Noah

“[Noah] stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day.”¹—The Prophet Joseph Smith

My father gave me the name Noah, which means “rest,” because he believed I would bring comfort to my family. I lived during a dark time plagued with violence, hate, and other sins.²

God, warning me that a flood would destroy the wicked, instructed me to build a ship and gather food and animals. With the help of my three sons and through the inspiration of God, I worked on the ship for the next 120 years. There wasn’t even evidence of rain.³

I also preached repentance, hoping that some would listen and escape the Flood. From the translation of Enoch until the Flood, many faithful people were taken into heaven without tasting death, but others refused to repent.⁴

When my family finally boarded the ark, we sealed the door and did not open it again until the rains ceased and the ground dried, close to a year later.⁵ When we disembarked, God covenanted never to flood the earth again. A rainbow arced across the sky as a symbol of His promise. He commanded us to expand our families and to continue living the gospel, and I became the second father of the human race.⁶

Centuries later, as an angel named Gabriel,⁷ I announced to the priest Zacharias that he would be the father of John the Baptist, and I appeared to Mary and told her that she would give birth to the Savior.⁸

My life demonstrates that, even during difficult times, you will never stand alone if you follow God. The floods of life will eventually settle, and you will see the beauty of the gospel in your life, just like the rainbow that crosses the sky.