The Joy of the Saints

Enos prayed “all the day long” because his soul “hungered” (Enos 1:4). What did he want? What was he missing?

His father Jacob had described “the saints of the Holy One of Israel” as being full of joy forever. (See 2 Nephi 9:18.) Perhaps those words didn’t mean much to Enos at first, but now, as he spent time alone in the wilderness, his father’s words about “eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into [his] heart” (Enos 1:3).

He must have detected a gap between his father’s description of joy and his own experience. He may have been asking himself, “Why don’t I feel that way? What am I missing?”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf observed that while everyone wants to be happy, for many of us, happiness is elusive. Then, he described the happiness that the gospel has brought into his life:

I have…experienced for myself the glorious dawn that fills the soul with joy so profound that it can scarcely be kept in. I have discovered for myself that this peaceful confidence comes from following the Savior and walking in His Way.

The peace He gives us is not like what the world gives. It’s better. It’s higher and holier. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the “good news of great joy”! It is a message of matchless hope! A message of yoke-bearing and burden-lifting. Of light-gathering. Of heavenly favor, higher understanding, holier covenants, eternal security, and everlasting glory!

Joy is the very purpose of God’s plan for His children. It’s what you were created for—“that [you] might have joy”! You were built for this!

“A Higher Joy,” General Conference, April 2024

Elder Uchtdorf invited us to do the following things in order to invite more joy into our lives:

• “Spend time in a sincere, full-hearted effort to draw near to God.”
• “Seek diligently for everyday moments of hope, peace, and joy.”
• “Bring joy to others around you.”

Today, I will follow Enos’s example by seeking joy. I will remember that God intends for me to be happy and that His gospel leads me to the greatest happiness possible. I will engage in activities which invite joy into my life and into the lives of other people.