Can the Priesthood Do That?

In the concluding talk of the Priesthood Session of last General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson shared a story of a friend of his who was serving in the South Pacific during World War II. The man's plane was shot down, but he and a few others managed to parachute safely down to the ocean, inflate their life rafts, and survive. Several days passed. Finally, the survivors spotted a rescue vessel in the area, but it seemed not to notice them. As it sailed away, President Monson's friend felt impressed to use his  Priesthood authority to command the rescue vessel to return and pick them up. He did, and it did, and I wonder, can the Priesthood really do that?

Most of what members of the church do with the Priesthood falls into the realm of spiritual things. We give blessings of comfort and counsel. We perform sacred ordinances. We ordain people to Priesthood offices and set people apart for church callings. Very rarely does a Priesthood holder use their Priesthood to do anything physical.

But they can.

The Priesthood is the power and authority to act in God's name. It is the power by which God created the universe. When God gathered the waters together and divided the light from the darkness, He did so with the Priesthood. And God is not the only one who performed physical miracles with the Priesthood. Arguably, all of the miracle Jesus performed were wrought by the power of the Priesthood, including the turning of water into wine, the multiplication of bread and fish, and the countless healings. And on the subject of healings, modern Priesthood holders also perform miraculous healings through the power of the Priesthood. In some cases, the Priesthood physically removes tumors or disease. Much of the work done by mortal Priesthood holders is spiritual, but the Priesthood has power in the physical world as well.

In fact, the Priesthood has all power. The Priesthood is God's power, and God is omnipotent. There is nothing that God, through the Priesthood, cannot do. So, perhaps I shouldn't be terribly surprised to hear that someone once used the Priesthood to turn a boat around. It's not a typical use of the Priesthood, but it's certainly within the realm of God's capabilities, which means that it's a power that God has and can grant to others. If God can do it, then the Priesthood could do it, so if the question is "Can the Priesthood do that?", the answer will almost certainly be "Yes."