Hearken

The very first word of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) is hearken. This old-fashioned word is used frequently in the Bible and over 70 times in the D&C. President Russell M. Nelson has indicated that "it means 'to listen with the intent to obey.' To hearken means to 'hear Him'—to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel" ("Hear Him," General Conference, April 2020).

hear·ken (här′kən) verb
1 Literary. to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.
2 Archaic. to listen attentively; give heed.

The Japanese kangi for the word listen is instructive as we consider what it means for us to hearken to the voice of the Lord.

This single symbol combines the symbols for the words ears, eyes, mind, heart, and undivided attention. This implies that listening is more than just hearing; rather true listening—or hearkening—requires the whole of us as well as our focus.

 
President Nelson has promised us great blessings if we will be more intentional in our efforts to "hear Him."

I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.

These are certainly blessings I seek in my life! Our current prophet has promised that they can be ours— and we also see this promise in the preface to the D&C:

Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

How do we know that this is true? Because God keeps His promises!

"Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World" (D&C 43:34)

In the introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), three purposes of the book are outlined:

(1) explanations of fundamental doctrines of the gospel,

(2) an unfolding of the administrative structure of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and

(3) a testimony of "Jesus Christ — His divinity, His majesty, His perfection, His love, and His redeeming power — mak[ing] this book of great value to the human family."

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The Doctrine and Covenants contains powerful testmonies of Jesus Christ and His work — most of them from the Lord Himself. Consider the following:

  His Atonement and Resurrection

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance" (D&C 18:10-12).

"For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:16-19).

Harry Anderson's Christ in Gethsemane

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We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how He accomplished what He did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did.

                — Ezra Taft Benson (in October 1983 General Conference)

As I read this next passage, I can insert my own name and feel Jesus's love for me personally!

"My [daughter Alison], hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the [daughters] of God. Wherefore you are my [daughter]" (D&C 34:1-3).

Our Advocate

"Behold, and hearken, O ye [people] of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted" (D&C 62:1).

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An advocate is one who pleads the cause of another. To succor literally means "to run to." 

What a magnificent way to describe the Savior's urgent effort in our behalf. Even as He calls us to come to Him and follow Him, He is unfailingly running to help us.

— Jeffrey R. Holland (in BYU Speeches, March 1997)

While imprisoned in Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned how low the Savior is willing to go for our benefit. "If the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:8-9)

Again, I can put my name in the verse: "I will encircle [Alison] in the arms of my love" (D&C 6:20).

"I Know That My Redeemer Lives"
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the bright hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God" (D&C 76:22-24).

These verses reflect the testimony of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, resulting from a vision they received.

Minerva Teichart's Christ in His Red Robe

A passage that is personally significant to my own testimony is found in Section 78. My mother included these words in a letter she wrote to me while I was in college and having a particularly hard time, and I have returned to them for the comfort they bring many times since.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours" (D&C 78:17-18).

 

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine.
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?

Text by Charles H. Gabriel

May we always remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and as we study the Doctrine and Covenants, may we look for what it teaches us about Him. He is the central figure of the book!

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The fifth chapter of Alma is my favorite single chapter of the Book of Mormon, and verse 26 is among my favorite verses in the chapter. This one verse summarizes the whole of Alma's powerful sermon —

• the change of heart required of Jesus' disciples,
• the redemptive power of His Atonement to "[take] us as we are — and [make] us more than we ever imagined" (Neill F. Marriott, "Yielding Our Hearts to God," October 2015), and
• the importance of remembering "because remembering with thanks is what causes us to trust — to really believe" (Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces, Zondervan, 2012).

A Joyful Day

This morning I woke up in a gorgeous mountain setting. The beautiful blue sky held the promise of goodness, and the glorious sunshine invited joy. Almost immediately the words of Psalm 118:24 came to mind, and I was glad.

Like Martha, I often find myself "careful and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41). Recently, as I sat on the edge of my bed early in the morning and worried about the day ahead, the admonition consider the lilies came into my mind.

This simple phrase was a powerful reminder that my Father is mindful of my needs.

He knows my anxious heart.

He is aware of my struggles.

And He will provide.

As Jesus taught, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

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"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

-Mosiah 24:13-14

‪#‎BecauseOfHim‬ ‪#‎Hallelujah‬ ‪#‎Ponderize‬

Living Water

I love these words of the prophet Isaiah!
Brigham City Temple, 2012.

"O Lord, I have trusted in thee,
and I will trust in thee forever.
I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh;
for I know that cursed is he that putteth
his trust in the arm of flesh.
Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust
in man or maketh flesh his arm"
(2 Nephi 4:34).

God Blesses Us Abundantly

D&C 78:17-18 Perspective