Nothing Shall Be Impossible Unto You

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go with my family to see the new movie Faith of Angels. We have been looking forward to this for a long time because it tells the story of my cousin Joshua Dennis who was lost in the Hidden Treasure Mine for five days. A man named John Skinner, who knew the mine better than any other person, tried and tried for those five days to be given access to help search the mine. But he was denied access because he was not a professional search and rescue person. Finally, they let him in on the last day before they were going to call the search off. After five days of the “experts” combing the twenty-two miles of the mine for endless hours, he went in and in less than twenty minutes he found Joshua still alive. My take-away this time contemplating this story is that being guided by the Lord and His Spirit makes all the difference. John had been prompted by the Lord repeatedly during those five days, and he went into the mine with three spots he felt strongly he needed to check. Joshua was at the third one. In our own lives, in whatever we are trying to accomplish, following the Spirit of the Lord is always the most important thing we can do. What did the Savior give His apostles when He departed from them? It was the Holy Ghost—that was the key thing they needed in His absence: “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you…. It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). While we may not have the Savior with us in person now in this life, we can have the Comforter to guide and direct us and teach us of Him, and there is no greater gift we can have in mortality.

                In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord declared, “These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:34-36). We can testify that we have heard His voice when what we read or hear is given to us by the power of His Spirit. When the Holy Ghost speaks to us, we can know that we have heard the voice of Jesus Christ. Another verse puts it this way: “And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4). Whatever the Holy Ghost tells us is the voice of the Lord, and we strive to have the Spirit with us so that we can hear and understand the voice of Jesus Christ.

We learn to hear the voice of the Savior through the scriptures because those were given by the power of the Holy Ghost. And there is special power in the words He spoke directly, for the Holy Ghost bears witness of His words. In his recent talk in general conference, Elder Brian K. Taylor told of an experience speaking to a family who was grieving the tragic loss of their twelve-year-old son from a fire. He recounted, “On the stand while pondering what I might say to offer comfort to this remarkable family and their friends, this thought came: ‘Use the Savior’s words.’” There are no more powerful words to use because the Holy Ghost will bear witness to what the Savior said. He continued with these well-known words that we should ponder again and again: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; … that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” In the movie, Joshua shared this verse containing the words of Jesus Christ in a family home evening shortly before being lost in the mine: “For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). The Holy Ghost bears witness that this is true and through the power of Jesus Christ we can do all things He needs us to. John Skinner figuratively moved that mountain to find what no one else can find, and with the Holy Ghost as our guide and faith in the Savior nothing will be impossible to us.