Insights on Prophets

Prophets are messengers from Jesus Christ.

There is a line in my patriarchal blessing that advises me to study the words of the latter-day prophets diligently. It took me a long time to realize how much strength, power and understanding following that counsel would add to my life.

When I was younger, conference felt boring. It was hard to understand what they were saying. And there were always other things I wanted to be busy doing rather than sitting at the feet of the prophets learning from them. That feeling carried over to the reading and studying of their words when conference was over and we could access the talks in written form.

In 2015 that all changed for me. It was one of the hardest years of my life and I was desperate for healing and guidance. I started an intense study of the Book of Mormon. I read slowly. I only read about 15 to 20 verses a day. I identified a theme and a question that would help me better identify what the Lord wanted me to gain from those verses. Then I went one step further, I found a conference talk about those verses or the theme and studied it as well. I fell in love with messages of the Lord available to us through His modern-day prophets! They helped me understand the scriptures and the Gospel better.

For my own accountability to my study, I created a Facebook group called “Scripture Study 365” and invited others to join me. Over the years I have had the privilege to share that study as well as my current insights with many like minded individuals in that group. I have learned so much from their comments and interactions with me. I am amazed how the group continues to grow. It is a testament to me that our souls are yearning for the peace, comfort, and direction that Christ can give us through His prophets, both past and present. If you are needing those blessings in your life, join us!

Starting that year, I began to learn so much about a prophet’s role in God’s plan and in our learning. I love that we sustain all the apostles as prophets. Each of them has a different style of delivery and I have learned to appreciate each one for their uniqueness and contributions made through personal experience and sacrifice. They are messengers from a loving Father in Heaven and one of the best resources He has given us to understand His will and desires for us individually. They teach us exactly what He knows we need to know to return to His loving embrace, never to depart again.

Prophets teach us who we are. I read an idea in a book this last year that I can’t stop thinking about. It said that “we can’t know who we are until we know whose we are.” I think that’s why so many of the talks given by the Lord’s messengers are trying to help us understand whose we are. We are children of God and He loves us. That is powerful and pivotal knowledge. If we can come to fully believe that, everything changes. We become more confident, loving, and powerful in our own circles of influence. Another of our eternal identifiers is the knowledge that we are children of the covenant. There are so many promises of blessings made to the children of Israel and they can all be ours through faithfulness to our covenants. And we are disciples of Christ. This knowledge helps us make better and more informed decisions in our lives.
Prophets teach us where we are going. When we understand there is a bigger plan than just this life, we can keep an eternal perspective and remember that trials are temporary and that there is a purpose to those hardships we experience, that they will be for our growth, learning and benefit in the end.
Prophets teach us what we need to do to follow God’s plan for us. They teach us the Doctrine of Christ and how we can implement it in our lives. They teach us about all the amazing tools and resources God has given us to connect with Him and build a relationship with Him. They remind us that God wants us to seek Him. That He wants us to feel His love and guidance.
Prophets teach us why it is necessary to know and understand all these things. They help us identify our own reasons for following Christ and doing the things He asks us to do. Knowing our own why’s helps us keep our priorities straight so that we might incrementally overcome the world.

I am so grateful for all the messages I have watched, read, and listened to from the Lord’s messengers on earth. They have helped me gain a deeper understanding of who I am, where I am going, what I need to do, and why it even matters. Through them I have gained a clearer knowledge of who my Savior is and of His desires for me. Because of them I have a stronger testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a greater desire to apply the teachings to my life.

The Primary Manual for Come Follow Me is perfect for families with young children!

November week 3: November 7–13. Hosea 1–6; 10–14; Joel: “I Will Love Them Freely” (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Click below to download these FREE coloring pages from Rising Moon Adventures that I created to go with this lesson: