This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 81-83, which includes the Lord’s direction to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about those sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 81
“Love of the Lord is not complete if we neglect our neighbors. This outward love includes all of God’s children without regard to gender, social class, race, sexuality, income, age or ethnicity. We seek out those who are hurt and broken, the marginalized, for ‘all are alike unto God’ (2 Nephi 26:33). We ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).”
— Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2024 general conference, “Bridging the Two Great Commandments”
“There are those who struggle every day with challenges. Let us extend to them our concern, as well as a helping hand. As we care for each other, we will be blessed.
“May we remember the elderly and those who are homebound. As we take time to visit them, they will know that they are loved and valued. May we follow the mandate to ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).”
— The late President Thomas S. Monson, then the President of the Church, October 2014 general conference, “Until We Meet Again”
“It is our job to build up, repair, strengthen, uplift and make whole. Our assignment is to follow the Savior’s example and reach out to those who suffer. We ‘mourn with those that mourn … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort’ (Mosiah 18:9). We bind up the wounds of the afflicted. We ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).”
— Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then the second counselor in the First Presidency, April 2013 general conference, “Four Titles”
“This Church does not belong to its president. Its head is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us has taken upon ourselves. We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: ‘Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).
“‘And in doing these things thou wilt do the greatest good unto thy fellow beings, and wilt promote the glory of him who is your Lord’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:4).
“Further, ‘And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:6).
“All of us in this great cause are of one mind, of one belief, of one faith.”
— The late President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the President of the Church, April 1995 general conference, “This Is the Work of the Master”
“To create and maintain self-esteem, our words and our actions must always express to the individual that he or she is important and capable. The words the scriptures use are ‘to lift.’ The psychologists would say, ‘Reinforce the positive.’ The secret is simple. Always look for the good in the individual and lift; reinforce the positive by words and actions. Put-downs, words like ‘stupid’ or ‘dummy,’ or phrases like ‘Why can’t you do anything right?’ destroy self-esteem and shouldn’t be part of our vocabulary. It is impossible to emphasize the good in others if negative words or phrases are readily available on the tips of our tongues or expressed through our gestures.
“The plea behind the words ‘Walk beside me, help me find the way’ is this: ‘Lift me. Strengthen my feeble knees. Let me know that I am important and capable’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).”
— The late Elder Dallas N. Archibald, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1992 general conference, “Born of Goodly Parents”
“There is a phrase used four times in the standard works which has always intrigued me. It is the expression ‘feeble knees.’
“By definition, ‘feeble’ means weak, not strong, without force, easily broken, frail.
“When Frederick G. Williams was called to be a counselor to Joseph Smith, he was given this charge: ‘Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).
“Coupled with the word strengthen, which is to make or become stronger, the phrase led me to contemplate the meaning of these words. …
“In Doctrine and Covenants 81:5, the verse might be interpreted as the Lord’s urging Frederick G. Williams to provide strength to the weak (‘succor the weak’), to provide encouragement to those who are exhausted or discouraged (‘lift up the hands which hang down’), and to give courage and strength to those with feeble knees and fearful hearts.
“In March of 1832 when this section was revealed, Church members had reason to be fearful. In Hiram, Ohio, where the Prophet Joseph Smith was living, there was a rising tide of hostility against the Saints. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were brutally attacked by a mob of 50 men.
“Those who would destroy at the present time no longer use tar and feathers; they taunt and fault.
“Today, … there is no doubt in my mind that the admonition to strengthen feeble knees is more apropos than ever. Who among us has not experienced feeble knees or fear and uncertainty over the responsibilities we encounter in this mortal existence? …
“Life is never easy, and we cannot escape our own case of feeble knees from time to time. It is thus essential that we love and support one another.”
— The late Elder Marvin J. Ashton, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1991 general conference, “Strengthen the Feeble Knees”
Doctrine and Covenants 82
“Unity with our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ grows as we heed the second commandment — inextricably connected to the first — to love others as ourselves. And I suppose an even more perfect unity would obtain among us if we followed the Savior’s higher and holier expression of this second commandment — to love one another not only as we love ourselves but as He loved us. In sum, it is ‘every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:19).”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2023 general conference, “One in Christ”
“As we appropriately seek for the spiritual gift of eyes to see and ears to hear, I promise that we will be blessed with the capacity and judgment to strengthen our covenant connection with the living Lord. We also will receive the power of godliness in our lives — and ultimately be both called to and chosen for the Lord’s feast.
“‘Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion’ (Isaiah 52:1).
“‘For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:14).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2022 general conference, “Put On Thy Strength, O Zion”
“I testify that when Jesus Christ, through the power of His Atonement, works on us and in us, He begins to work through us to bless others. We serve them, but we do so by loving and serving Him. We become what the scripture describes: ‘Every man [and woman] seeking the interest of his [or her] neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:19).”
— Sister Joy D. Jones, then the Primary general president, October 2018 general conference, “For Him”
“This past year I have needed and wanted to feel the love of the Lord more deeply, to receive personal revelation, to better understand my temple covenants and to have my burdens lightened. As I have prayed specifically for these blessings, I have felt the Spirit directing me to go to the temple and listen more closely to each word of the blessings pronounced upon me. I testify that as I have listened more intently and tried to exercise my faith, the Lord has been merciful to me and has helped make my burdens light. He has helped me to feel great peace about prayers that have not yet been answered. We bind the Lord to keep His promises when we keep our covenants and exercise our faith (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Come to the temple, dear sisters, and claim your blessings.”
— Sister Linda S. Reeves, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2013 general conference, “Claim the Blessings of Your Covenants”
“Satan wants us to lose our protection — that is, the help of the Holy Ghost — because that’s when he can gain power over us. When we obey, we can have the protection of the Holy Ghost. ‘I, the Lord, am bound,’ He said, ‘when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10).”
— Sister Michaelene P. Grassli, then the Primary general president, October 1989 general conference, “Follow Him”
“We can prove our love of God by radiating righteousness. If we really hunger and thirst after righteousness, then it is our duty to know and to do the will of Him who sent us here. By keeping His commandments, we will receive great blessings. Remember, the Lord has told us: ‘I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10).”
— The late Elder O. Leslie Stone, then an assistant to the Council of the Twelve, October 1974 general conference, “The Beatitudes”
“Let us remind ourselves, my brothers and sisters, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be lived, not just read about or talked about or thought about. It is to be lived. That is when it takes on its great power in the lives of men and women, and in building the kingdom of God. As we learn to do that, my brothers and sisters, we are blessed, for the Lord has said, ‘I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10).”
— The late Elder William H. Bennett, then an assistant to the Council of the Twelve, October 1973 general conference, “Which Way to Shore?”
Doctrine and Covenants 83
“The Lord has said that ‘all children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age’ (Doctrine and Covenants 83:4). Breadwinning is a consecrated activity. Providing for one’s family, although it generally requires time away from the family, is not inconsistent with fatherhood — it is the essence of being a good father. … This, of course, does not justify a man who neglects his family for his career or, at the other extreme, one who will not exert himself and is content to shift his responsibility to others.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2016 general conference, “Fathers”
“Both men and women are to serve their families and others, but the specific ways in which they do so are sometimes different. For example, God has revealed through His prophets that men are to receive the priesthood, become fathers, and with gentleness and pure, unfeigned love they are to lead and nurture their families in righteousness as the Savior leads the Church (see Ephesians 5:23). They have been given the primary responsibility for the temporal and physical needs of the family (see Doctrine and Covenants 83:2). Women have the power to bring children into the world and have been given the primary duty and opportunity as mothers to lead, nurture and teach them in a loving, spiritual environment. In this divine partnership, husbands and wives support one another in their God-given capacities. By appointing different accountabilities to men and women, Heavenly Father provides the greatest opportunity for growth, service and progress. He did not give different tasks to men and women simply to perpetuate the idea of a family; rather, He did so to ensure that the family can continue forever, the ultimate goal of our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1993 general conference, “Equality Through Diversity”
“In many societies the world over, child poverty, crime, drug abuse and family decay can be traced to conditions where the father gives no male nurturing. Sociologically, it is now painfully apparent that fathers are not optional family baggage. We need to honor the position of the father as the primary provider for physical and spiritual support. I state this with no reluctance because the Lord has revealed that this obligation is placed upon husbands. ‘Women have claim on their husbands for their maintenance, until their husbands are taken’ (Doctrine and Covenants 83:2). Further, ‘All children have claim upon their parents for their maintenance until they are of age’ (Doctrine and Covenants 83:4).”
— The late President James E. Faust, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1993 general conference, “Father, Come Home”
