President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, spoke during the Saturday morning session of April 2022 general conference. He encouraged listeners to gain strength to withstand life’s storms. The following is a summary of what he said.
Notable quotes from President Eyring
“Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and at peace in times of peril.”
“When the storms in life come, you can be steady because you are standing on the rock of your faith in Jesus Christ.”
“The Savior knows the storms and the places of safety on the way home to Him and to our Heavenly Father.”
Summary of President Eyring’s talk
It has never been more important to build a sure foundation on the “rock of our Redeemer.” The last sermon of King Benjamin, recorded in the Book of Mormon, shares how to build that foundation.
King Benjamin knew that people had to have their natures changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That change is “we must become as a child — a little child.”
Being “like a child” means to emulate the Savior, who prayed for strength to do His Father’s will and atone for the sins of all of His Father’s children.
“Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to stand steady and at peace in times of peril.”
Changing natures happens as people make and renew covenants with God. “That brings the power of Christ’s Atonement to allow that transformation in our hearts.”
That change and experiences increase a person’s capacity to love and obey. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to repentance. These changes can help qualify for gifts from the Holy Ghost, including comfort and guidance.
“The Savior knows the storms and the places of safety on the way home to Him and to our Heavenly Father.”
About President Eyring
- President Henry B. Eyring has been a general authority for more than three decades, called in 1985. He served as a counselor to President Thomas S. Monson from 2008 to 2018 and as a counselor to President Gordon B. Hinckley from 2007 to 2008. Now he is serving as second counselor to President Russell M. Nelson.
- He married Kathleen Johnson in the Logan Utah Temple in July 1962. They are the parents of four sons and two daughters.
- He served as president of BYU–Idaho — then Ricks College — from 1971 to 1977.
President Eyring in the news
- President Eyring shared a message of peace for those praying for strength, at the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional on Dec. 5, 2021.
- Returning to his boyhood ward, President Eyring pointed to the then-unseen successes of Utah’s silkworm industry at a monument commemoration on Oct. 9, 2021.
- President Eyring and President Dallin H. Oaks shared with the Church News how different perspectives strengthen a council.
President Eyring’s recent social posts
- “It takes faith to be obedient to the Lord’s commandments,” President Eyring said in a Jan. 26 post. “It takes faith in Jesus Christ to serve others for Him.”
- On Feb. 22, President Eyring taught that the way to receive revelation has never changed. “It is always done by exercising faith.”
- “No matter how unknown the path ahead may be, there is always One who has walked the same path and can lead us along,” President Eyring wrote on March 7, and promised joy and optimism during trials “because we trust Him.”
