Editor’s note: To support elders quorum and Relief Society classes, the Church News is publishing lesson resources on messages from October 2024 general conference. These are meant to be a starting point and not a lesson plan.
About this talk
- “Trusting Our Father”
- by Elder David P. Homer | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday morning session of October 2024 general conference.
- Theme: Submitting one’s will to Heavenly Father is an act of faith that lies at the heart of discipleship.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Homer’s message here.
Outline
- In the 1840s, Louisa Barnes Pratt was counseled by the Prophet, Brigham Young, to travel west with other pioneers. She set aside personal preferences and eventually found joy in the journey, a testament of the blessings from trusting God more than anyone or anything else.
The source of truth
- God trusts His children to make many important decisions, and He asks them to trust Him in all matters. God has established the boundaries between right and wrong.
- The desire to change God’s eternal truth started before the world began, with Satan’s rebellion. Deviations from God’s truth often lead to great sorrow.
Our choice
- Choosing whom to trust is one of life’s important decisions, and guidance from prophets helps people understand God’s truth. He responds to sincere prayers according to the attention and effort devoted.
Look to the Savior
- After the Savior taught about His mission, many in Capernaum found His words difficult to hear, and they walked no more with Him. They trusted their own judgment and denied blessings that would have come had they stayed.
- Pride can easily come between someone and eternal truth. When focusing on the Savior, faith can start to overcome concerns.
Blessings come to those who stay
- When Christ asked His twelve apostles if they would also go away, Peter declared his witness that Jesus is the Son of God. These apostles trusted God, preserving blessings He gives to those who stay.
- Heavenly Father loves His children and has something better for them. Reaching out to Him can be difficult, but like the father who sought healing for his son, Saints can cry out, “Help thou [my] unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
Submitting our will to His
- Like the Savior’s example of fulfilling His messianic mission, the choice to submit one’s will to God’s is an act of faith at the heart of discipleship. Agency is not diminished in making this choice; it’s magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost.
- As one sister returned to the Church, she exercised faith in Heavenly Father’s plan and felt the Spirit return. She learned for herself that God’s ways were better than hers.
- Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know everyone’s hurts and know perfectly how to succor them. “We can be of good cheer as we trust Them more than anyone or anything else.”
Discussion questions
How can we trust in Heavenly Father’s plan even when difficulties come?
What blessings come from God Himself establishing the boundaries between right and wrong?
Why might deviations from God’s truth lead to great sorrow?
When have you been blessed by trusting Heavenly Father rather than your own judgment?
Why is submitting our will to God’s will “at the heart of our discipleship”?
Notable quotes
- “God trusts us to make many important decisions, and in all matters He asks us to trust Him.”
- “As we seek to understand and accept God’s will, it is helpful to remember that the boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define. God has established these boundaries Himself, based on eternal truths for our benefit and blessing.”
- “The choice to submit our will to God’s is an act of faith that lies at the heart of our discipleship. In making that choice, we discover that our agency is not diminished; rather, it is magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who brings purpose, joy, peace, and hope we can find nowhere else.”
Key scriptures
- “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.”
- “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.”
- “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
Invitations and promises
- “If clarification beyond what we have is needed, God provides it through His prophets. And He will respond to our sincere prayers through the Holy Ghost as we seek to understand truths we do not yet fully appreciate.”
- “It is easy for our pride to come between us and eternal truth. When we don’t understand, we can pause, let our feelings settle, and then choose how to respond. The Savior urged us to ‘look unto [Him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not’ (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). When we focus on the Savior, our faith can start to overcome our concerns.”
- “When we find it difficult to understand or embrace God’s will, it is comforting to remember that He loves us as we are, wherever we are. And He has something better for us. If we reach out to Him, He will assist us.”
Stories
- After her husband left Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1843 to preach the gospel, Louisa Barnes Pratt was left to care for their young family. Persecutions intensified, and Louisa faced the decision of whether to leave Nauvoo and later Winter Quarters, Nebraska. She sought prophetic direction on both occasions from Brigham Young, who encouraged her to go. Despite the great difficulty and her personal reluctance, Louisa exercised faith to see her situation differently and eventually found joy in the journey.
- In Capernaum, after Jesus taught about His identity and mission, many found His words difficult to hear, and they walked no more with Him. They trusted their own judgment, denying blessings that would have come had they stayed.
- When Christ asked His twelve apostles, “Will ye also go away?” in John 6, Peter declared his witness that Jesus is the Son of God. These apostles trusted God, preserving blessings He gives to those who stay.
- Months ago, Elder Homer and a stake president visited a sister who had returned to the Church. They asked her why she came back, and she responded she had made a mess of her life and knew where she needed to be. Her return wasn’t easy, but she trusted in Heavenly Father’s plan and felt the Spirit return.
Notable footnotes
- 2. After all, He is our Father. He loves us. And, as Elder Patrick Kearon taught, “[He] is in relentless pursuit of [us]. He ‘wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,’ and He employs every possible measure to bring [us] back” (“God’s Intent Is To Bring You Home”).
Additional resources
- Related image: “O My Father” by Simon Dewey
- Related video: “Wrong Roads”
- Related hymn: No. 1004, “I Will Walk With Jesus”
Recent conference talks on trusting God
- Sister Tracy Y. Browning: “Seeking Answers to Spiritual Questions” (October 2024)
- Elder Paul B. Pieper: “Trust in the Lord” (April 2024)
- Elder Evan A. Schmutz: “Trusting the Doctrine of Christ” (April 2023)
Who is Elder Homer?
- Elder David P. Homer was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on March 31, 2018. He previously served as an Area Seventy in the Europe and North America Northeast areas. After earning degrees at the University of Utah and the University of Pennsylvania, Elder Homer was an executive for General Mills.
