A thought for the Sabbath “There is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us”. This was the reaction of the people as the fame of the Lord’s prophet Enoch began to spread throughout the land. To their servants they commanded, ”Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth”. It must have indeed seemed strange to those ancient people to have such a man among them, for when a man is called of God to be a prophet, a seer, a revelator, the life of that man changes, and the choices we make concerning his sacred calling will change us as well. It is interesting to note that when King Solomon, who was blessed with great wisdom but was not a prophet, ruled his vast empire kings and queens came to listen to his counsel even as they brought gifts of great wealth. Yet prophets of God are stoned, cast out, mocked as simpletons by many and ignored or hated by others. When a king speaks we are free to listen or ignore, but when a prophet speaks those who hear must choose, for when prophets speak it is the mind and the will of the Lord, and depending entirely upon the spirit of each of us individually, his words will fall upon our souls like a sword that divideth asunder as we reject his words, or as the pleasing Balm of Gilead as we accept his words. This mantle of divine authority that is given to simple, humble men brings with it the testifying witness of the Holy Ghost, that all who will see and hear may know of themselves that he God’s chosen seer. This is the same mantle that has rested upon true prophets of God from Adam to Malachi, from Peter to Joseph Smith and down through the generations to Thomas S. Monson. It is a real mantle, not merely an honor bestowed by men. It carries with it the responsibility to teach eternal truths, unsullied by the precepts of ignorant or well meaning men. They are also called to warn, even to forewarn, about coming events that will dramatically impact us as individuals and as nations. We stone them or ignore them at our own peril. It goes without saying that we live in difficult times, but our Father in Heaven has no greater desire than to help each of us in our personal struggles. To that end has he always called one among us to be his mouthpiece. To the world, he is “a wild man” who has “come among us” to speak of things they do not want to hear. But to the humble saints of God he is a prophet and a seer; He is a revelator. He speaks the mind and will of our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ, and if we will but follow him, all will be well with us and our families.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 08:49:12 +0000
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