Lay Hold Upon the Word of God

To my daughter, 

                Recently Elder Bednar invited us to read the book of Helaman in the Book of Mormon and apply its lessons to our own lives. I wanted to share with you what we learn in Helaman 3 when Mormon described how “the work of the Lord did prosper” among the Nephites. He wrote how thousands joined the church and were baptized, and then he made this comment: “Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.” Those who came unto the Lord did so through sincere prayer, and the Lord answered their prayers and showed mercy. Mormon continued, “Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out” (Helaman 3:27-30). I love this description of the power of the word of God which, if we will hold on to it, will take us back to our Father in Heaven. If we do not let go, the word of God found in the scriptures and words of the living prophets will guide us away from all the temptations of the adversary and keep us from his snares so that we can find salvation and joy in Jesus Christ. There is great power in the word of God, and I hope you will always remember that.

                I want to encourage you today to remember to do these two things every day: pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ, and read the word of God in the scriptures. I hope you will develop the habit now to pray every morning and night and to read your scriptures daily. I remember my mission president once saying to a departing Elder, returning home after his two years of service, something like this: “If your life becomes so busy that you have to choose between eating and reading your scriptures, and you eat, you are a fool!” In other words, reading the scriptures is even more important than eating! You would of course never forget to eat because your body reminds you that you are hungry. I hope you come to feel that reading in the scriptures each day is just as important to your spirit and must be done every day. Even if you read only for a small amount of time, it will make all the difference in your day. I hope you will always remember these words of Elder Richard G. Scott, a former apostle: “Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!... As you dedicate time every day, personally and with your family, to the study of God’s word, peace will prevail in your life.” Similarly, the prophets have repeatedly taught us that we need prayer every day. In the same talk Elder Scott encouraged us with these words, “Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life. Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences.” We can follow these words of Alma to his son Helaman and speak to Him day morning and night in prayer: “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:37). Never forget that you need the power that comes from both prayer and scripture study in your life every day! And when you feel like you are too busy, remember these words of an apostle and don’t succumb to the lie that says you don’t have time for the Lord. I know that I have been richly blessed in my life through these two daily activities. 

Love,

Dad