Prophets of God (GP 9)

Gospel Principles Lesson 9

We can read in the Old Testament, Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." And so it has always been--God has spoken to men through His prophets, and those prophets have always testified of Jesus Christ.

So many today believe that there are no prophets, that all revelation is now closed, and that all we have to rely on is what we can find recorded in the Bible concerning prophets of old. These people don't believe that God can make His will known to us today. They think that we must face the challenges of life solely on our own fortitude. But because the gospel has been restored again to the earth, we know that God again communicates to the Church and to the world through His living prophet. With hearts full of gratitude and with great enthusiasm, Latter-day saints throughout the world join in singing, "We thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days."

What is a prophet? He is a man called by God to be his spokesperson. He relays God's messages to us. When a prophet gives us a message, we are to receive it as though it came to us directly from God. Jesus told us in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." So we need not differentiate the two. 

Prophets are special witnesses for Jesus Christ. They testify that He is the Son of God, and they teach His gospel. A prophet teaches truth and interprets the word of God. It is a prophets duty to call the unrighteous to repentance. He receives His authority to do these things directly from God. A prophet is directed by the Lord and he receives revelations from the Lord that can help us in our day. A prophet is also a seer and can see into the future and prophesy concerning things that will happen. A prophet warns us of what is ahead so that we can repent and prepare.

Prophets do not have to have formal education to serve in their calling. Prophets can come from various vocations and they can be old or young. But prophets are chosen by God and they receive their calling through proper priesthood authority (see Articles of Faith 1:5).

In Jesus's day, He ordained twelve apostles beside Him. After His death, Peter, James, and John became the presiding apostles. In our day, Latter-day Saints sustain the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. But when we speak of our prophet, we mean the one who is the President of the Church and who holds all the keys of the kingdom in these days, (much the same as Peter did anciently). 

We know of many ancient prophets since the days of Adam and throughout the Bible. Their stories are valuable and they inspire and guide us yet today. We know that Moses was called of God to lead the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and back to the promised land. Moses wrote the first five books of our Old Testament; He also recorded the Ten Commandments which He received from the Lord on Mount Sinai. A Book of Mormon prophet, Nephi, left the land of Jerusalem with his family 600 years before Christ was born. They settled in the Americas. We have their record now. We are told how John the Baptist was chosen to prepare the world for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this dispensation, Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He became a latter-day prophet, called to restore the Lord's Church to the earth. Joseph Smith was also given plates by an angel of God which he was commanded to translate so that we could have The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet on earth today. He is the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He receives revelation for the entire church, and also for the world. He holds "they keys of the kingdom." These keys constitute having authority to direct the Church and God's kingdom here on earth, including the administration of priesthood ordinances (see Matthew 16:19). The prophet is the one who can receive God's will for the entire church, and for the entire world. In Doctrine and Covenants 132:7, we learn that "there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred. The prophet has two counselors. Together they make up the First Presidency of the church. They are also assisted by the Quorum of the Twelve, who are also Apostles. These men are all ordained as prophets, seers, and revelators. 

It is important to follow the words of the prophets. They will guide us aright and let us know the Lord's will concerning us. We have the assurance that no latter-day prophet will ever lead the Church astray. “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff[2004], 199).

While many find it easier to believe in prophets from the past, it is of great import for us to believe in God's living prophets and follow them. Members of the Church raise their hand to sustain the President of the Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Sustaining means more than we agree to him being the prophet; it means that we will pray for him; we will listen to and study his words; and, most importantly, we will follow his inspired counsel. We need to remember that it is the Lord who has told us to follow His prophets (See Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-5). We can have full assurance that as we follow the counsel of the living prophet, we are following the counsel of the Lord.

The Lord gives many promises to those who are obedient. One promise is found in Doctrine and Covenants 21:6: "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." We will be blessed and protected by following the prophet.

We are told about the organization of Christ's true Church in Ephesians 2:20. The Church must be "built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. In today's world, now more than ever, we can feel great gratitude for the love of the Lord in providing us with a prophet. It is a great blessing to have a prophet in our day. 

Other blogs that I have written concerning prophets:

I thoroughly trust that the prophets are called of God and that they are not running this Church alone, but that Jesus Christ stands at the head. So I will put my trust in the Lord and His prophets. And, therefore, anyone who issues calls to action to members of the Church on behalf of the Church, who does not have authority to do so, I will not follow.

Living Prophets Today

The Importance of Following Today's Prophet

An Unsent Letter to the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and our other Leaders

Praying to Our Heavenly Father (GP 8)

Gospel Principles Lesson 8

Pray is a great tool that we have while we live on this earth. We have the blessing of being able to communicate with our Heavenly Father, and we can ask Him for direction in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire. We are to pray to our Heavenly Father in Jesus's name, and we are not to pray to anyone or anything else (see Exodus 20:3-5). Jesus taught, "Ye must pray unto the Father in my name" (3 Nephi 18:19). 

Prayer has always been important. Adam and Eve were taught to pray. They were visited by an angel of the Lord, and they were commanded that they should repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore (see Moses 5:8). This same commandment is still in effect for us. True prayer will help us learn more about God and about our relationship to Him. We can become closer to our Heavenly Father through prayer. Our prayers will help us meet the challenges of our lives. We can be influenced by the Spirit for good in the things that we thing, say, and do. 

The next four paragraphs are direct quotes from Gospel Principles Lesson 8:

We should pray for strength to resist the temptations of Satan and his followers (see 3 Nephi 18:15; D&C 10:5). We should pray to confess our sins to God and ask Him to forgive us (see Alma 38:14).

We should pray for the Lord’s guidance and help in our daily lives. We need to pray for our families and friends, our neighbors, our crops and our animals, our daily work, and our other activities. We should pray for protection from our enemies. (See Alma 34:17–27.)

We should pray to express love to our Heavenly Father and to feel closer to Him. We should pray to our Father to thank Him for our welfare and comfort and for all things He gives us each day (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). We need to pray to ask our Heavenly Father for strength to live the gospel.

We should pray so we can keep on the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. We must pray to God, the author of all righteousness, so we may be righteous in our thoughts, words, and actions.

It is a great comfort to know that we can always go to God in prayer. We can prayer whenever we feel the need and wherever we are. We can pray out loud or say a silent prayer in our hearts. There are times when we will feel the need to be alone in private prayer with our Heavenly Father (see Matthew 6:6). 

God will always hear our humble prayers. We do not need to worry about running out of cell phone minutes. He is eager to listen. We can pray while we are driving in our car, while working or walking. We can pray for help with school or work. We should work on turning our thoughts to the Lord in our every day lives, because He can bless us with everything that will help us to be happy and to feel at peace. We should keep our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in our thoughts at all times. This will help us to choose the right. 

There are circumstances in our lives that may draw us away from prayer. We may feel angry with others or frustrated with ourselves. During these times, we especially need Heavenly Father to give us renewed strength and we should make a special effort to pray, even when it is difficult to do so (see 2 Nephi 32:8-9). Heavenly Father is eager to help us, but we need to be humble enough to turn to Him and ask. 

We are counseled to say private prayers every morning and night. Alma suggests that we also pray during the middle of the day (see Alma 34:21). Besides this, it is important to pray as families (see 3 Nephi 18:21) both morning and night. Are families can draw upon the powers of heaven for blessings as we pray together. We should further show our gratitude by giving thanks and asking a blessing on our food at mealtimes. 

Our Church meetings begin and end in prayer. We are taught to express our thankfulness for the Lord's blessings to us and to ask Him for His help so that we will worship Him in the way that will please Him.

No matter whether we are kneeling to pray or praying while on the go, we should turn our thoughts and yield our hearts to the Lord. It is important for us to pray in faith, with a sincere heart, and with real intent (see Moroni 10:4). Since Heavenly Father already knows our thoughts, our intents, our desires, and our needs; it is important that we are honest with Him in prayer. We can express to Him how we feel; he will understand our hurts and concerns; we can confide in Him. Our prayers do not need to be elaborate. They can be simple, but they should be sincere (see Matthew 6:7-8). We can ask Him for forgiveness and for help to overcome or deal with our challenges. We should thank Him and express to Him how much we love Him. 

Sometimes we think that we know just what we need, but the Lord knows our needs better than we do. So it is important that we pray for His will to be done, remembering that even Jesus asked for God's will to be done (see Luke 22:42). Heavenly Father is anxious to help us according to what He knows is best for us (see 3 Nephi 18:20). We should close our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ (see 3 Nephi 18:19). 

How often do you believe that our prayers are answered? When we pray sincerely, our prayers are always answered. We need to remember that our prayers will be answered in the Lord's way and according to His timetable. His ways are higher than ours. Sometimes we might receive a no answer; sometimes we might receive an answer that asks us to be patient and wait; other times we will experience a yes answer. When this happens we will have a warm, peaceful feeling; and we will know that what we have asked is correct, or what course we should follow (see Doctrine and Covenants 9:8-9). 

Often the Lord answers our prayers through other people. Our family members, church leaders, or friends may feel an impression to serve us in some way, or they may speak the exact words that we need to hear. We can feel the Spirit whisper to us that our prayer has been answered. 

The following is an example from Gospel Principles Lesson 8:

A young mother's baby was injured in an accident at home. She had no way to get the baby to a doctor. She was new in the neighborhood and did not know her neighbors. The young mother prayed for help. In a few minutes, a neighbor came to the door, saying, “I had a feeling I should come and see if you needed any help.” The neighbor helped the young mother get the baby to a doctor.

Heavenly Father often gives us the ability to bring about answers to our own prayers as well. We need to learn to recognize the Spirit and follow the promptings that come from God, so that we can obtain the desired help that we need. 

Praying to our Heavenly Father in Jesus's name and living the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring happiness and joy to our lives. “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers” (Doctrine and Covenants 112:10).

Be Thou Humble