Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile."   -Alma 18:23

"If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you."   -Jeffery R. Holland, "An Ensign to the Nations", April 2011

Where do you and I stand in our willingness and determination to follow today's living prophets? 

I love King Lamoni's attitude in this scripture. He is so willing to be obedient. This is because he has gained a testimony that Ammon is a messenger from God and that the words Ammon speaks are from God. Do we realize this? When we listen to a prophet's voice, do we understand that he is merely there to express the thoughts, feelings, and desires from the Lord?

Last week, I had an experience that testified to me that the words spoken by today's general authorities are true. As my ward's Relief Society president, I had been praying to know what the Lord would have me do to help the sisters in my ward strengthen their testimonies. I received the distinct and strong impression that the sisters in our ward needed to read Daughters in My Kingdom. This is the same council that the General Relief Society Presidency has  been giving to the church across the world over the past year. It shouldn't have been a surprise, yet it was still a very humbling experience to realize that the words spoken to a worldwide audience of sisters weren't just general "this-might-apply-to-your-situation" pieces of advise. When Sister Beck testified that learning about the history of Relief Society would strengthen us sisters, it was meant for every single one of us. It was meant, on a very specific and personal level, for the girls in the Provo YSA 41st Ward. Every one of them. Including me.

Having the spirit bring to mind the council of Sister Beck as a way to answer my question has strengthened my testimony that the prophets and apostles in today's world truly are servants of the Lord. Although they may speak to a worldwide audience, their council is meant to provide very personal and direct answers to our questions. I know that God lives, and that because He loves us He has given us wise, loving, good-hearted leaders to help us make our way through today's challenges. These leaders have dedicated their lives to serving in the church as a testimony of their love for us and for God. I desire to be more like King Lamoni. I desire to listen to and follow all the words of God, spoken through today's living prophets.