Friday, October 28, 2016

Listen, Serve, Save

When Elder Uceda failed to give heed to the Lord's warnings and went down a dangerous path, his life was saved by another Elder, who heeded the promptings of the Spirit.

"As I came around a turn," Elder Uceda recalled, "I found a missionary standing still with his back against the rocks. . . . He told me he had received an impression to remain in that spot for a moment and that I should go on."

Elder Uceda did go on, still ignoring the warning in his heart, and he soon fell off the trail, having to grab onto some weak branches to avoid falling to his death. Elder Uceda prayed for God to save him, and, mercifully, God listened. But it's also important that the other Elder listened, so that when Elder Uceda fell, that Elder was able to reach down and pull Elder Uceda back up to safety.

While it's comforting to know that God hears and answers our prayers, even when we don't listen to His promptings, but when we do listen, we can help God by being an answer to someone else's prayers.

If a friend is ours is struggling, we can know what to say to encourage them, if we let the Holy Ghost guide our words. We can help others in their daily and/or personal struggles, if we listen to the Holy Spirit telling us how we can help. Elder Uceda's life was put in jeopardy because he didn't listen to the Spirit, but it was saved by someone else who did.

Like that unnamed Elder, we, too, can listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus be a great help in the lives of others. We may even have a hand in saving their mortal or spiritual lives. But that is only possible if we listen to and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. If we don't listen, we could end up in great danger, but if we do listen, we can avoid that danger and help others avoid or escape it as well.

1 comment:

motherof8 said...

I struggle (but apparently not quite enough) with learning to listen even though I know it's vital.