Dare to Stand Alone

We had a inspiring sacrament meeting a few weeks back. One young man shared the following witness by Gordon B. Hinckley:

"In the Church we sing a stirring hymn, 'We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.' It is distinctive with us. As a people, we sing some hymns that have come from other churches, and others sing some of ours. But only we can properly sing, 'We thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days.'

It was written more than a century ago by a man of humble circumstances who lived in Sheffield, England. He worked in the steel mills and was discharged because he joined the Mormon Church. But there burned in his heart a great and fervent testimony; and out of an overflowing spirit of gratitude, he penned these moving lines. They have become a grateful expression of appreciation for millions over the earth. I have heard them sung in many different languages as a reverent prayer of thanksgiving for divine revelation.

How thankful we ought to be, how thankful we are, for a prophet to counsel us in words of divine wisdom as we walk our paths in these complex and difficult times. The solid assurance we carry in our hearts, the conviction that God will make His will known to His children through His recognized servants, is the real basis of our faith and activity. We either have a prophet or we have nothing; and having a prophet, we have everything."

You have all heard the story of Naaman. He was a “captain of the host of the king of Syria.” He was a “great man with his master [the king], and honourable [and] a mighty man in valour” (2 Kgs. 5:1). The problem was that Naaman also had leprosy. He sought intervention from God's prophet, Elisha. But when Elisha said through his servant, Gehazi, “Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean” (2 Kgs. 5:10), the mighty Naaman was taken aback and confused. He had anticipated that the Israelite prophet would work a miracle on the spot—calling on the name of the Lord and in a sweeping demonstration of great power, “strike his hand over the place” to cure his leprosy (2 Kgs. 5:11). He became upset and in a fit of anger stormed away from Elisha’s house.

But then Naaman's servants approached him and said in essence if he had commanded you to do "some great thing" wouldn't you have done it? How much easier it would be to do a small or simple thing, like bathing in the river Jordan? The now humbled Naaman accepted his enlightened servants’ advice and, in an act of great faith, chose to obey. “Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kgs. 5:14).

Of course, Naaman was delighted, and he returned to the house of Elisha and tried to give him a gift, but Elisha would receive none, and Naaman departed. Well, Gehazi followed Naaman and told him a lie that Elisha had sent him to get money and resources. Naaman happily consented. But it wasn't long before Gehazi's deceptions were discovered, and he was cursed with the leprosy that had been Naaman's.

How close Naaman came to not receiving this great blessing. To be dishonest is cheating yourself. Follow the prophet. Be true to his words, for they speak the will of God. And our Deliverer waits to give us with bounteous blessings in return for our obedience.
In closing, I want to share with you the story of Conrad N. Hilton of the Hilton Hotel chain who said "I have been taught that there is one person in the world you never want to fool, and that is yourself, because that is plain stupidity."

Mr. Hilton told about a plain bar of iron being worth about five dollars. But that same iron, if made into horseshoes, would be worth $10.50. If it were made into needles, it would be worth $3,285. And if turned into balance springs for watches, its worth would be over $250,000.

On Cheating Yourself (take time to read this article by President Spencer W. Kimball)

You have been promised wealth untold if you are obedient.

Obedience will make you happier, stronger, and better--just like it did Naaman.

Your blessings await you.

I love you, dad

More reading:

Obedience--the Path to Freedom (James E. Faust)

A Contrast in Obedience (Ralph Hardy)