We believe in God

There is a simple children's song that affirms the existence and loving nature of God:

I know my Father lives and loves me too.
The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true,
And tells me it is true.

(Children's Songbook, 5)

Latter-day Saints believe in God. Our first Article of Faith states, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost" (AofF 1:1). A simple, straight-forward declaration that we accept the three members of the Godhead so clearly revealed in the Holy Bible:

God the Father, commonly referred to as Heavenly Father or our Father in Heaven, is the supreme ruler of the universe. He is the father of all mankind. We are literally His offspring, made in His image. He is a holy being, who is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (through His Holy Spirit, all present). Prophets refer to Him as Elohim.

God the Son, commonly known as Jesus or Jesus Christ, is known by many names: Savior, Redeemer, Lord, the Only Begotten of the Father, Advocate, the Light of the world, the Great I Am, Emmanuel, the Holy One of Israel, the Prince of Peace, and many, many more, each revealing some important truth about His divine character. He was, under the direction of His Father, the creator of the world. He was the Jehovah of the Old Testament. He was sent into the world by His Father to atone for sin and to redeem mankind according to the terms and conditions set forth in His gospel.

God the Holy Ghost, commonly known as the Spirit or Holy Spirit or Spirit of God or Comforter, has many divine functions, including bearing witness of the Father and the Son and cleansing from sin.

Latter-day revelation confirms biblical truths about God: that God is the literal father of the human family, a Being who is concerned for the welfare of humankind, and an actual Personage who hears and answers prayer. We also know by revelation that the Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit without flesh and bone (see D&C 130:22-23).

Why does it matter that we know God and understand what He and His Son are like? Some religions teach that God is a mystery, that He is unknowable, that He is beyond comprehension. That does not square with what Jesus taught when He prayed, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). The Savior makes it clear that to obtain eternal life, the ultimate of salvation, we must know the Father and the Son.

Prophets in our day have seen the Father and the Son, beginning with Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820, who declared, "I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! (JS-H 1:17).

One of those prophets taught, "Realizing the importance of knowing the true nature of God, men had struggled to find a way to define Him. Learned clerics argued with one another. When Constantine became a Christian in the fourth century, he called together a great convocation of learned men with the hope that they could reach a conclusion of understanding concerning the true nature of Deity. All they reached was a compromise of various points of view. The result was the Nicene Creed of A.D. 325. This and subsequent creeds have become the declaration of doctrine concerning the nature of Deity for most of Christianity ever since.

"I have read them all a number of times. I cannot understand them. I think others cannot understand them. I am sure that the Lord also knew that many would not understand them. And so in 1820, in that incomparable vision, the Father and the Son appeared to the boy Joseph. They spoke to him with words that were audible, and he spoke to Them. They could see. They could speak. They could hear. They were personal. They were of substance. They were not imaginary beings. They were beings tabernacled in flesh. And out of that experience has come our unique and true understanding of the nature of Deity" (Gordon B. Hinckley, in Ensign, Nov. 2007).

I too know, by the witness of the Holy Spirit, that God lives. He is my Father. He answers my prayers. I have had too many experiences, too many evidences to believe or think otherwise.

I add my own witness, also given me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, my Savior, my Redeemer, the Light and Life of the world. His divine work is alive and well in this sick old world that needs His gospel and His love so very much. And, borrowing another prophet's simple, straightforward words, I also declare, "He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God" (Spencer W. Kimball, in He Lives: The Witness of Latter-day Prophets).

Ask, seek, and knock

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7).

During His second Galilean ministry Jesus delivered what has become known as the Sermon on the Mount (so called because the scriptural account reports that "he went up into a mountain: . . . and he opened his mouth, and taught them" [Matthew 5:1-2]). The discourse is recorded in our present Bible as the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters in the book of Matthew. Some of the same teachings also appear in the book of Luke (rearranged and scattered throughout chapters six, eight, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and sixteen). Comparable passages do not appear, however, in either Mark or John.

The specific verse we are focusing on here in Matthew is recorded in virtually identical words in Luke: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). The Savior was teaching His disciples that they should pray to Heavenly Father simply and sincerely for whatever they lacked. In other words, they were to ask of God in faith as a child might ask of a parent. The Lord's promise is straightforward and sure: if they asked, it would be given; if they sought, it would be found; if they knocked, it would be opened.

When we pray to God, it is important to keep in mind the true relationship we have with Him: He is our Father, and we are his children.

Prayer thus becomes natural and instinctive on our part. It is simple communication between child and parent. It is the means by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought together. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but for us to come to know the will of God and then seek to incorporate it in our individual lives. Prayer can secure for ourselves and others blessings a wise and generous Father is already willing to grant but that are conditional on our asking for them. The blessings of heaven are free, but they are not cheap. They require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work. It is the means Jesus appointed for us to obtain His merciful blessings. Thus He commands us to ask, to seek, and to knock.

The New Testament is filled with passages that teach the duty of prayer (such as Matthew 26:41; Luke 18:1; Luke 21:36; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 1 Timothy 2:1; 1 Timothy 2:8; and James 5:13-18). Prayer is clearly something our Heavenly Father wants us to do. He wants to hear from us. Just as an earthly parent wants to hear from an absent child, one who is away to school or off in the military or simply living in a distant place, our Heavenly Father wants to hear reguarly from us, not so much for His sake as for our sake.

Now, obviously, not all of our prayers are answered in the way we would like to see them answered. Not all of our petitions are granted. Not all of the doors we want opened in our lives are opened to us. What is that all about?

There are undoubtedly many reasons. First, like any wise parent, our Heavenly Father knows it would not be in our best interest to satisfy every whim and desire we may have. That would not be good for us. It would not promote our spiritual growth. It would not require us to increase our faith. It would not help us learn patience. It would not allow us to become holy. Nor would it enable us to become more like our Heavenly Father.

The followers of Christ are expected to "be partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). In other words, we are to put on the nature of God. We are to incorporate His nature into our very being. The Apostle Peter goes on in the same passage to list some of the elements of God's nature: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity (see 2 Peter 1:5-7). We are to grow into a fulness of the stature of Christ (see Ephesians 4:13). We are to put on the mind of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:16 and Philippians 2:5). We are to become Christlike. We are, in a word, to become like God. That is what children do, after all. They become like their parents. And prayer helps us do this.

Second, the followers of Christ are taught to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ (see, for example, John 14:13-14, John 15:16, and John 16:23-24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and Philippians 2:5), when our wishes are the wishes of Christ, when His words abide in us (John 15: 7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all. They do not represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart.

Third, answers come in response to genuine, heart-felt faith. An important and instructive passage on prayer is found in the epistle of James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord" (James 1:5-7).

These verses of scripture inspired a young boy in upstate New York in the spring of 1820 to ask of God which of all the religious denominations of the day was right and which was wrong. His record states:

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to 'ask of God,' concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God" (Joseph Smith-History 1:12-15).

What occurred next dramatically verified what both the Savior (in Matthew 7:7) and James (in James 1:5-7) had taught about answers to prayer.

Joseph continues his account: "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

"My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.'

"He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home" (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-20).

After centuries of apostasy and darkness, the heavens were opened once again in a marvelous theophany that verified the actual existence of God and that taught young Joseph that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ were actual, distinct, separate personages as the Bible clearly taught before its truths were obscured by the wrangling councils and creeds of later centuries. The philosophies of uninspired men had hijacked traditional Christianity from the simple scriptural truths taught by the Savior and His apostles. That falling away or apostasy from the truth was foreseen and prophesied of throughout the New Testament record (such as in 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Acts 20:28-31; Galatians 1:6-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; and Jude 1:3-4), but that is a subject for another day.

Simple, straightforward prayer had been vindicated. "Ask," Jesus taught, "and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).

© 2008 by Dean B. Cleverly. All rights reserved. This particular post is not intended as a definitive treatment of prayer but, rather, simply some observations on the Lord's answering prayer.

He has heard our prayers

The Lord has declared in modern times, “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). In early June of 1978 we witnessed renewed evidence that what Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 as part of the Wentworth Letter is still true: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9).

On Friday, June 9, 1978, the First Presidency publicly announced the receipt of the revelation received a week earlier extending the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church (see Official Declaration 2 in the Doctrine and Covenants). I published the following account the very next day—on Saturday, June 10, 1978—in a special issue of the Cleverly Newsletter as an "open letter to all our family and friends":

On Friday morning, June 9, 1978, all of the General Authorities of the Church who reside at Church headquarters were called to an early morning meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. They had been asked to come fasting and praying. In a manner most solemn and sacred, the statement of the First Presidency was read:

"To All General and Local Priesthood Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the World

"Dear Brethren:

"As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever-increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.

"Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.

"He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.

"We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known His will for the blessing of all His children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of His authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.

"Sincerely yours,
"Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, and Marion G. Romney"

President Kimball then responded, bearing his sweet and fervent testimony that the Lord had heard and answered by revelation his oft and fervent pleadings. Each General Authority present then had an opportunity to bear his testimony and share his feelings of joy and thanksgiving.

"Never have I felt the Spirit of the Lord more strongly," commented one of the Brethren to me later that day, "than I did this morning in that temple meeting."

Shortly after that historic meeting, Elder Carlos E. Asay and Rex D. Pinegar called together all of the staff of the Missionary Department, where I have the privilege of working, to make the announcement to us. As Elder Asay read the statement, my eyes filled with tears, my heart swelled with joy, and I felt like standing and shouting "Praise the Lord." My reaction was not unique. The Spirit of the Lord was strongly present, and many in the room wept openly—as I was doing—and were thrilled beyond all description at this monumental step forward.

Both Elder Asay and Elder Pinegar bore their testimonies and let us know in no uncertain terms that this was indeed a revelation from Almighty God. The Spirit confirmed their witness and riveted it into our souls. This was truth; it was so right; the Lord had spoken; the heavens had been opened.

Elder Pinegar opened the meeting for others to respond, and three or four of us bore our testimonies. I had that sacred opportunity, and only once before in my life during the bearing of my own testimony have I cried.

I recounted how I had served my mission in northern Brazil, where a large part of the population had the Negro lineage. The last city I worked in had an estimated 70 to 90 percent of its population who were black. Oh, how I grew to love those dear, humble people. They were warm, eager, and receptive. But their day and season had not yet arrived.

In Brazil there are many fine black members in the Church, many of them strong and faithful despite the restrictions they may not have understood but nevertheless accepted, grateful for those blessings of the gospel they were able to enjoy, and hoping for the day that has now arrived when the blessings of the priesthood would be theirs.

I recall specifically one dear, humble family in Petropolis, just out of Rio de Janeiro. They were poor even by Brazilian standards. They lived in a tiny house with a dirt floor and no electricity. But they were solid people, and they taught a young elder from North America what happiness was. The husband, who held the priesthood, was a counselor in the branch presidency. His wife and consequently the children were of Negro lineage. For eight or nine years the family had faithfully attended meetings before the elders would baptize them. And now to think that in only a few months when the Sao Paulo Temple is dedicated they will be able to go there and all be sealed together forever as a family.

Oh, how I wish I were in Brazil today!

Yesterday’s announcement was historic. In my mind it far surpasses in significance the Manifesto issued by President Wilford Woodruff in 1890. It perhaps even surpasses the revelation that came to Peter anciently when he was directed to begin taking the gospel to the gentiles (see Acts 10:1–11:18). This new revelation issued by President Kimball this week canceled what has been in effect through six long millennia since the days of Cain. It fulfills the promises and prophecies of various prophets that that day would come. We have witnessed prophecy fulfilled, and I would hope each of us would be wise enough to record the historic event in our journals and diaries.

Two things came across to me yesterday, among other things. First, President Kimball is a kind and loving man, filled with great concern for all of God’s children. He had struggled long and pled much with the Lord before this revelation came. The very tone of the First Presidency’s letter bears this out. Second, President Kimball is a courageous man. It is one thing to hear the voice of the Lord, but it is another to have the courage to carry it out.

This action did not come about, as some have already erroneously supposed, because of outside pressures brought to bear against the Church. It has come partly because we have a prophet who in the fulness of his near perfection is filled with charity, the pure love of Christ, and who paid the price to bring it about, prevailing upon the heavens with his giant Enoch-like faith. And it has come because in the economy of heaven and in the wisdom, justice, and mercy of an all-knowing and all-loving God the time was right for the full blessings of the gospel to be extended to all people everywhere "who will hearken to the voice of His authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel."

What the Lord said specifically of the Prophet Joseph Smith seems to apply so very well to President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith . . . .

"For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard" (D&C 21:4–5, 7).

How fully that fits President Kimball and how appropriate to what has just happened this week!

The First Presidency’s statement does not contain the phrase "thus saith the Lord," but it says it. They did say, "He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come." They did say, "We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known His will for the blessing of all His children."

I add my own humble testimony. God lives—of that there is no doubt. He has restored His priesthood in our day—of that there is no doubt. We have a mighty prophet in modern Israel—of that there is no doubt. The Spirit has borne powerful witness to my soul that this move to extend the priesthood to those who were formerly restricted is in fact a revelation from God. It is true. I know it as I know anything, and I declare that to you in the name of Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is. Amen.

Revelation on the priesthood

Thirty years ago President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985), twelfth president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, together with his two counselors in the First Presidency, issued the following letter, dated June 8, 1978:

To all general and local priesthood officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world:

Dear Brethren:

As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever-increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.

Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.

He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.

We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessing of all his children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of his authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.

Sincerely yours,

Spencer W. Kimball
N. Eldon Tanner
Marion G. Romney

The First Presidency

This letter was subsequently added as Official Declaration 2 in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Deliverance and redemption

When the Lord God brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of Egypt into the promised land, He reminded them that He was giving them cities which they had not built, houses full of good things they had not filled, wells they had not dug, and vineyards they had not planted (see Deuteronomy 6:10–11). Sort of like us today at the dawn of the 21st century.

“Beware,” He cautions them, “lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 6:12).

“And thou shalt remember,” He says unto them later, “that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee” (Deuteronomy 15:15).

This pattern of remembrance runs throughout the scriptures: We are in bondage and the Lord delivers and redeems us. And we are to remember that deliverance and redemption.

Indeed, an important purpose of the scriptures is that “they have enlarged the memory of this people . . . and brought them to the knowledge of their God” (Alma 37:8).

We are enjoined in many places throughout the scriptures to remember the Lord our Redeemer and what He has done both for our fathers and for us. The word “remember,” in some form or another, appears 454 times in the scriptures.

The summer that spreads before us is strewn with opportunities to remember our past, to recall what the Lord has done for our fathers, to recount what blessings we enjoy at His hand.

A week ago Monday was Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember specifically those who sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom and more generally all loved ones who have passed on to the other side.

In another ten days is Flag Day, a chance to remember the symbol of our God-given freedoms, a chance to reflect on the opportunities and responsibilities of living in this “sweet land of liberty” (Hymns, 339), “the land of the free and the home of the brave” (Hymns, 340). The Lord Himself referred to it as “a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth” (Ether 1:42).

Three weeks later, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate the birthday of our country and remember again that the Lord has particular designs for the destiny of this nation. He declared, “And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I have raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80).

And finally, we celebrate Pioneer Day, a wonderful commemoration of the great migration of our forebears to these western valleys. We remember their sacrifices, their devotion, their faith as they fulfilled the ancient prophecy that “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1) as the Lord “set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people” (Isaiah 11:11; 2 Nephi 21:11).

Deliverance and redemption. May each of us remember. And may each of us declare, as did the Psalmist anciently, “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old” (Psalms 77:11).

A prophet's mantle

In my last post, I referred to a sacred experience I had in the priesthood session of general conference on Saturday evening: "The Holy Spirit quietly but powerfully bore witness to my soul that Thomas S. Monson was indeed the Lord's anointed prophet, seer, and revelator for the season in which we now live. I am grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knows what my head already accepted."

I appreciated, therefore, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's comment the next day as he began his masterful talk in the closing session on Sunday afternoon: "Of the many privileges we have had in this historic conference, including participation in a solemn assembly in which we were able to stand and sustain you [President Monson] as prophet, seer, and revelator, I cannot help but feel that the most important privilege we have all had has been to witness personally the settling of the sacred, prophetic mantle upon your shoulders, almost as it were by the very hands of angels themselves. Those in attendance at last night’s general priesthood meeting and all who were present in the worldwide broadcast of this morning’s session have been eyewitness to this event. For all the participants, I express our gratitude for such a moment. I say that with love to President Monson and especially love to our Father in Heaven for the wonderful opportunity it has been to be “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16), as the Apostle Peter once said."

The notion of a previous prophet's mantle falling upon a new prophet stems from Old Testament times. After Elijah was dramatically taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (see 2 Kings 2:9-12), his mantle fell from him, and Elisha took it and performed his first prophetic miracle (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). The sacred text then records: "And when the sons of the prophets . . . saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha" (2 Kings 2:15).

And so it has happened once again in our time. The mantle of the prophet so ably worn by Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) during the past thirteen years has now fallen on Thomas S. Monson, and the Lord's Holy Spirit rests upon him.

A prophet of God

Thomas Spencer Monson became the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints two months ago on Sunday, February 3, 2008. His appointment came a week following the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, who had presided over the Church since 1995.


Yesterday morning in a solemn assembly at the beginning of the Church's annual general conference, President Monson was officially sustained as President of the Church.

Last night in the priesthood session of general conference, near the end of President Monson's talk to the assembled brethren, the Holy Spirit quietly but powerfully bore witness to my soul that Thomas S. Monson was indeed the Lord's anointed prophet, seer, and revelator for the season in which we now live. I am grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knows what my head already accepted.

"My friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God"

One of the heroes of my young adult life, as I was beginning a family and a career, was Spencer W. Kimball, who served as the twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 to 1985. As a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a sweetly bold prophet of the living God, he fired my mind and heart and soul with faith and love and a resolute desire to keep the commandments of God and to bless and lift the lives of those about me.

This evening I came across this stirring witness he once bore of the Savior he knew and loved so well:

We place [Jesus Christ] on a pedestal as no other group I know of. To us he is not only the Son of God, he is also a God and we are subject to him. . . .

No matter how much we say of him, it is still too little.

He is not only the Carpenter, the Nazarene, the Galilean, but Jesus Christ, the God of this earth, the Son of God, but most importantly, our Savior, our Redeemer. . . .

I add my own testimony. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God.

I add my own witness, given me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, my Savior, my Redeemer, the Light and Life of the world. His divine work is alive and well in this sick old world that needs His gospel and His love so very much. And, borrowing President Kimball's simple, straightforward words, I also declare, "He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God."

My love affair with the word of God

I love the Book of Mormon. I love the doctrine of Christ it teaches. I love the witness of Christ it bears. I love the spirit that accompanies it.

There is no book I have read more thoroughly or consistently throughout my life. I first read it as a twelve-year-old boy, influenced largely by my Grandma Batt, and it formed an important foundation for my faith and understanding and testimony. I do not know how many times I may have read it through in the years since then, but it has been more than once a year ever since President Ezra Taft Benson in the mid-1980s put renewed emphasis upon its centrality to our faith and testimony. So perhaps fifty times.

My love affair with the Book of Mormon in no way diminishes the regard and esteem and appreciation I have for the companion volumes of sacred writings compiled in the Holy Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

A simple insight from tonight's reading in 3 Nephi, that portion of the Book of Mormon that contains some of the resurrected Savior's teachings to the Nephites, echoing His similar teachings to the people in the Holy Land:

Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets" (3 Nephi 14:15). Much of the rest of the Christian world would esteem Joseph Smith and his duly appointed successors down to our day to be false prophets, but without regard it seems to me to the verse that follows: "Ye shall know them by their fruits" (3 Nephi 14:16).

The abundant fruits of Joseph's mission are public record, beginning first with the Book of Mormon itself. It is a remarkable achievement by any standard. John Taylor mentions some of the other fruits in what is now section 135 of the Doctrine and Covenants (see, for example, D&C 135:3). I think I could list a dozen more positive fruits that are evident from the life and ministry and teachings of the Prophet Joseph. Perhaps on another occasion.

The morning breaks

I have many favorite hymns. And through the various times and seasons of my life, different hymns speak to my soul in ways that strengthen my faith, fill me with love and thanksgiving, draw me closer to my Savior, and bring me peace. Some hymns remind me of important truths about life and God's tender mercies toward me and my family. And others celebrate His dealings with His children, centering often and appropriately in His redemptive sacrifice as Savior and Redeemer, but ranging also from the glorious restoration of His gospel in these latter days to His interventions in our daily lives to His anticipated and approaching Second Coming.

In this maiden post I reflect on one of my favorite hymns, a hymn text that celebrates the dawning of a brighter day, the breaking of a glorious new morning, the literal opening of the heavens as a part of the latter-day restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A phrase from the hymn serves as the theme and title of my blog.

"The Morning Breaks" comes from a poem written by Parley P. Pratt (1807-1857):

The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.

The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o'er the nations soon shall shine.

The Gentile fulness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand.
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.

Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live.
His mighty arm is making bare
His cov'nant people to receive.

Angels from heaven and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record borne;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth
To bring her ransomed children home.

This hymn celebrates the opening of the latter-day dispensation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning in the spring of 1820 when the Father and the Son appeared to the boy prophet Joseph Smith. I think it appropriate, therefore, that it also appear as the opening hymn in the current Latter-day Saint hymnal (published in 1985) as hymn number 1.