When priesthood holders “walk the path of priesthood service,” the Savior Jesus Christ goes with them, President Henry B. Eyring said in his address at the priesthood session of general conference.
President Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, acknowledged, “It is natural to feel some inadequacy when we consider what the Lord has called us to do.”
He added, “In fact, if you told me that you feel perfectly capable of fulfilling your priesthood duties, I might worry that you do not understand them. On the other hand, if you told me that you feel like giving up because the task is too far beyond your abilities, then I would want to help you understand how the Lord magnifies and strengthens the holders of His priesthood to do things they never could have done alone.”
President Eyring cited several statements from scripture that, he said, “can deepen our sense of awe regarding the holy priesthood.”
“One way to respond to such awe-inspiring descriptions of the power of the priesthood is to assume that they do not apply to us,” he observed. “Another way to respond is with soul-searching questions, asked in our own hearts, such as these: Have I ever felt that the heavens have been opened to me? Would anyone use the phrase ‘ministering of angels’ to describe my priesthood service? Do I bring the ‘power of godliness’ into the lives of those I serve? Have I ever broken a mountain, defied an army, broken someone’s bands, or subdued wordly powers — even if only figuratively — in order to accomplish God’s will?”
Noting that such introspection always brings a feeling that one could be doing more in the service of the Lord, President Eyring said, “I hope it also brings you a feeling that you want to do more — a longing to participate more fully in the Lord’s miraculous work. Such feelings are the first step toward becoming the kind of men that priesthood service is meant to produce.”
The next step, he said, is described in the interaction between Jehovah and Enoch as recounted in Moses 6:32, 34. Enoch said he was young and “slow of speech.” Jehovah assured him that His Spirit would be with Enoch and he would, therefore, be given utterance and power.
“Brethren,” President Eyring said, “our ordination to the priesthood is an invitation from the Lord to walk with Him. And what does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves.”
President Eyring said that as soon priesthood holders accept the Lord’s invitation, “Walk with Me,” their priesthood service becomes higher and nobler, but also more achievable, because they know they are not alone.
He said he has relied many times on the promise of divine aid in giving priesthood service. He recounted an experience that happened while he was a bishop. He received a telephone call from a woman who had made a serious mistake and now faced a difficult decision. In an interview with her he felt he knew the answer to her problem but felt strongly she needed to obtain the answer for herself. He told her, “I believe God will tell you what to do if you would ask Him.” She subsequently did so, and He did tell her.
In another incident, President Eyring said, he counseled a recently baptized member of his ward who, inebriated, had crashed his car into a bank lobby.
As President Eyring sat looking at him he heard a voice in his mind say “I’m going to let you see him as I see him.”
“And then, for a brief moment, his whole appearance changed. I saw not a dazed young man but a bright, noble son of God. I suddenly felt the Lord’s love for him. That vision changed our conversation. It also changed me.”
From these experiences, President Eyring said, he learned three important lessons: God notices and will support even the newest and youngest deacon; the Lord’s work is not just to solve problems but is also to build people; and walking with the Savior in priesthood service will change the way one looks at others.
“I testify that when we walk the path of priesthood service, the Savior Jesus Christ goes with us, for it is His path, His way,” said President Eyring.
