Our First Presidency Message for the month of June comes to us from Henry B. Eyring and is entitled “Safety in Counsel.” We are reminded of the Lord’s offer to protect us, even as a hen gathers up her chicks, and how often it is that we refuse the sheltering wings the Lord holds out for us. He calls to us in many different ways, often using the voices of His servants, the prophets, as His mouthpieces.
At the time of Joseph Smith, many of the Saints lived in outlying areas rather than living closer in to town. The Prophet sent a message out to the community at Haun’s Mill, asking them to come into Farr West for safety, but the message was not delivered. The mobs came and devastated the small settlement, to the Prophet’s great dismay. He, too, lamented that the people would not let him protect them, by taking to heart the things he asked them to do.
In our day, we have been given our own prophets. We have the opportunity to hear them speak to us often. One way we may know they are speaking the truth is as we hear them quote each other, giving us not just one testimony, but two, three, or more. When we start to feel that the messages we are given are repetitive, that should tell us to listen more closely.
When we choose to take good counsel, we are choosing to stand on firm ground. It’s not merely a matter of deciding whether or not to take offered advice; it can and will affect our spiritual and physical safety. The keys of the Priesthood are given to our prophets, and it is incumbent upon them to use those keys for the good of the people. You can rest assured that when the prophet speaks, using the mantle of his authority, he is speaking for the good of the Church.
In order to receive the words of counsel we will be given, we must be willing to listen. We must humble ourselves, put aside the things we think we know. As we are prepared to listen wholeheartedly and to do the things we are taught to do, we will find ourselves protected, guided, and full of more joy than we ever could have gained on our own.
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