talksfollowfollow ( ** )

I wrote this talk for one of our children, who was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting 

I am grateful to share a few thoughts about “Following the Prophet”.   We hear this phrase often in the church.  Our primary children actually sing a song with that title.  I thought about the word “follow”.  Follow can mean several things, all of which apply to the phrase ‘Follow the Prophet’.  It can mean to obey, to agree with, or to think like.  Do we obey President Monson’s council, do we agree with President Monson, do we think like President Monson?  To follow can also mean to walk behind someone or something, going in the same direction as the person being followed.  I like that thought.  We could ask ourselves the question, “Am I directly behind President Monson, walking on the very same path that he is walking on, walking at the same speed that he is walking so as not to fall behind and lose sight of him, heading toward the very same goals that President Monson is heading for?  During our daily activities, can we in our mind’s eye look up and see President Monson’s shoulder just ahead of us, knowing that we are on holy ground because we are walking on the same path that President Monson is on? I also thought about how fast we have to walk to stay up with President Monson.  He is one who has definitely lengthened his stride. He also has long legs, and our commitment to the church and to the Lord will have to be firm if we expect to keep up with this wonderful prophet of ours, spiritually and doctrinally.

I also thought about which prophet we should be following?  We probably are all familiar with the remarkable account where Joseph Smith asked Brigham Young to give his opinion regarding the written word of God and the living prophets.  Wilford Woodruff reported this story: (Quote) “I attended a certain meeting in Kirtland in my early days.  At that meeting some remarks were made with regard to the living prophets and with regard to the written word of God.  A leading man in the church talked upon the subject and said, ‘You have the word of God in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon, and in the Doctrine and Covenants. What is written in those books is the word of God and we should confine ourselves to them.’  When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brigham Young and said, ‘Brother Brigham, take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the living prophets and the written word of God’.  Brigham Young stood, took the Bible and laid it down; took the Book of Mormon and laid it down; took the Doctrine and Covenants and laid it down. He then said, ‘There is the written word of God to us concerning the work of God.  But now, when compared with the living oracles or prophets, those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God directly to us now, as do the words of a prophet, a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation.  I would rather have the living prophets than all the writing in those books.’  After Brigham Young concluded, the prophet Joseph stood and said, ‘Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, he has told you the truth!’ ”  (end quote).  This story points out the importance of our living prophet, and the fourteen other living prophets that stand at his side.  The most important prophet for us right now is President Thomas S. Monson because he is the living prophet of God on the earth, and his council is current and important for us in our daily lives.  We honor and revere the wonderful prophets that have preceded him, both modern and ancient, and find great strength and faith in their teachings and their lives, but right now we should walk stride for stride with President Monson, our ordained leader.

I also feel, however, that if we follow the living prophet, we are actually following all prophets, because our prophets are all of one mind, one voice, one spirit in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The teachings of all prophets, modern and ancient, are consistent, dependable, and reliable.  We can be assured of being on the path to eternal life if our lives are in compliance with the teachings of all prophets.  I bear my testimony that I know President Monson is a true and living prophet of God, guiding the church as a whole and us individually on the path the Savior has marked.

The phrase “Follow The Prophet” is somewhat general.  I thought about what exactly we need to do in our lives to follow our prophet.  I came up with five suggestions for myself, and perhaps they would be of value to you as well.

ONE: We follow the prophet when we read and live by the scriptures.  We have been counseled over and over again about the importance of daily scripture reading.  One reason might be because we literally hear the voices of our prophets, past and present, as we read.  Who can doubt that the prophet Alma was speaking to us as well as his son when he said:  “O remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth, yea, learn in they youth to keep the commandments of God. Cry unto God for all thy support, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.” How many lives have been affected for good by these verses?  How much good and righteousness has flowed into countless lives as these inspired words have been followed. How beautiful would our lives be if we truly cried unto the Lord every day, if all our doings or actions were dedicated unto the Lord, if the Lord was with us wherever we went, if all our thoughts were directed to the Lord, and if all our affection and love was placed on the Lord? Alma led that type of life. President Monson lives that type of life. We can live that type of life.

Who can doubt that the prophet Nephi was speaking to us as well as to his people when he said “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Chrsit, and endure to the end, behold, Ye shall have eternal life.”  How many saints have received faith and courage and determination by reading of these great verses.  How great could our lives be if we truly were steadfast in Christ, if our hope was perfectly bright, if we loved God and all men?  So many life-strengthening examples could be given from the scriptures  Truly, we follow the prophet when we immerse ourselves in the words of our prophets, the holy scriptures.

TWO: We follow the prophet when we do missionary work.  I was impressed by the story of Sister Silvia Allred in our recent General Conference regarding missionary work.  She said, “Almost fifty years ago, two diligent missionaries came to the home of my parents. Because of their faithful missionary service, the blessings of the gospel have now touched four generations in our family. I was married in the temple and have 8 children. They are all faithful, endowed members of the church.  Six of them are now married and have their own children. There are now 34 active, faithful members of the church just in my own family. And that is not all. Both my husband and I served missions. Our two sons and three of our daughters served missions. We have helped literally hundreds of people embrace the gospel in many countries. Some of those converts and their children have served missions.  All of this occurred because two faithful missionaries so long ago followed their prophet and answered the call to serve.”

THREE: We follow the prophet when we follow his counsel.  Two weeks ago, President Monson and the other apostles counseled us to do all of the following things: Learn what you should learn, do what you should do, be what you should be;  lift where you stand!; pray for the leaders of nations where the gospel is not presently accepted that their hearts will be softened and that doors will open to allow the church to spread the true gospel of Christ; pray for these miracles to happen; we were counseled to occasionally pray only with expressions of gratitude, asking for nothing, only expressing thanks. Many, many other words of counsel were given.  We need to actively incorporate this counsel into our lives. We need to view our conference reports as scripture, for that is what they are.  The words of our prophets in conference are the mind of the Lord, the will of the Lord, the voice of the Lord to us right now in our daily lives.  We follow the prophet when we listen to his words, read his words, and apply them in our lives. My 5th great grandfather, Parley P. Pratt, knew what it meant to follow the counsel of a prophet.  He related the following story in his autobiography. In early 1836, Parley, along with the other apostles, were called by the Prophet Joseph to leave their homes and families and to proclaim the gospel to the nations of the earth.  Circumstances could not have been more challenging for Parley. A home which he had been building for his family had recently burned down and they had no permanent residence. He was deeply in debt. His wife was extremely ill, having suffered from consumption for over 10 years. But Parley was promised by the prophet that if he would go and serve faithfully, his wife would be instantly healed, his family would be provided for, he would a people in Toronto, Canada who were prepared to receive the gospel of Christ, and that the Lord would deliver him from his present debt. With a trust in the Lord and his prophet that almost defies comprehension, Parley put on his only coat, put a few scraps of food in his pockets, bade farewell to his wife, and embarked on foot for his mission to Canada. After many days of difficult travel, he arrived in Hamilton, New York on the shores of Lake Ontario.  I now quote from Parley’s account: “My destination was Toronto, many miles away on the north side of the lake. If I had to go by land I would have a terrible route, muddy and tedious by foot. To take a steamer on the lake would cost two dollars but would convey me to Toronto in just a few hours, saving many days of laborious walking. But I was a stranger in Hamilton and money I had none. Under these circumstances I pondered what to do. I had many times received answers to prayer in such matters, but now it seemed hard to exercise faith because I was among total strangers and was entirely unknown. The Spirit seemed to whisper to me to try the Lord, and see if anything was too hard for him, that I might know and trust Him under all circumstances. I retired to a secret place in a forest and prayed to the Lord for money to enable me to cross the lake.  I then entered Hamilton and commenced to chat with some people.  I had not tarried many minutes before I was approached by a stranger. He inquired my name and where I was going. He also asked me if I needed money. I said yes. He then gave me ten dollars and a letter of introduction to one John Taylor, of Toronto. I took the boat and arrived in Toronto just a few hours later.”  Brothers and sisters, that John Taylor whom the stranger mentioned was the first person that Parley preached the gospel to on his mission. He and his entire family embraced the gospel, and he subsequently served as the President of the Church. What incredible things were accomplished for the Lord because Parley P. Pratt was willing to follow his prophet, trust in the Lord, and serve faithfully?  Our commitment to follow and obey should be as strong and firm as was Parley’s.

FOUR: We follow the prophet when we live like the prophet lives. What wonderful examples of Christ-like living they have and continue to provide.  As I read some words from the Doctrine and Covenants, see if you don’t think this describes President Monson — “And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, and diligence.”  President Monson serves as an example of a Latter-day Saint that has actually lived these principles during his entire life.  Is there a greater example of a man who has displayed brotherly kindness and charity than President Monson?  I would suggest that following the prophet in part suggests living the kind of life he leads, and in President Monson we have the best of examples.  Another great example comes from the life of President George Albert Smith, one of our previous prophets.  “The sun shone fiercely on a hot summer day in Salt Lake City. There was a problem underneath the street near the home of President George Albert Smith. Several workmen from the city had come to fix the problem. The workmen were not polite with their language. They were swearing, profaning, and using terrible language as the sun beat down on their backs. The nearby neighbors, who had the windows of their homes open, could hardly stand to hear the filthy language of the workmen. One of the neighbors went out to where they were working and demanded that they be more considerate. He pointed out that they were working right in front of the home of the President of the Church, George Albert Smith. He told them to show some respect and stop their filthy language. At that, the vile men let loose with a new string of profanity and spoke even more loudly than before. President Smith, who also had his windows open, had heard this entire exchange.  He scurried around in his kitchen and prepared some ice-cold lemonade. He placed some glasses and the full pitcher on a tray, carried it out to the workmen, and said, ‘My friends, you look so hot and tired. Why don’t you come and sit here under my trees and have a cool drink with me?’ Their anger gone, the men responded to the kindness with meekness and appreciation. After their pleasant break, they went back to their labor and finished their work carefully and quietly.” There are probably ten or twenty different ways this situation could have been handled improperly, but President Smith, prophet of God, handled it in the Christ-like manner.  We should follow our prophets by living like they live, close to the Lord, and in strict compliance with the commandments of God.

FIVE: We follow the prophet when we follow the Savior.  We can be assured that when we follow the prophets, we are following the Savior.  President Monson, two weeks ago, bore a strong testimony that he and the First Presidency are united in their desire to do the Lord’s will.  They know this is His church, that He leads it, and that they are instruments in His hands to bless the lives of the people of the earth.  The Savior has asked us to come, and follow Him.  We can be assured that as we, in our mind’s eye, look forward and see President Monson leading us onward, we can also see just in front of him our Savior, marking the path and leading the way.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  None of us can come unto the Father, but through Him.

I close by expressing thanks for the example of people in my life that have followed the prophet, and the influence they have had on me. Their example helps me to choose the right and follow the prophet. My Grandpa and Grandma Rudd have devoted their entire lives to serving the Lord, and have left their home and family on countless occasions to serve throughout the world. The members of our extended family continue to set wonderful examples for me of faithfulness and devotion to the Savior.  I love my parents for raising me in a home where the gospel was taught and lived. I thank my brothers and sisters, great young men leaders and bishoprics, and worthy friends.  I love Bishop Moore, Bishop Mix, and President Francom and thank them for their help.

I bear my testimony that we are members of the true church, that the priesthood has been restored, that we have a living prophet guiding this church and declaring God’s word, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us, and that our Savior lives and gave His life that we might live eternally with Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.