Thy Constant Companion

I have vague recollections of family road trips where we had to navigate new places with these paper things called maps. Those induced rather stressful experiences as we tried to get places using only printed pieces of paper to figure out where to go. I remember one time my brother-in-law driving us around in New York on a family vacation cried out in exasperation, “Where’s the road?!” That at least got us all laughing. My point is that we are very blessed to have electronic maps and navigation systems that walk us step by step from one place to another. It makes moving around in a new place much easier, but of course we have to learn how to use the technology and follow the directions properly. They are different from the paper maps in many ways because they are constantly updated, they have far more detail, and they are so relevant that they can even alert us of traffic or police presence or other current conditions where we are driving. This electronic navigation is like the Holy Ghost that can guide us in our lives. It is always current and updated with the latest information from heaven. And just as it is important for a new driver to learn how to understand the directions in navigation systems and follow them, so too is it important for us to learn how to hear the Holy Ghost and do what it guides us to do. The Lord has promised us to lead us through the Comforter, such as in this verse: “And I will send upon him the Comforter, which shall teach him the truth and the way whither he shall go” (Doctrine and Covenants 79:2). He also said, “Go your way whithersoever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go” (Doctrine and Covenants 31:11). One of my favorite scriptures is this promise by the Lord: “And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18). Through the Holy Ghost, the Savior leads us along, just like our electronic navigation systems lead us along while we are driving. And when using those we are never forced to follow the directions, just like the Holy Ghost does not force us to make right decisions. We have our agency, but if we choose to use it to follow Him, He promises to lead us to the very best places in the very best way.

As I thought about the Holy Ghost this morning, I realized that it is also like a metronome used by musicians. A metronome gives a consistent beat that can be used by someone playing an instrument to perform the music in time. It is a sound in perfect rhythm that helps musicians know how to play. When set properly to the right tempo, the metronome guides the musician to play the song at the right speed. Like with the Holy Ghost, the musician is not forced to follow the metronome, but when it is set up correctly and steadily followed, the music comes out much better. The metronome is perfectly consistent, just like the Holy Ghost will always tell us the truth and lead us in the right way: “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be” (Jacob 4:13). And for the classic, mechanical metronomes, there is another aspect of it that teaches us about the Holy Ghost. They must be wound up in order to work, and eventually that runs out as they are used and must be wound up again. And you can’t wind them up an unlimited amount; they can only be wound up to a certain point so that if used each day they must be wound each day. In a similar manner, we must do things to be able to hear the voice of the Spirit, such as studying the scriptures and praying. And we can’t do this once and for all forever—these kinds of spiritual efforts cannot be stored long and so we must do them repeatedly in order to continue to be guided by the Holy Ghost. As we do, we have this promise from the Lord: “The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:46). There is no greater blessing we can have in this life.