He Is Our Story

There are 52 weeks in a year. 52 Sundays.  If we minus 2 Sundays for general conference, and two Sundays for stake conference we are left with 48 Sundays.  48 opportunities each year to participate in the ordinance of the sacrament.  I amguessing here, but I would venture to say that about 40 out of those 48bopportunities to partake of the sacrament, you will find me reading a certainbchapter in scripture as I seek to repent and draw closer to my Savior duringthis sacred time.  And that chapter is abpart of our study in Isaiah this week.  I can’t even remember when I discovered this chapter or when it began to have such a hold on my heart.  Elder Maxwell said, “There could have been no atonement except for the character of Christ.”   This chapter is why I can honestly claim to love Isaiah-because even if I do not understand any other chapter in Isaiah-this particular chapter has done more to help me come to know the character of Jesus Christ, than any other chapter of scripture. As we have talked about before, and I am quoting Tad Callister here, “The Atonement ofJesus Christ is infinite in scope, but individual in reach.”  This chapter of scripture has done more tohelp me understand that concept than any other chapter of scripture. It is a chapter that is also found, in its entirety in the Book of Mormon.  It is the last of the four “servant songs” foundin Isaiah.  It is referred to in the New Testament by Matthew, Peter, Paul, and Phillip.  It seems I am not the only one who really,really likes this chapter!

Fear not! I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed! ForI am thy God and will still give thee aid. I’ll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand. Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand!

These are the words to one of my favorite hymns.  And they are also the words of Isaiah! In Isaiah 41:10 we read—

And if you are thinking that these words sound alittle softer than the previous two weeks of Isaiah-well you are right!  There is definitely a tone and theme shift inthese coming chapters.  Scholars think these chapters were written after the Assyrian army destroyed all the smallercities of Judah, but then, as they tried to overtake Jerusalem, all 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers were killed in the night. Jerusalem was miraculously saved because Israel had heeded the words of Isaiah.  They had repented and turned tothe Lord, and the Lord kept His covenant with Israel-to fight their battles for them! He delivered them just like He had when they fled Egypt! 

This theme of Jehovah being one who has the powerto deliver is repeatedly compared to the world that has no such power, over the course of these chapters.  So, for us tomake these chapters about your story, I want you to push pause for a second and make a list of two or three trials in your life that you would like to experience deliverance from. 

Another repeated theme we are going to see thisweek is the Lord telling Israel, and therefore all of us, “fear not!”  At least 8 times throughout these chapters weread phrases like, “be not afraid”, “fear thou not”, and “fear not”.  So, again, for us to really connect thesechapters to our lives, I want you to push pause and write down two or three things in your life that are causing you to experience fear.

One other theme we are going to focus on todayfrom these chapters in Isaiah, is the same theme that we have been learning about all year in our study of the Old Testament.  And that is the theme of the power of thecovenant that the Lord and Israel have made with each other.  It is because of this covenant relationshipthat the Lord can counsel Israel to “fear not.” It is because of the power of the covenant that Israel can trust that when the Lord says things like, (read Isaiah 49:8-10) they can have confidence in the Lord’s promises. What blessings can we confidently expect from keeping covenants in our day?  As I read this quote from Elder Soares who spoke of Covenant Confidence in April of 2024, I want youto listen to the blessings that he lists and pick out one or two that would help you with the list you have just made of your trials and fears.  He said, “Such confidence…fortifies ourability to love and serve each other, and it strengthens our souls to live in an unholy world that is increasingly dark and discouraging.  It empowers us to overcome the seed of doubtand despair, fear and frustration, heartache and hopelessness that the enemy tries to drive deep into our hearts, especially when life is hard, trials are long, or circumstances are difficult. Dear brothers and sisters, those who gaingenuine confidence in the covenants made in the house of the Lord through Jesus Christ possess one of the most powerful forces that we can access in the life.”

I hope you will invite the Spirit to teach you howyour covenants can empower you as you face the trials and fears you wrote down. Remember the words from Elisha to his young servant when he saw the horses and chariots that encompassed the city, and he askedthe prophet, “What shall we do?”  Elishaanswered him, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than be with them.”  And then Elisha prayed for the Lord to openthe young boy’s eyes, and he beheld that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.  Wecan have confidence that the Lord will do the same for us as we strive to keep our covenants with Him.

If you follow the ywworldwide and ymworldwide Instagramaccounts you may have seen last week that a lot of people are having questions about who is supposed to be leading these youth discussions. On the YW Instagram account it says, “remember you’re not assigning girls to lead the entirelesson.  Instead, assign girls or leaders to ask one question and then begin the discussion for that question leaving plentyof time for others to comment. If you ask 3 questions you could have 3 discussion leaders. Leaders should be studying every lesson and be prepared to lift the learning within the discussion. The discussion leader(s) will have asked each of the class members to spend time thinking about one of the questionsprior to class.

Now on a second, third or fourth Sunday lessonthere are a lot of really good questions in the lesson guide.  But the fast Sunday lesson is just an outline. So the discussion leader will need to come up with questions for these lessons.  So, maybe for you the first Sunday feels more like a leader led discussion.  Great.  Just make sure to get thequestion(s) you are going to be focusing on out to your class members in advance.  A good discussion (especiallyin such a short amount of time) flows from learners coming to class prepared.  Maybe some of you are having troublewith that.  I saw a lot of comments onthe YWworldwide Instagram page about how it takes the girls a while to warm up, and as a result their classes have been really quiet this month.  Leaders are missing the 20 minutes they usedto spend with the girl’s sharing events and highlights of the past week with each other.  I even saw some asking ifthey could just take the first 5 minutes of class and do that still! 

Personally, I think those kinds of conversationsare wonderful at your mid-week activity. But Sunday is different.  Sunday is about worship.  It is about building lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.  And as you find ways to besuccessful at this, you will find that the greatest bonding comes from learning more about the Savior together.  When youdo that with people, your love for each other naturally grows.  You do not have to be talking about yourselfto build strong relationships with each other.

I think finding questions that prepare learners tohave a thoughtful discussion is a wonderful way to start your class.  I think these questions should be createdwith your class or quorum presidencies, and I think they should be created with discipleship and belonging in mind.

In one of our more popular and rousing hymns we singthe words, “O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell.  We’regoing to the mountains of Ephraim to dwell.”  Have you ever stopped to wonder what those words means? I’ll be honest-I have never really given it a second thought!  But studying these chapters in Isaiah has brought me to a greater understanding of what these phrases from a song really mean to a latter day member of the house of Israel.  

In srael’s early beginnings Babylon was not even their biggest threat.  Remember their biggest threat was Assyria.

By the time Isaiah comes on the scene, Babylon wasa subject state under Assyrian control, occasionally rebelling against that control.  If you remember back in 2 Kings20 when Hesekiah almost dies from a sickness, but then the Lord through the prophet Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will spare his life 15 more years.  When the king of Babylon hears that Hezekiah is sick, he sends an envoy with letters and gifts.  I’m going to read 2 kings 20:13-17.

 So even before Babylon became the dominant empire, Isaiah was prophesying that it would eventually become a conqueror of Judah.

Throughout the later Israelite history Babylonbecomes this recurring image — of pride, exile, power, idolatry, and self-sufficiency.  Eventually it becomes a spiritual metaphorfor worldliness and sin. Babylon is the world’s way of living life.

In essence it becomes the stark contrast to Zion, whichsymbolizes peace, unity, purity and devotion to God. Zion represents God’s way of living life.

Zion and Babylon are not just two places on a map.Throughout scripture they function as an image of two opposing conditions of the heart. 

This is the metaphor Elder Neal A. Maxwell wasusing when he said, “People know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon.”  He then admonished, “Letus once and for all establish our residence in Zion and give up the summer cottage in Babylon." (Elder Neal A.Maxwell)

Summer is coming to a close here in Utah! So wedon’t have much use for a summer cottage anyway! Let’s learn from Isaiah about how we can turn our back on Babylon and its worldly ways, and keep our feetfixed and our eyes riveted to the path that leads to our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Our Savior is marvelous and He can workwonders!

Elect, called, ordained, given, teach, work, invite,expound, preach, lead.  These are allwords used by the Lord to describe what it looks like to be a covenant daughteror son of God. These words are invitations to act. They imply choosing toengage in the work of the gospel.  Thismonth we have been learning more about priesthood keys and authority.  One important aspect of priesthood keys andauthority to understand is that the reason the Lord has given us these keys andauthority is so that we can become who our Father in Heaven intends for us tobecome.  “I have a divine nature andeternal destiny.” “He has a work for me to do.” 

Priesthood keys and authority are the power given usto bless, serve, and lift others. To quote from the FSY guidebook. “As youserve the Lord with His authority and under the direction of His servants who holdpriesthood keys, He will help you know how to serve others in His work.  Jeus Christ is your strength.  Your service will help you draw closer to Himand bring you joy.”

We get to spend 5 glorious weeks with this one ofa kind prophet!  If you do not approach Isaiahwith this kind of enthusiasm—well I hope some of my excitement rubs off on you!If you like poetry you are going to love Isaiah.  If you like puzzles-you’re going to love Isaiah!  If history is your thing-Isaiah is yourguy!  If you like reading about war, thesecond coming, the millennium, the temple, the gathering of Israel-then you aregoing to love Isaiah!  But if none ofthose things really interest you-that is ok because even if you only approachscripture study with one goal-to strengthen your relationship with JesusChrist-then you are going to feel right at home in Isaiah! Isaiah was a prophetblessed in equal measure with the gifts of prophecy and the b pen of a masterwordsmith.  He gave us words like thisabout our Savior.  “He is despised andrejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely he hathborne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities;the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.”  If you are in a chapter of your story whereyou are seeking peace or healing, restoration or hope, joy or confidence, thebook of Isaiah was written to help us find all those things, and so muchmore. 

President Oaks has said, “We are not accustomed to speakingof women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, butwhat other authority can it be? When women -young or old- is set apart topreach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authorityto perform a priesthood function.  Thesame is true when a woman is set apart to function Iwas in training a couple of years ago by the general YW presidency and theytaught us that one of our main jobs is to prepare the youth we serve for theirnext priesthood ordinance.  And Ithought, Ok.  That makes sense we arepreparing them for the temple.  And thenthey taught us that for most of us the next priesthood ordinance we willparticipate in for ourselves is the ordinance of the sacrament. Do the youth weserve understand how the power of Godliness is manifest in the ordinance of thesacrament? Do the Young Men who officiate in the ordinance and the YW whoparticipate in the ordinance understand what priesthood keys unlock for all ofus during the sacrament?

It is so important for us all to understand the truth that is stated in theGeneral Handbook- Each ordinance allows individuals toreceive rich spiritual blessings.—it is not only those whoofficiate in the ordinances that receive blessings-it is every individual whoparticipates in the ordinance! As an officer or teacher in a Churchorganization under the direction of own who holds the keys of thepriesthood.  Whoever functions in anoffice or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercise priesthoodauthority in performing her or his assigned duties.”

Your class may think it is fun to answer somequestions like this: “Is it ncorrect to thank the “priesthood” for passing the sacrament after the YM haveparticipated in that ordinance?   President Oaks has said, “Men are not thepriesthood.”  “Priesthood is not something we are-It is God’s power that He authorizes His servants to us for the benefit of others.”   Those ym areholders of the Aaronic priesthood but theya re not the priesthood.(BarbaraMorgan Gardner)

“If a deacons quorum president and a Builders of Truth president are in a planningmeeting, with just their presidency members, who presides?”   The deacon’s quorumpresident does have keys of presidency-but those only apply to those in thedeacon’s quorum.  He has no presiding authority over the Builders of Truth class. The Builders of Truth classpresident has just as much stewardship over her class as the Deacon’s quorumpresident has over his quorum.  No oneperson is presiding at the meeting.  Theyshould discuss it and decide who will conduct that meeting. 

Welcome back to another week at He Is Our Story.  I approach each episode of this podcast trying to answer two questions, “what does this scripture have to do with me, today, in my actual life and what does this scripture teach me about JesusChrist?

This week we're sitting in proverbs. This book of wisdom literature that if full of phrases that have become commonplace!  Even people who don’t readthe bible will know some of the proverbs! “Pride goeth before the fall”, “Spare the rod, spoil the child”, “A softanswer turns away wrath”, “As a man thinketh, so is he”.    

 In light of our new Sunday schedule,I have decided to focus on one proverb today! I won’t be doing this every week-but maybe this will help some of you Sunday School teachers out there who are now tasked with the job of picking one, maybe two, truths and making that the focus of your Sunday discussions! 

The Proverb I have chosen to focus on is 31. This proverb will also be familiar to many.  “Who can find avirtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”

If you've ever heard the phrase "Eshet Chayil," this is where thatcomes from.  Eshet Chayil is Hebrew, andit's usually translated as "virtuous woman" or "woman of noblecharacter." But those English words don't quite carry the full weight of the original Hebrew word. Chayil is a word used elsewhere in scripturefor warriors, for strength, for capability and valor. This isn't a passage about a soft or passive ideal of womanhood — it's a description of a woman of strength. Someone capable, someone formidable, someone whose life producesreal, tangible good in the world around her.

For centuries Jewish fathers have sung these very verses over their daughters, and husbands have sung them over their wives — not as a checklist to measure up to, but as a blessing. As a way of saying, "This is what I see in you."  It is usually sung on Fridaynights at the start of the Shabbat or Sabbath meal. 

So today, we're not going to read Proverbs 31 as a to-do list that makes us feel like we are falling short.  We are goingto approach these treasured words as a process of becoming.  Central to this process is our Savior, Jesus Christ.In verse 21 of the proverb we read, “She is not afraid of the snow-for her household: for all her household is clothed with scarlet.”  Snow here is referring to storms-and why isthis woman not afraid of the storms of life? Because her family is clothed in scarlet-in other words, her family is clothed in the blood of the lamb- the blood which points us toward the atonement of Jesus Christ. This woman derivesher strength and trust in the Savior-and that trust in Him gives her the courage to face the storms of life without fear!  

Now, alongside Proverbs 31, I want to bring in another verse that is one of those oh so familiar proverb sayings— Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

This verse can get treated almost like a formula. Do the right things as a parent, and you are guaranteed the desired outcome! But real life is messierthan that. Many of us know — maybe some of you listening today know personally— what it's like to have done your best, poured in everything you had, and still watch a child walk a different path than the one you hoped for.

So today, along with looking at what it means to be a woman of valor, we're also going to sit honestly with this question: what does it mean to continue to trust this proverb when the outcome doesn't look like what we expected? How canwe read this verse without feeling the guilt that can accompany unmet expectations in parenthood?

I've invited two women to join me for this conversation.  They come with real perspectives, real stories, real experience, and you are going to love learning from them!

Priesthood blessings aren't something youth have to wait for. Every one of God's children, right now, can receive ordinances and make covenants with Him because the priesthood was restored. And when a young person receives an assignment or a calling from someone with real authority, they can act in the name of God in that moment, right now, thisweek.

That's the FSY chapter 9 material in a nutshell: accepting callings and serving faithfully, sustaining those God has called — which means far more than raising a hand in class, it means actuallysupporting and helping — and fulfilling assignments from leaders and class presidencies as real, authorized work, not just busywork.

Ask your class: what's an assignment or calling you have right now — however small it feels — that you could start seeing differently, as something authorized by God rather than just a task on a list? How can acting in that calling or assignment help those around you to see Jesus Christ more clearly?

This is our last week in Psalms. And it’s gonna be a good one!  In the CFM manual for this week, it teaches us that the traditional Jewish name for the book of Psalms is Tehillim, a Hebrew word that means praises.  It’s related to the exclamation Hallelujah! And then the manual states, if you had to pick one word to sum up Psalms, praise would be a good choice! And praise would be a really good choice!  But if I had to pick one word to sum up the Psalms for me it would be “lovingkindness”.  Which translated into Hebrew would be Hesed!  And I am sure that does not come as a surprise to you!  But the Savior’s mercy, His covenantal love for us is written all over the pages of the Psalms!  Last week welearned that “He is nigh unto those who come unto Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”  He comes to us in ourbrokenness and heals us.  He gives us a brand new heart, and that experience leaves us so completely changed that wecannot help but sing praises to Him!  So, yes praise is a wonderful word to describe Psalms—but the reason the Psalmist wants to praise the Lord is because of the Lord’s great Hesed!  In Psalms 103:2-5, 11 we read, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.  Who forgiveth allthine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like theeagle’s.  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”

Our focus this week is going to be on what we can learn from the Psalms about temple worship. Psalms 120-134 are known as the songs of degrees, or ascent.  In an essay entitled “Singing of God’s Love”, written by Kevin Tolley, he teaches us that “In ancient times the people of Israel would travel to the temple at Jerusalem to worship the Lord during annual festivals.  As they traveled they sang. Some of the songs they sang are recorded in Psalms 120-134. These Psalms reminded the people of God’s grace, mercy, provision, protection, and salvation, and prepared their minds and hearts for their experience at the temple.” 

Learning how ancient Israel prepared for temple worship can be beneficial to us as we consider our modern day temple attendance and the effort we put into preparing for a meaningful experience as we worship there.