Prepare Every Needful Thing

One of the major themes of this most recent general conference was preparation. Multiple speakers encouraged us to be prepared temporally. President Nelson counseled, “For decades, the Lord’s prophets have urged us to store food, water, and financial reserves for a time of need. The current pandemic has reinforced the wisdom of that counsel. I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared.” After speaking of his recent efforts to evaluate his food storage and other temporal preparations, Elder Bednar also said this: “Some Church members opine that emergency plans and supplies, food storage, and 72-hour kits must not be important anymore because the Brethren have not spoken recently and extensively about these and related topics in general conference. But repeated admonitions to prepare have been proclaimed by leaders of the Church for decades.” Bishop Waddell focused his remarks on temporal preparation, reminding us that “Church leaders have often encouraged Latter-day Saints ‘to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.’” He encouraged us in particular to “apply two important elements of temporal preparedness—managing finances and home storage.” He used lessons from Joseph in Egypt and his preparations for the seven years of famine and summarized: “Brothers and sisters, in an ever-changing world, we must prepare for uncertainties. Even with better days ahead, we know that the temporal peaks and valleys of mortality will continue. As we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, even in stressful circumstances, ‘There was bread.’” This general conference, in addition to the recent pandemic, was a reminder to us that we need to continue to focus on our own temporal preparation.

             Even more important than our food storage, savings, and other temporal preparations, though, is our spiritual preparation for the future. Many speakers also focused their remarks on this topic. After inviting us to be temporally prepared, President Nelson said, “I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation.” He gave us three principles in particular to follow that we learn from Captain Moroni: “We can learn a lot from Captain Moroni. As commander of the Nephite armies…. First, he helped them create areas where they would be safe—'places of security’ he called them. Second, he prepared ‘the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord.’ And third, he never stopped preparing his people—physically or spiritually.” President Eyring also encouraged us to help prepare for the establishment of Zion: “We know that the Savior will come to a people who have been gathered and prepared to live as the people did in the city of Enoch…. This dispensation is distinct in that the Lord will lead us to become prepared to be like the city of Enoch…. He will go before your face as you help Him prepare His people to become His promised Zion.” Elder Andersen invited us to prepare by studying more diligently about the Savior like President Nelson has done: “I promise you that as you prepare yourselves, as President Nelson did, you too will be different, thinking more about the Savior, speaking of Him more frequently and with less hesitation.”  Elder Bednar also encouraged us in our spiritual preparation. He declared, “Now is the time to prepare and prove ourselves willing and able to do all things whatsoever the Lord our God shall command us.” He also gave us this promise about the ultimate goal of all our preparations: “I promise that as we both prepare and press forward with faith in the Savior, we all can receive the same grade on the ultimate examination of mortality: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’” Clearly the consistent message from this conference is that we need to work to “prepare every needful thing” spiritually and temporally as we look to the challenging times ahead (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119).