Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Jim Greer
LW contributor
During the Saturday afternoon session of the October General Conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf reassured members who have been impacted by COVID-19, “We plead with Heavenly Father to comfort and console you. We pray mightily that God will open the windows of heaven and fill your lives with God’s eternal blessings.”
Elder Uchtdorf testified that the virus “did not catch Heavenly Father by surprise.” He assures us that our heavenly father has prepared the church and its members for this time. We can and will move forward and become better followers of the savior.
Uchtdorf affirmed that we are like seeds, with the ability to reach our potential as we rise from beneath the earth and sprout. Though we may feel buried under our trials, the heavenly father’s love and the Gospel’s blessings will bring an unimaginable future.
Church history and the scriptures teach that the righteous are not given a free pass from the “valleys of shadow.” The savior, who spent so much of his life ministering to the sick, the lonely, the doubting and the despairing, is no less concerned about us today.
As followers of Christ, we expect difficult times. And during those times, we learn principles that strengthen our character and draw us closer to God. We know that the heavenly father sees our suffering and will not abandon us.
Elder Uchtdorf testified that “God will watch over and shepherd you during these times of uncertainty and fear. He knows you. He hears your pleas. He is faithful and dependable. He will fulfill his promises.”
For each of us and the church collectively, God has something unimaginable in mind for us: “a marvelous work and a wonder.”
Walking that road to safety requires that we return to the fundamentals, the essential Gospel principles. We strengthen our private religious behavior, such as prayer and scripture study and keeping the commandments, and we make decisions based on these best practices. We focus on the things we can do and muster our faith. And we must always listen for the spirit of the Lord and follow the prophet to lead us to safety. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. He is at the helm. You can see his hand in these recent advancements:
•The sacrament reemphasized as the center of our Sabbath worship.
•The new home centered Come, Follow Me study program that strengthens individuals and families.
•The higher and holier way of ministering to one another.
•Technology that permits the sharing of the gospel and expansion of the Lord’s work. Even the General Conference would not be possible without the tools of technology. Elder Uchtdorf concluded, “I bear my witness that this is God’s work, and he will continue to do many unimaginable things among his children. God holds us in the palm of his caring and compassionate hands. I invite and bless you to cheerfully do all things that lie in your power, and then may you stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God and for his arm to be revealed. And I promise that the Lord will cause unimaginable things to come from your righteous labors.”
