Relief Society Lesson 9 May 2010

Our lesson was taught by Sis. Sherry Soderberg, and was based on Chapter 9 of the Gospel Principals lesson manual. The lesson was on Prophets. We started by talking about our "first" prophets. Who is the first prophet you remember? Who is "your" prophet. In my life, I have been truly lucky to have been able to have several truly remarkable prophets leading the church. Sister Soderberg told us about when she was a new member of the church. She had only been a member for about a year, when she had the opportunity to attend a session of General Conference in person. Between sessions, she was walking in temple square, and saw a large group of people. Upon going closer, she saw that the group was surrounding President and Sister Kimball. Sis. Soderberg was able to shake the hand of the living prophet. While he was shaking her hand, President Kimball said to her "You are a new member of the church." At that point Sis. Soderberg KNEW that he IS a prophet of God. How amazing it must have been to speak to, touch, and witness revelation from the living prophet. The manual says "Many people live in darkness, unsure of God's will. They believe that the heavens are closed and that people must face the world's perils alone. How fortunate are the Latter-day Saints! We know that God communicates to the church through His prophet." It is also important to note that the prophet is the only living prophet on earth. That means he is the prophet for all people, whether they are members of the church or not. Whether they know or believe it or not. The prophet's council applies to ALL people, not just Latter-day Saints. Think about all that the prophet is asked to do. Every moment of his life, from the moment he is ordained, until the last moment of his earthly life, he serves all of us. It is a HUGE sacrifice, and it is made out of love for all people. How does the prophet speak to God? The same way you do! Each of us can go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. We are entitled to personal revelation. The prophet receives revelation for all of us. The manual says "NO person except the chosen prophet and president can receive God's will for the entire membership of the church...Many people find it easy to believe in the prophets of the past. But it is much greater to believe in and follow the living prophet." The prophet is the mouthpiece of the Lord. He will not give us instruction that is not from the Lord. President Wilford Woodruff said; " The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place." EVERYTHING the prophet instructs us to do is to bring us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sister Soderberg also gave us an assignment. I will put her words here.
"Sisters, Today's lesson is about the Prophets and how we can support the Prophet. Last week we talked about how we can love our sisters, and how we can support our sisters when we only see them on Sunday. Well there is a way...every sister will have a secret sister praying for her every day. When you are having problems with life, you will know that yo have a secret sister praying for you. Last conference, said in his talk "YOU are my hands," "Every day, as we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands, that others through us may feel His loving embrace." Sisters, let the sisters feel that embrace through your daily prayer for your secret sister. In the holy name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen. "

There were far more names available than there were people to take them. So, if you are reading this and did not take a name (or two,) PLEASE call Sis. Soderberg and ask her for a name. What a wonderful way to show love for our sisters. Praying costs us nothing and is worth much. Even if you can not do anything physically or financially, you can plead with our Heavenly Father for the blessings our sisters need. The bible dictionary says of prayer; " The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." What blessings might our sisters be missing simply because we are not asking for them? Dede B.