In our faith, we are often asked to sustain the prophet. We do this in a very public way, by the raising of our hands. But what does this gesture truly mean? Is it merely a formality, a custom we observe without much thought? Or is there something deeper, something more meaningful to this act of sustaining? I believe it is the latter. To sustain the prophet is not a passive act, but an active commitment, a sacred covenant we make with the Lord. It is a promise that we will uphold, support, and follow the counsel of the one whom the Lord has chosen to lead His church.
The Meaning of Sustain
The word “sustain” has its roots in the Latin word sustinere, which means “to hold up, to support.” In a spiritual context, this meaning takes on a profound significance. When we sustain the prophet, we are not just acknowledging his position; we are pledging to hold him up in our prayers, to support his initiatives, and to stand by him as he guides the church under the direction of the Lord.
President Joseph F. Smith taught that sustaining the authorities of the Church should be done “not only by the lifting of the hand, the mere form, but in deed and in truth.” This means that our actions should align with our show of support. It’s a commitment that extends far beyond the walls of the chapel and into our daily lives. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us.
What It Means to Sustain
Sustaining the prophet means that we have a personal testimony that he is a chosen servant of God. It means we have faith in his ability to receive revelation for the entire church. It means that we are willing to set aside our own will and align it with the will of the Lord as revealed through His prophet.
This doesn’t mean we will always understand every piece of counsel we are given. There may be times when the prophet’s words challenge our own understanding or require us to step out of our comfort zones. But it is in these moments that our sustaining is truly tested. It is in these moments that we must choose to have faith, to trust in the Lord’s chosen servant, and to move forward with the assurance that his counsel is for our ultimate good.
7 Ways to Sustain the Prophet
Here are seven practical ways we can sustain the prophet in our daily lives:
- Know and follow their recent counsel. This is perhaps the most obvious way to sustain the prophet, but it is also one of the most important. We can do this by studying their general conference addresses, reading their articles in the church magazines, and paying attention to their messages on social media. But it’s not enough to just know their counsel; we must also strive to apply it in our lives.
- Defend their good name and teachings. In a world where criticism and contention are all too common, we can be a voice for good by defending the prophet and his teachings. This doesn’t mean we need to be argumentative or confrontational. Rather, we can share our testimonies with kindness and respect, and we can use their own words to help others understand our beliefs.
- Share their counsel on social media. In today’s digital age, social media can be a powerful tool for spreading the gospel. We can sustain the prophet by sharing his messages of hope and inspiration with our friends and family online. Elder David A. Bednar has encouraged us to “sweep the earth with messages from on high.” Sharing the prophet’s words is a wonderful way to do just that.
- Pray for them and their families. The prophet and his family carry a heavy burden. They are constantly in the service of the Lord and His children. We can sustain them by remembering them in our daily prayers. We can pray that they will be strengthened, that they will be guided by the Spirit, and that they will have the health and energy they need to fulfill their sacred callings.
- Teach your children about the importance of the prophet. We have a responsibility to teach the rising generation about the importance of following the prophet. We can do this by sharing our own testimonies with them, by reading the scriptures together, and by making general conference a special time in our homes. When our children see that we value the words of the prophet, they are more likely to value them as well.
- Attend General Conference. Twice a year, we have the opportunity to hear directly from the prophet and other church leaders. By making general conference a priority in our lives, we show the Lord that we are eager to receive His word. We can prepare for conference by praying for the speakers, by pondering the questions we have in our hearts, and by being ready to receive personal revelation.
- Stand as a witness. In Doctrine and Covenants 107:23 we read that the apostles, including the prophet, are “special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world.” We too can be witnesses of Christ. We can sustain the prophet by living the gospel, by sharing our testimonies, and by standing for truth and righteousness in a world that is increasingly drifting away from the things of God. When we do these things, we are not only sustaining the prophet, we are also building up the kingdom of God on the earth.
Sustaining The Prophet Brings Blessings
To sustain the prophet is one of the great privileges of our membership in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. It is far more than a simple raising of the hand; it is a profound commitment of the heart. It is a daily choice to align our lives with the will of the Lord, as revealed through His chosen mouthpiece.
In a world tossed by winds of confusion and shifting values, the voice of the prophet is a steady, unwavering anchor for our souls. Following his counsel brings a security and peace that cannot be found anywhere else. The Lord Himself promised that if we hearken unto the words of His prophet, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
What a magnificent promise! Let us choose to claim it. Let us move beyond the form and embrace the substance of sustaining the prophet. May we stand by him, pray for him, defend his good name, and most importantly, strive with all our hearts to carry out his instructions.
