Calling on the Name of the Lord Daily

In the most recent general conference, Elder D. Martin Goury spoke about the importance of being clean in order to hear the voice of the Spirit. He gave this analogy: “My eternal companion was born with a hearing impairment and as a result must wear hearing aids. Dust and sweat can affect the performance of these devices, and so each morning I observe her diligently cleaning the connecting tubes before wearing the aids. This simple yet consistent routine eliminates any dirt, moisture, or condensation, thereby improving her ability to hear and communicate effectively. When she overlooks this daily ritual, her ability to hear suffers throughout the day; spoken words gradually fade and eventually become inaudible. Just as her daily hearing aid cleaning allows her to hear clearly, daily repentance allows us to discern the guidance of the Lord through the Holy Ghost.” The prophet has invited us multiple times to repent daily, and this act to reflect upon our behavior and deeds and thoughts each day, looking for what we need to change, can be compared to the cleaning of hearing aids in order to properly hear. I do not wear hearing aids, but I do wear glasses and have noticed the same thing. When I don’t regularly clean the lens, they start to develop spots on them that impair my vision. Usually it is a gradual process by which they become dirty, and I do not end up cleaning them until I really notice the difference looking through the lenses. But if I would clean then every day, they would rarely get that bad and my vision would never be affected. Similarly, we should not wait until we have “big” things to repent of; if we seek each day to improve our actions, we likely won’t ever be able to go very far off course. As we join daily repentance with daily scripture study and prayer, we will have the spiritual momentum we need to face our daily challenges. President Nelson put it this way: “With frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily “by the good word of God” can crumble. Thus, the antidote to Satan’s scheme is clear: we need daily experiences worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel…. My dear brothers and sisters, with all the pleadings of my heart, I urge you to get on the covenant path and stay there. Experience the joy of repenting daily.” 

               The Book of Mormon highlights the importance of daily worship and focus on spiritual things. While the story of King Lamoni describes a dramatic change in a short period of time, it is important to note that this change only lasted because of continued repentance and a daily focus on the Lord. Mormon recorded, “And Ammon did preach unto the people of king Lamoni; and it came to pass that he did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God” (Alma 21:23). After the conversion of his people, King Benjamin taught them that they should be “calling on the name of the Lord daily” in order to rejoice and retain a remission of their sins (Mosiah 4:11). Alma highlighted that one of the problems that led the Zoramites down the wrong path was that they would not “observe the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily, that they might not enter into temptation” (Alma 31:10). They fell into temptation because they did not worship the Lord daily. Amulek subsequently urged these Zoramites, “That ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you” (Alma 34:38). To live in thanksgiving daily for the mercies and blessings of the Lord enables us to stay close to His Spirit and to not be led away by the temptations of the adversary. Later Mormon described how Nephi and Lehi and “many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine” had “many revelations daily” (Helaman 11:23). In other words, they sought the Spirit in their lives each day and received revelations from the Lord to guide their daily walk. As Elder Goury invited us, we too can develop the “ability to discern the promptings of the Holy Ghost through righteous living and daily repentance.” This will enable us to have clear spiritual vision and hearing to direct our lives each day.