Prophet Speaks

One of my favorite hymns starts with these words, "Come, listen to a prophet's voice, and hear the word of God, and in the way of truth rejoice, and sing for joy aloud. We've found the way the prophets went who lived in days of yore. Another prophet now is sent this knowledge to restore." I had the opportunity to listen to a modern-day prophet on several occasions over the past weekend.

President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator by more than 13 million members of the Church. I am one of those who believe that President Monson is the spokesperson for God.

President Monson related the story of the Ten Lepers from the New Testament. While Jesus Christ was walking from Jerusalem to Galilee, He passed through the midst of Samaria. As He entered into a certain village, He was met by ten men who were lepers. They stood afar off and called to Him, "Master, have mercy on us." When Christ saw them, He did have mercy on them and told them, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." As the ten men traveled, they became clean from the leprosy. One of the men, when he saw that he had been healed, went back to Jesus. He fell on his face at the feet of Christ and thanked Him for the great blessing of being healed from leprosy. Jesus Christ asked the Samaritan man where the other nine men were, and then said, "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole" (St. Luke 17:11-19).

Following this story, President Monson told us that we need to remember to give thanks because gratitude is the key that unlocks heaven and lets the blessings pour down upon us. You too can listen to a prophet's voice at lds.org under October 2010 General Conference.

Later in the conference President Monson told us that we should read the words from the conference. He also said that our peace and safety is found in keeping the commandments of God and that we should show increased kindness to each other.

An ancient prophet taught, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, [until] he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). I believe that President Monson spoke the words that we need to guide us for the next six months. I am grateful to live in a day when a prophet of God walks the earth once more.

Pray for Our Nation

An advisor to Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, organized a prayer group. This group of people committed themselves to pray for the safety of England, its people, and peace. The people in the group pledged to stop at a designated time each evening and pray for one minute for their country. England was able to stand tall during the war in spite of many brutal attacks on the nation. The report on this event suggested that the bombing stopped soon after the praying began. There is now a group of people in the United States who are trying to do the same thing for our nation. Our Republic is in danger of being destroyed from within by a radical progressive movement. We desperately need God's help to keep our Constitution and to maintain our liberties. If you would like to join this prayer group, stop whatever you are doing each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific, and 5:00 PM Alaska) and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, and that our land will remain Christian. I have a strong testimony that there is strength in praying in numbers, and I know that God hears our prayers. History has shown this statement to be true. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, we read, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Our land definitely needs some healing! Another prophet told his people, "… it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared…." (Alma 10:23). I hope and pray that there are enough prayerful, righteous people in our nation that our Republic might be spared.