Meek and Lowly in Heart

In one of the most famous passages of the gospels, the Savior declared, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). The phrase “meek and lowly in heart” is repeated a few other times in the scriptures suggesting that like the Savior, we too need to be meek and lowly in heart. Alma invited his son Helaman, “Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls” (Alma 37:33-34). We find rest to our souls as we come unto the Savior, and that can only be done as we become meek and humble before Him, for He is the perfect example of being meek and lowly in heart. Mormon also taught the Saints of his day: “And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity” (Moroni 7:43-44). To develop faith in the Savior we must be humble, and if we are then we can develop charity, or the love of Christ. In our dispensation the Lord this said about Parley P. Pratt: “I say unto him that as I live I will that he shall declare my gospel and learn of me, and be meek and lowly of heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 32:1). Missionaries in particular must be meek and lowly in heart, and the Lord emphasized this again when He invited the Twelve to preach the gospel: “Let the residue continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long-suffering, I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families; and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth” (Doctrine and Covenants 118:3). They were to preach in meekness and with lowliness of heart, and then the Lord would watch over them and their families.

                Elder Bednar spoke about this phrase in a talk titled Meek and Lowly of Heart. He described meekness this way: “The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint…. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others.” I love that description and it indeed is different from how the world sees this Christlike attribute. Meekness is true power because it means we have full self-control and the ability to restrain ourselves. Someone who easily loses their temper and is quick to be angry at others has little power over themselves, but they who have meekness are patient and calm and in control of themselves. Elder Bednar distinguished meekness from humility this way: “Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, a distinguishing characteristic of meekness is a particular spiritual receptivity to learning both from the Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less capable, experienced, or educated, who may not hold important positions, or who otherwise may not appear to have much to contribute.” Indeed, Mormon taught that meekness will bring us the Holy Ghost. He taught: “And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love” (Moroni 8:26). As we become meek and lowly in heart, particularly through repentance and recognizing our weakness before God, we will have the visitation of the Holy Ghost to fill us with hope and love. So perhaps the most important message for us is that as we seek to have the Spirit with us, we must remember that meekness is an essential step. Instead of being “lifted up in the pride of [our] hearts,” we must figuratively keep our hearts low with meekness and a recognition of our reliance of Him (Mormon 8:28). Then we can be filled with the Holy Ghost and receive the truths He wants to teach us.