On April 6, 1830, during the first meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received and dictated a revelation in which the Lord named him as the leader of the newly organized church:
Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ,
Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith. …
Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
Doctrine and Covenants 21:1-2, 4-5
Church members then voted unanimously to sustain Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as church leaders.
About two years later, on March 8, 1832, Joseph chose and ordained Jesse Gause and Sidney Rigdon to be his “councillers of the ministry of the presidency of <th[e]> high Pristhood” (Revelation Book 2, pp. 10–11 on josephsmithpapers.org). Joseph received a revelation a week later in which the Lord affirmed Jesse’s calling to be “a high priest in my church, and a counselor unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun.; unto whom I have given the keys of the kingdom, which belong always unto the Presidency of the High Priesthood” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:1-2).
By the end of that year, however, Jesse had withdrawn from Church activity. By March 8 of the following year, Frederick G. Williams had been called to replace him. On that day, Joseph Smith received a revelation which clarified that his counselors served as leaders, not merely as advisors to him:
I say unto thy brethren, Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams, their sins are forgiven them also, and they are accounted as equal with thee in holding the keys of this last kingdom
Doctrine and Covenants 90:6
In an 1835 revelation on priesthood and church governance, the Lord formally identified the First Presidency as the presiding authority over the Church:
Of the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church.
Doctrine and Covenants 107:22
That revelation clarifies that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles operates “under the direction of the Presidency of the Church,” and that the quorums of Seventy operate “under the direction of the Twelve” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:33-34). (See also the Lord’s guidance to Thomas B. Marsh, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in Doctrine and Covenants 112:20, 26.)
When Oliver Granger received the unenviable assignment to liquidate the Church’s assets and unwind its debts in Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord equated his service with his support for church leaders, saying, “Let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church” (Doctrine and Covenants 117:13).
Earlier this week, a new First Presidency was organized, with Dallin H. Oaks as president and Henry B. Eyring and D. Todd Christofferson as counselors. After making this announcement, President Oaks said, “I am grateful for the prayers offered by so many members of the Church for a new First Presidency. I have felt the effect of those prayers, and with my counselors, we will strive in all respects to press forward this great work.” The First Presidency needs our faith and our prayers, and we do help them fulfill their responsibilities by upholding and sustaining them.
After calling twelve men to lead the church in ancient America, the Savior instructed church members:
Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants.
3 Nephi 12:1
We are blessed when we uphold God’s servants. Our efforts on their behalf may include listening to their words, praying for them, and defending them when they are unfairly attacked or misunderstood.
Today, I will pray for the new First Presidency of the Church. I will be grateful that God chooses people to serve in leadership roles, and I will remember that their success in fulfilling their responsibilities is largely dependent on the faith and support of those they lead.