This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 98-101, which includes the promise that all afflictions “shall work together for your good” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:3).
Following are a few quotes from past and present leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 98
“And what is the Lord willing to do for Israel? The Lord has pledged that He will ‘fight [our] battles, and [our] children’s battles, and our children’s children’s [battles] … to the third and fourth generation’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:37).
“As you study your scriptures during the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded. Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, October 2020 general conference, “Let God Prevail”
“If we pray with an eternal perspective, we need not wonder if our most tearful and heartfelt pleadings are heard. This promise from the Lord is recorded in section 98 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
“‘Your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord … and are recorded with this seal and testament — the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
“‘Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:2-3).
“The Lord chose His strongest words to reassure us. Seal. Testament. Sworn. Decreed. Immutable covenant. Brothers and sisters, believe Him. God will heed your sincere and heartfelt prayers, and your faith will be strengthened.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2011 general conference, “Face the Future with Faith”
“The Lord has promised us that He will not forget us because He has ‘graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands’ (Isaiah 49:16). And our promise to Him is that we will not forget Him, for we have engraven Him in our hearts.
“The early Saints were taught this in their sufferings in Missouri. The Lord counseled them to wait ‘patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord. …
“‘Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:2–3). This promise didn’t remove their trials, but it did comfort them, giving them hope for the future.”
— Sister Susan W. Tanner, then the Young Women general president, April 2003 general conference, “Steadfast in Our Covenants”
“Scripture study helps us increase our understanding of the pattern of righteousness. As we live the words of God, we are told, ‘He will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:12). I am encouraged by the examples of scripture reading I see. … These fundamental patterns will always need to be taught to our children if righteousness is to continue.”
— The late Sister Janette C. Hales, then the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 1991 general conference, “A Pattern of Righteousness”
“The Lord said that ‘he holds men accountable for their acts in relation’ to governments ‘both in making laws and administering them’ (Doctrine and Covenants 134:1). We must follow this counsel from the Lord: ‘Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil’ (Doctrine and Covenants 98:10).
“Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise and honest.”
— The late President Ezra Taft Benson, then the president of the Church, October 1987 general conference, “Our Divine Constitution”
Doctrine and Covenants 100
“You don’t have to be an outgoing person or an eloquent, persuasive teacher. If you have an abiding love and hope within you, the Lord has promised if you ‘lift up your voices unto this people [and] speak the thoughts that [He] shall put into your hearts … you shall not be confounded before men;
“‘[And] it shall be given you … in the very moment, what ye shall say’ (Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-6).”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2013 general conference, “Put Your Trust in the Lord”
“Many of you have loved ones who are wandering off the path to eternal life. You wonder what more you can do to bring them back. You can depend on the Lord to draw closer to them as you serve Him in faith.
“You remember the Lord’s promise to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon when they were away from their families on His errands: ‘My friends Sidney and Joseph, your families are well; they are in mine hands, and I will do with them as seemeth me good; for in me there is all power’ (Doctrine and Covenants 100:1).”
— President Henry B. Eyring, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2013 general conference, “‘Come unto Me’”
“It is the Holy Ghost that bears witness of your words when you teach and testify. It is the Holy Ghost that, as you speak in hostile venues, puts into your heart what you should say and fulfills the Lord’s promise that ‘you shall not be confounded before men’ (Doctrine and Covenants 100:5). It is the Holy Ghost that reveals how you may clear the next seemingly insurmountable hurdle. It is by the Holy Ghost in you that others may feel the pure love of Christ and receive strength to press forward. It is also the Holy Ghost, in His character as the Holy Spirit of Promise, that confirms the validity and efficacy of your covenants and seals God’s promises upon you.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2009 general conference, “The Power of Covenants”
“The Prophet Joseph Smith, with Sidney Rigdon and Freeman Nickerson, was in Brantford and Mt. Pleasant, Ontario, in 1833. Joseph and Sidney had long been absent from their families and felt great concern about them. In the revelation we now know as the 100th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord counseled: ‘Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my friends Sidney and Joseph, your families are well; they are in mine hands, …
“‘Therefore, follow me, and listen to the counsel which I shall give unto you.
“‘Behold, … I have much people in this place, in the regions round about; and an effectual door shall be opened … in this eastern land’ (Doctrine and Covenants 100:1-3).”
— The late President Thomas S. Monson, then the second counselor in the First Presidency, October 1990 general conference, “Days Never to Be Forgotten”
Doctrine and Covenants 101
“In 1833, the Saints in Missouri were the targets of intense persecution. Mobs had driven them from their homes in Jackson County, and some Church members had tried to establish themselves in other nearby counties. But the persecution continued, and the threats of death were many. In these challenging circumstances, the Lord revealed the following instruction to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio:
“‘Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16).
“I believe the Lord’s admonition to ‘be still’ entails much more than simply not talking or not moving. Perhaps His intent is for us to remember and rely upon Him and His power ‘at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in’ (Mosiah 18:9). Thus, ‘be still’ may be a way of reminding us to focus upon the Savior unfailingly as the ultimate source of the spiritual stillness of the soul that strengthens us to do and overcome hard things.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2024 general conference, “‘Be Still, and Know That I Am God’”
“As a generation that has the sacred charge to prepare the rising generation for its prophesied role in the latter days, which role must be fulfilled in a time when the adversary’s influence is at its peak, we cannot be a source of confusion about the importance of following prophetic counsel. It is that very counsel that will allow the rising generation to see ‘the enemy while he [is] yet afar off; and then [they can make] ready’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:54) to withstand the enemy’s attack. Our seemingly small deviations, quiet neglect, or whispered criticisms in response to prophetic counsel may result in our only walking dangerously near the edge of the covenant path; but when magnified by the adversary in the lives of the rising generation, such actions may influence them to leave that path altogether. Such a result is a generational price that is too high.”
— Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy, April 2023 general conference, “A Living Prophet for the Latter Days”
“God has given His children moral agency — the power to decide and to act. The most desirable condition for the exercise of that agency is maximum freedom for men and women to act according to their individual choices. Then, the revelation explains, ‘every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:78). ‘Therefore,’ the Lord revealed, ‘it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:79). This obviously means that human slavery is wrong. And according to the same principle, it is wrong for citizens to have no voice in the selection of their rulers or the making of their laws.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2021 general conference, “Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution”
“Three times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord counsels His people to ‘stand in holy places’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 45:32; 87:8; 101:22). The context of His counsel is all the more significant as we look at the current condition of our world. Desolating disease, persecution, and war have an all-too-familiar face and have imposed themselves into our daily experience. In the face of such perplexing problems, the Lord counsels, ‘Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:22).”
— Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2003 general conference, “Holy Place, Sacred Space”
“Prophets have admonished us to forsake the world and turn our hearts to Jesus Christ, who promised us, ‘In this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:36). … How often are we so focused on pursuing the so-called good life that we lose sight of eternal life? It is the fatal spiritual equivalent of selling our birthright for a mess of pottage.”
— Sister Sheri L. Dew, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1999 general conference, “We Are Women of God”
“I want to bear my testimony that I know this Church is led by a prophet of God … . Church administration on the general and local level is evidence of the blessing of the priesthood, for this is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and He is directing the work. The Lord has said, ‘Let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16).”
— The late Sister Elaine L. Jack, then the Relief Society general president, October 1996 general conference, “‘Partakers of the Glories’”
“We must depend upon the light of Christ … but we cannot allow our fears to separate us from the possession of our souls. Hear what is recorded in the 101st section of Doctrine and Covenants:
“‘Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.
“‘Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.
“‘And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:36–38).
“It is a response of the soul when we sense and accept the loving promises that Christ extends to us.”
— The late Sister Aileen H. Clyde, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, April 1995 general conference, “Covenant of Love”
