Meridian Magazine--Come Follow Me Latter-day Saint Podcast

As a scholar said, “Once it happened that the crafty was taken in his own trap, the falsely condemned were saved, and the worthy were rewarded. It is not always so.” Perhaps [the] story [in Esther which we study today] has endured because it has given the comfort of hope to other oppressed people” [and demonstrates God in the details of our lives.] Although God is not expressly mentioned in the book of Esther, there appears to be evidence in it of the God whom Job describes, who can ‘set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.’”( Job 5:11-12 ). Ellis Rasmussen, Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament.

I’ve tried to contemplate the feelings of our ancient brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, who, after 371 years of having a glorious temple, watched as the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and his forces, and those who survived the destructions were taken captive to Babylon in 586 BC. The temple was the holiest place for them, a place where they drew near unto God, a place where they offered sacrifices and renewed their covenants and commitments to Jehovah. How their hearts were broken, their hopes dashed in an instant. It seemed to me like a far-gone, untouchable experience to contemplate until one late Wednesday evening, on July 9, 2003, we started receiving urgent messages and devastating notes from Apia (aw pee’ a), Samoa—the Temple was on fire and burning out of control!

Many years ago I was dealing with a very difficult challenge in our lives. I prayed and prayed and prayed about it. I fasted about it. I was so in need of heavenly help. And then, what seemed like the most obscure answer came to me. It was unexpected. It was very specific. It changed everything. We’ll talk about it in today’s podcast!

Some events from the past are tipping points, that is, if they had had another outcome than they did, our world would be utterly and completely different, maybe unrecognizable to us. The events in the scriptures we talk about today are one of those key tipping points in history where the entire future of the world hung in the balance.

What do you do when it seems your wounded heart can never recover? Roger Connor’s new book Healing the Wounded Heart can help you on this journey. A podcast extra from Scot and Maurine Proctor.

Join us with McKay Christensen who has served as Managing Director of External Relations at BYU and management strategy instructor at the BYU Marriott School of Business as we explore the mantle being passed from Elijah to Elisha. What do we mean by a mantle in the Church? Are mantles for more than prophets and missionaries?

Join us with guest Patrick Degn who has been an instructor in the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion for more than 25 years. In this episode we will explore the story of King Ahab and Jezebel and the abrupt introduction of the man who tried to counteract their influence: Elijah.

These are chapters that are enough to break your heart. I have always loved David, and I thrill to the things he writes about the Lord and his love for the Lord. So. to see the events of his life unfold have truly always been personal to me. I feel a personal loss when we're thinking about David. So let's talk a little bit about his background.

We have with us today a special guest, Mark Matthews. Together we discuss Israel’s desire for a king and Saul’s rise to the position, and how he loses his way. We also discuss the story of David facing Goliath and how it can represent much more than we often think about.

Ruth is a happy interlude in these chapters. It's not a story of a prophet, a war, or a dramatic intervention by the Lord, but it's a family story, a private story in some ways, but it's the family story of the family of the Savior. We love it because we are seeing really good people who are living the covenant at work. So this is a book that brings us joy.