His Sheep Still Hear His Voice

My dear brothers and sisters, it is a joy to be with you today. There is a wonderful spirit here on the BYU campus. There is a wonderful spirit here among you. You are truly remarkable. I commend you for the goodness of your lives and your devotion to the Savior and His gospel. You are His sheep, and you hear His voice. You are an example to the entire Church.

A Testimony of the Savior, Confirmed by the
Holy Ghost

As I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants this year, along with the Come, Follow Me materials, I have noticed how frequently the Savior bore witness of Himself in those early revelations. “Behold,” He said, “I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world.”¹ The Savior knew what was coming in the lives of Joseph Smith and his associates. He knew that they would need a strong witness of Him and of His divine mission. A testimony of the Savior, confirmed by the Holy Ghost, was foundational to the Saints in the early days of the Restoration, and it is foundational to us today.

I want to share with you my testimony of the Savior. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father. Under the direction of the Father, He created this world. His atoning sacrifice makes possible the immortality and eternal life of man. The Holy Ghost confirms these truths to me: “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”²

The early Latter-day Saints needed that confirming witness of the Holy Ghost often, but one day when it was especially crucial was August 8, 1844. Six weeks earlier, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had been martyred. Mob violence was threatening, and the Saints were without their beloved leader. There was no precedent to tell them how the Church would move forward and who would lead them.

On that August day, in the midst of this ­anxiety and uncertainty, thousands of Latter-day Saints gathered just to the east of the Nauvoo Temple. Sidney Rigdon spoke to the Saints in the morning and proposed that he lead the Church as its “guardian.”³ At two o’clock that afternoon, the Saints reconvened, and Brigham Young, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed the assembly. He declared:

There has been much said about President Rigdon being president of the Church . . . , but I say unto you that the Quorum of the Twelve have the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world. . . .

. . . I tell you, in the name of the Lord, that no man can put another between the Twelve and the Prophet Joseph. Why? Because . . . he has committed into their hands the keys of the kingdom in this last dispensation, for all the world.⁴

The Spirit rested on the Saints. They knew that what Brigham Young had said was true. How did they know? They knew by the influence of the Holy Ghost.

“My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus explained, “and I know them, and they follow me.”⁵

At least ninety-five people recorded or shared their sacred feelings and experiences from the afternoon of August 8, 1844. Here are a few. See if you notice some common elements among them.

Emily Smith Hoyt, age thirty-seven:

Sidney Rigdon made a speech and claimed to have authority to lead the Church; others had similar claims. None appeared reasonable to me. . . . But the God of Heaven . . . sent President [Brigham] Young home just in time, and clothed him . . . [with] the spirit and power which had rested on Joseph. . . . If any one doubts the right of Brigham to manage affairs for the Saints, all I have to say to them is this. Get the spirit of God and know for yourselves. The Lord will provide for his own.⁶

Jacob Hamblin, age twenty-five:

I attended a general meeting of the Saints. Elder Rigdon was there, urging his claims to the presidency of the Church. His voice did not sound like the voice of the true shepherd. . . .

Brigham Young [spoke] to the congregation. . . .

The people, with few exceptions, visibly saw that the mantle of the prophet Joseph had fallen upon Brigham Young. . . .

I arose to my feet and said to a man sitting by me, “That is the voice of the true shepherd—the chief of the Apostles.”⁷

Philemon Christopher Merrill, age twenty-four:

Sad was the day that the Saints met by a call of the Apostles in a Grove, east of our beloved Temple. . . . For where was the good Shepherd? We were left alone, as we thought, with none to lead us. It was a gloomy time. . . . But when President Brigham Young arose and said to the people, “Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord,” the Spirit of God rested upon me, and I received a testimony at that time that upon Brigham Young rested the Authority of the Holy Priesthood.⁸

George Romney, age twelve:

When the man of God, as the people knew him, was taken away, they did not know what would become of them. . . . But they knew the shepherd’s voice. Sidney Rigdon and the others said, “I am the man, I am the man,” but it did not take. The sheep knew better. . . . When Brigham got up, the mantle of Joseph Smith fell upon him. . . . This is true—that the mantle of Joseph did fall upon Brigham Young and the people knew it.⁹

Wilford Woodruff, age thirty-seven:

They were addressed by elder Brigham Young, the president of the quorum of the twelve. . . . The spirit of wisdom and counsel attended all his teachings, he struck upon a chord, with which all hearts beat in unison.¹⁰

Here was Sidney Rigdon and other men rising up and claiming to be the leaders of the church; and men stood, as it were, on a pivot, not knowing which way to turn. But just as quick as Brigham Young rose in that assembly . . . , the power of God that was upon Joseph Smith was upon him; he had the voice of Joseph, and it was the voice of the shepherd.¹¹

That afternoon, the influence of the Holy Ghost rested on the Saints. These were the true sheep of the true Shepherd, and they recognized His voice—it was the familiar voice of the Spirit. So when they raised their hands to sustain the leadership of the apostles, they did not sustain just with their hands. They sustained with their whole souls. They were willing to make any sacrifice, to do whatever was asked of them.

Following the prophetic leadership of Brigham Young, they finished the construction of the Nauvoo Temple and received their endowments. They eventually left Nauvoo and traveled more than 1,200 miles to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. They accepted mission calls and preached the gospel around the world. They raised their families and built up Zion in the Rocky Mountains. Many accepted calls to leave the Salt Lake Valley and establish new communities—hundreds of them throughout what became the western United States.

Why did they do all of this? Because they had received the Holy Ghost, which changed their hearts and made them “new creatures.”¹² Their lives and their experiences might sound very different from yours, but they are not. These were Saints who recognized and followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and so are you. They were Saints of great faith, and so are you.

The same spiritual power, the same gift of the Holy Ghost that they received, is available to you. It has always been and continues to be a central blessing of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Consider what the following accounts indicate about the importance of the Holy Ghost.

On Friday, November 29, 1839, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Elias Higbee visited with United States president Martin Van Buren in Washington, DC. President Van Buren asked how our religion differed from others. Joseph responded that “we differed in mode of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. . . . All other considerations were contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost.”¹³

My dear brothers and sisters, 181 years have now passed since that visit of the Prophet Joseph with President Van Buren. What Joseph taught then is still true today. The gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands is a great differentiator between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other churches. It is a central difference between having the blessings of the restored gospel in our lives and not having them. The gift of the Holy Ghost blessed the Saints in 1839, and it blesses you today.

In February 1847, the Saints were in Winter Quarters, preparing for their journey to the Salt Lake Valley. They were wrestling with a difficult doctrinal problem, and Brigham Young felt inadequate to solve it. One night, Joseph Smith, who had now been dead for more than two and a half years, appeared to Brigham Young in a vision. Brigham explained the problem and asked Joseph if he had any counsel.

Rather than answering the question outright, Joseph said:

Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord. . . . If they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. . . .

. . . Tell the people to be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and follow it, and it will lead them just right.¹⁴

Years later, on April 19, 1893, a special meeting was held for all General Authorities and stake presidencies in the recently dedicated Salt Lake Temple. By this time, Brigham Young had long since passed away, and Wilford Woodruff was president of the Church. In this meeting, President Woodruff spoke of seeing Brigham Young and Heber Kimball in a vision. They were riding to a conference in a carriage, and they invited Wilford to join with them. Wilford got in the carriage and asked Brigham Young to speak.

Brigham stated, “I am through with my preaching on earth, but I have come to impress upon your mind what Joseph had told me at Winter Quarters, and that is: seek always to have the Spirit of God, and it will direct you aright.”¹⁵

President Woodruff passed the same message to those in the meeting: “Teach the people to get the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of the Lord, and keep it with you, and you will prosper.”¹⁶

Isn’t it interesting that when these two great prophets, after having passed to the other side of the veil, had a chance to counsel their successors, both chose to emphasize the same message: “Keep the Spirit of the Lord”? It was of great importance to the Saints in 1847 and in 1893, and it is equally important to us today.

In the April 2018 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson taught:

In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. . . . Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.¹⁷

From Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Wilford Woodruff to President Nelson, the central message is the same: “Seek always to have the Spirit of God, and it will direct you aright.” “Do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Accordingly, a central effort of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been to help each of us receive the Holy Ghost and follow the Holy Ghost’s promptings.

An important tool in this effort is the Sunday School organization. The Sunday School is the oldest formal teaching organization in the Church. The format of Sunday School and its classes have changed over the years, but its purpose remains the same: to bless the Saints with the influence of the Holy Ghost.

In the October 2018 general conference, President Nelson announced “an integrated curriculum to strengthen families and individuals through a home-centered and Church-supported plan to learn doctrine, strengthen faith, and foster greater personal worship.”¹⁸ That curriculum is titled Come, Follow Me. This announcement initiated a major paradigm shift in the Sunday School and in the way we study the gospel in our homes. President Nelson called it “a new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church,” explaining that “we are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth.”¹⁹

Why was such an adjustment needed? Why is it, in President Nelson’s words, “time for a home-centered Church”?²⁰ It is not because the Lord’s purposes for His people have changed. It is because the conditions in the world are becoming more challenging.

President Nelson explained:

The long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families. In this complex world today, this is not easy. The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counter­strategies and proactive plans. Accordingly, we now want to put in place organizational adjustments that will further fortify our members and their families.²¹

Later in the same conference, President Nelson again referred to “the new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum” and made four promises to you who “diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning.”²² He promised:

• “Your Sabbath days will truly be a delight.”
• “Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings.”
• “The influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease.”
• “Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.”²³

With those promises in our hearts, as Latter-day Saints, we began a more home-centered study of the scriptures with the Come, Follow Me resource as a guide. In 2019 we studied the New Testament, in 2020 the Book of Mormon, and this year we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants.

In these efforts, our goal is conversion—the miracle of individual spiritual growth.²⁴ It happens as we read the scriptures and feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. That spiritual influence changes our hearts and converts us to Jesus Christ and His gospel. This is the miracle we are seeking.

Elder David A. Bednar taught:

Everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Consider the reasons we pray and study the scriptures. Yes, we yearn to communicate in prayer with Heavenly Father in the name of His Son. And yes, we desire to obtain the light and knowledge available in the standard works. But please remember that these holy habits primarily are ways whereby we always remember Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and are prerequisites to the ongoing companionship of the Holy Ghost. . . .

Praying, studying, gathering, worshipping, serving, and obeying are not isolated and independent items on a lengthy gospel checklist of things to do. Rather, each of these righteous practices is an important element in an overarching spiritual quest to fulfill the mandate to receive the Holy Ghost. The commandments from God we obey and the inspired counsel from Church leaders we follow principally focus upon obtaining the companionship of the Spirit. Fundamentally, all gospel teachings and activities are centered on coming unto Christ by receiving the Holy Ghost in our lives.²⁵

So, with that in mind, and remembering how much our latter-day prophets have emphasized receiving the Holy Ghost, you might ask yourself: How have your scripture study experiences changed you? How have they increased the influence of the Holy Ghost in your daily life? How are they helping you hear the voice of the true Shepherd?

As I read the scriptures each week, with Come, Follow Me as a guide, I write this question in my copy of the manual: “What has the Holy Ghost taught me this week during my scripture study?” Then I seek and write down the answers. I offer that question for your heartfelt consideration.

Under the influence of the Holy Ghost, I see things in the scriptures that I might not otherwise see. Passages seem to jump off the page for my consideration. I also feel the influence of the Holy Ghost when I gain a new or deeper insight into a verse of scripture.²⁶ These experiences cause me to rejoice. I feel joy and peace. My testimony grows.

This year, with you, I am reading the Doctrine and Covenants with Come, Follow Me. I am also reading the Book of Mormon. I would like to share with you some passages that the Holy Ghost has brought to my attention in my recent study of the scriptures. They may not be dramatic to you, but they are sacred to me.

In the Book of Mormon, I read about Nephi and his brothers returning to Jerusalem and about how the Lord helped them obtain the brass plates. These plates contained many of the scriptures of the Old Testament.

Nephi wrote:

We had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.

Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.²⁷

When I read this, the Spirit taught me that the scriptures help us preserve the commandments of the Lord for our children, today and into the future. It is wisdom in the Lord that we carry the scriptures with us in our daily lives as we journey through our wilderness of mortality toward our heavenly home. It was a great blessing for Nephi and his family to have, to read, and to apply the scriptures. It is an equal blessing for us today.

Also in the Book of Mormon, in Ether 2, the brother of Jared sought the Lord’s help to bring light into the vessels in which his family would cross the “great deep” (verse 25). The Lord responded and put their upcoming voyage of faith in proper perspective:

Behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come.²⁸

While reading these verses, I was provided with understanding that the Lord knows what is coming, including the rains and the floods of our lives. And He is preparing us “against these things.” Indeed, we cannot cross the “great deep” of challenges in our lives unless the Lord prepares us against the waves and the winds and the floods. A significant part of that preparation comes by way of our scripture study, with Come, Follow Me as a guide.

Earlier this year, in section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants, we read about the loss of the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript. I sorrowed as I tried to imagine the personal anguish that Joseph Smith and Martin Harris must have felt. But I felt great love in the words of the Lord to them: “Remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done . . . , and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.”²⁹

My dear brothers and sisters, if we fail to exercise our faith and read the scriptures, it is as if the scriptures are entirely lost to us personally, and we forgo the opportunity to invite the Holy Ghost into our lives. What a tragedy that would be!

Never has a people lived on this earth with greater access to the scriptures than we have. It is a miracle. The Lord has provided this miracle because He knows the challenges we face in our day, and He wants us to receive the blessing of the influence of the Holy Ghost. He is our loving Shepherd, and He wants to lead us to “green pastures” and “still waters,” where He will restore our souls.³⁰

These blessings are found in our personal experiences with the word of God and the Holy Ghost. The miracle happens at home. It occurs as each individual reads the scriptures and receives promptings from the Holy Ghost. I invite you to seek those experiences in your personal scripture study. They will bless your life in very meaningful ways.

Two Ways to Hear the Voice of the Shepherd

In closing, let me share with you two ways that I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. These are my personal experiences. They have taught me how we can invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.

1. Read the scriptures, with a particular focus on the Book of Mormon. It is wonderful to read a different book of scripture each year, with Come, Follow Me as a guide. But we should never forget the blessing of reading the Book of Mormon daily. In April 2017, in the very last of his 249 general conference messages, President Thomas S. Monson said: “I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit.”³¹

In the next conference, in October 2017, President Henry B. Eyring taught the importance of having a daily experience with the Book of Mormon when he said, “I have read the Book of Mormon every day for more than 50 years.”³²

In that same conference, President Russell M. Nelson said:

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.³³

I add my witness that reading the Book of Mormon daily brings heaven’s blessings through the influence of the Holy Ghost.

2. Pray with a humble willingness to listen and act in faith. I will illustrate this principle with a personal experience.

My wife, Anne Marie, and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on November 21, 1978. We have now been married for more than forty-two years. Anne Marie is a woman of great talent and faith. She is extraordinary in every way. Her husband is well intentioned but just a regular guy.

Throughout our marriage, we have had differences of opinion about various matters. This is not really surprising—we are different people from different backgrounds and see things from different perspectives. Nevertheless, early in our marriage, this was sometimes frustrating and difficult for both of us. At that time, I thought our differences were a weakness in our marriage. I have now come to realize that our differences are a strength. But those early days were challenging.

When we disagreed, I usually concluded that the best solution was for Anne Marie to change her mind. I am embarrassed to say that, on occasion, when I was unable to change my wife’s perspective, I would pray and ask for Heavenly Father’s help that He would do it for me.

Well, as you can imagine, those prayers did not make much of a heavenly journey. I doubt they even reached the ceiling in our bedroom.

With the passage of time, and with a bit more humility on my part, my prayers changed. I stopped asking Heavenly Father to change Anne Marie. Instead, when I really desired heaven’s help, I would kneel in prayer with a pad of paper and a pen. My prayer would be something like this:

Dear Heavenly Father, I sure love Anne Marie. She means the world to me, and I am so grateful for her and our marriage. I desire to be a good husband. Recently we have had a difference of perspective in a few areas. I approach Thee in prayer seeking Thy direction. What can I do to make changes in my life that would bless our marriage? I am willing to change. I have paper and a pen here so I can take notes. Please forgive me for my weaknesses and let me know what I can do to be better.

That kind of a prayer reaches heaven.

I would then pause my prayer and pick up the pen. As thoughts came, I would write them down. There were often lots of thoughts. I would write and then pray, and pray and then write. Heaven was close during those prayers as the Holy Ghost spoke to me in my mind and in my heart.

Then, when I got up off my knees, I went to work on the items on my list. As I did so, things always got better. Without fail, they always got better. Peace, unity, and love increased in our home and in our marriage. Heavenly Father knows how to bless and strengthen marriages and families. After all, “the family is ordained of God.”³⁴

Praying with a humble willingness to listen and act in faith always brings heaven’s blessings through the influence of the Holy Ghost.

On August 8, 1844, the Saints felt that divine influence. They knew the voice of the true Shepherd, they heard Him, and they obeyed. They moved forward with faith, followed the prophet, raised their families in righteousness, and built Zion.

Now it is no longer 1844, but the need for us to hear the voice of the true Shepherd has never been greater. His sheep still hear His voice. The influence of the Holy Ghost is available for us in our lives every day. As the prophets of this dispensation have taught, “Seek always to have the Spirit of God, and it will direct you aright.” “Do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

May you be blessed as you read the scriptures with Come, Follow Me as a guide. May the Book of Mormon be a daily blessing for you. May your prayers reflect a humble willingness to listen and then to act in faith. May you rise up and follow the Lord’s prophet. As you do so, no matter what the future may bring, the Holy Ghost will be your comforter and guide on the covenant path throughout your life.

I testify of Jesus Christ, whose Church this is. I also testify of the divine gift of the Holy Ghost. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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