to bless you, protect you, intercede for you, guide you, and lift you. When no one else understands you, He does. He understands. I lovingly urge that you face toward the Savior each day—not away. Turn toward Him with faith in those truths you know to be true. Don’t let your doubts, your fears, or those things that keep you up at night turn you away from the protection and power of the Holy Ghost and promises of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Each of you are genuinely loved by our Heavenly Father and our Savior.
I pray that God will answer your prayers as never before and grant you every gift of the Holy Ghost that you need to move forward in life and say this with great love for each of you. There will be rough and rocky days ahead. But I promise there will be many more beautiful, joyful, peaceful days with blue skies and warm breezes when you turn to Him who has all power over heaven and earth.
I say this with love, in the sacred name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.