I Will Not Leave Thee

In the October 2025 general conference, Sister Andrea Spannaus spoke about the importance of prophets. This is a fitting topic for today’s session of general conference when President Oaks will be sustained in a solemn assembly along with two new apostles. She spoke of a story from the Old Testament highlighting the faith of one woman to sustain a prophet. We read, “And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither” (1 Kings 4:8-10). Sister Spannaus commented, “This faithful woman was willing to build a room in her house so that the prophet, passing through the city, would have a place to stay! Today we can learn a powerful lesson from this experience. The Lord testified to the woman of Shunem that Elisha was a prophet of God, and she acted by opening her house to receive him. We too can receive a personal testimony of God’s prophets today and open our hearts and minds—our house—to the message that our Heavenly Father has for us in these latter days.” I love the symbolism of this story which invites us to consider whether we have opened our homes to the prophets and their message. Do we turn on the messages of general conference when those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators speak to us? This woman made a room permanently in her home for the prophet to stay, and we likewise should make our commitment to hearing the Lord’s servants something permanent and consistent. Listening to and reading their words should happen much more often than just once every six months.

               There is more to the story of this Shunammite woman that Sister Spannaus did not discuss. The prophet Elisha asked her what blessing she wanted and found out that she and her husband (who was very old) had no child. He made this promise to her: “About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.” She miraculously gave birth to a boy, but then while he was still a child he fell sick and died. But even then, this devoted woman did not lose her faith in the prophet. She found him and “she caught him by the feet.” Even though the prophet sent Gehazi to go rapidly to the boy, she declared, “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.” Gehazi could not heal the child, but eventually Elisha arrived with the woman and was able to bring the boy back to life. The Shunammite woman “fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out” (2 Kings 4:27, 30, 37). Her actions show her commitment to believing in the prophet even when faced with a terrible tragedy. She “caught him by the feet” and insisted that she would not leave the prophet, and this is a powerful example for all of us to follow. Especially when life is hard and we are faced with difficulties, we should likewise stay firm in our commitment to follow the prophet. She was greatly rewarded for it, and we too will be blessed for holding fast to the teachings and promises of the Lord’s anointed in our days. The Lord gave this instruction and promise concerning His prophet: “Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6). Sister Spannaus gave her testimony this way: “The woman of Shunem taught us that we can have that testimony through the Holy Ghost. I promise you that once we know they are God’s anointed ones, our lives will be easier in spite of our ongoing challenges, as we will obey their voices with trust, faith, and hope. To listen to and obey the voice of the prophet is crucial to holding on to every good thing until the Second Coming of our Savior.” As we listen to the words of the prophets and apostles this weekend, we can remember the example of this faithful Old Testament woman and earnestly seek to follow their teachings.