A Uniquely Uplifting Weekend

What a weekend… Twice a year, I'm privileged to take part in the LDS General Conference, where the general authorities of the church address the church as a whole across the world via radio/TV/satellite broadcast from Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There are, in all, five two-hour sessions over the course of two days, where church leaders (i.e., men and women) from around the world give brief sermons between 10 and 30 minutes each.

While General Conference is always uplifting and inspiring, this was a unique opportunity, as it was a Solemn Assembly. That is, it was a meeting where an apostle is newly sustained as the president of the church. In this meeting, the new prophet's name is presented to the members of the church, who have the opportunity to raise their right arm to the square to pledge their personal commitment and support to him as the new church president. While this would look to anyone walking by as a vote, it actually is not (a prophet is called of God, not by the people of the church). Rather, it's an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow his counsel and support him as the one person on Earth that God has chosen and set apart to hold the priesthood keys to govern the affairs of the true Church of Jesus Christ on the Earth.

In this case, President Gordon B. Hinckley -- a man whom I personally greatly revered -- died a couple of months ago. The mantel of leadership then fell to the next senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Thomas S. Monson. The other apostles, who collectively hold all the priesthood keys necessary to govern the church, laid their hands on his head and ordained him as the new president. By so doing, they passed all of those keys to him and making him the one person with the right to exercise all of those keys in our day to govern the Kingdom of God on the Earth.

In preparation for General Conference, I prayed many times for a personal confirmation in my heart by the Holy Spirit that President Monson is indeed the prophet God has called for today. You see, whereas, some believe that we (i.e., Mormons) follow blindly, there is nothing further from the truth. In actuality, we are admonished to pray individually for a very personal, spiritual confirmation of the truth of any principle of the Gospel (or of anything, for that matter). This principle of personal revelation of Truth through the Holy Ghost is revealed plainly in verses 3-5 of Moroni Chapter 10. If anyone will read (or listen/watch) and ponder (or think about) a teaching, then pray to ask God if it's true, He will confirm if it is true through the Holy Ghost in your heart. The feelings of the Holy Ghost are described in the Bible, in Galations 5:22-23. My personal experience is that God hears and answers sincere prayers. He guides those who love Him to Truth and away from error by means of His Spirit when they pray fervently and are open to hearing and acting according to His answers -- whatever they may be.

It was after this method that I received my own testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is how I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are true testimonies of Jesus Christ's divinity. This is how I know that we have a living prophet of God on the Earth today in President Monson. And, knowing this, my following the counsel he gives us is in no way "blind obedience." Rather it is being true to my heart and to the witness I have received through my own proactive efforts to ask God for myself whether it is indeed true. I know it, and I can't deny it. How blessed I feel to know it.

I saw God this weekend in a very real way, manifest in the calling of a living prophet to lead and guide His church. Not a bad way to spend a weekend, really… ;)