Prophets have foretold difficult days ahead, but they have also encouraged us to be confident and enthusiastic about the future. That's because the Savior has promised to give us power which will enable us to overcome the challenges we face.
Bullish
Prisoners of Hope
Captivity does not imply hopelessness. The prophet Zechariah proclaimed to his people, who had only recently been delivered from bondage, "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope." Then, he added a promise from the Lord: "even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee" (Zechariah 9:12). When Alma and his people were in bondage,... Continue Reading →
Dry Bones
As disciples of Christ, we can in our day rise above those ancient Israelites who moaned, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "A Perfect Brightness of Hope," General Conference, April 2020 In one of Ezekiel's many visions, he found himself in the middle of a valley full of... Continue Reading →
No Graves in Egypt
Frustration and fear can narrow our thinking, reducing the number of outcomes that we perceive to be possible. Sometimes, we express this narrow thinking as a false dilemma, in which we articulate multiple bad outcomes and attempt to select the least bad, instead of searching for a better one. As the children of Israel approached... Continue Reading →
Sojourners
God led Abraham to the land of Canaan and promised that his descendants would live there (Genesis 12:5-7). Because of a famine, Abraham temporarily "went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (Genesis 12:10), presaging a much longer relocation to Egypt which his descendants would later experience. When he returned to Canaan, Abraham put down roots... Continue Reading →
A Land of Promise
Abraham recognized that it was time for a change. "I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence," he wrote (Abraham 1:1). God had promised to lead him by the hand (Abraham 1:18), and take him to "a strange land" where his descendants would become "a great nation" (Genesis 12:1-2). The... Continue Reading →
An Effectual Door
In his first epistle to the Corinthian saints, Paul promises to spend some time with them in the future, but not right away. "I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost," he says. "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me" (1 Corinthians 16:9). The word effectual means "successful in producing a desired or... Continue Reading →
Faith, Hope, Meekness, and Love: Interdependent Virtues – Moroni 7:39-44
Christlike virtues do not exist in a vacuum. We might talk about them in isolation; we might even work on them individually. But as we develop one virtue, others naturally grow. Mormon emphasizes the interdependence of several virtues near the end of his sermon in the synagogue: "I judge that ye have faith in Christ... Continue Reading →
Speaking with the Voice of Hope – Mosiah 7:18-19
Soon after the search party led by Ammon arrived in the land of Lehi-Nephi, King Limhi understood the significance of the event. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to free themselves from captivity, his people had a renewed reason to be hopeful (Mosiah 7:1-15). As he gathered his people to share the good news, Limhi encouraged them... Continue Reading →
Words of Comfort and Encouragement from Isaiah
This morning, as I studied 2 Nephi 16-20 (Isaiah 6-10), a number of phrases caught my attention. Here they are and why they are meaningful to me: "Here am I; send me" (2 Nephi 16:8). When Isaiah heard that help was needed, he volunteered immediately and enthusiastically. I would like to be that quick to... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 