Built on the Rock

One of my sister's favorite scriptures (last I checked) is Helaman 5:12.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

In his recent General Conference talk, Elder Ronald A. Rasband shared another scripture (D&C 6:34) that expresses a similar thought, though a bit more succinctly: "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail."

In both verses, the message is mostly the same. When we build upon the rock of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, no force of earth or hell can destroy us. Sure, the powers of earth could literally destroy us, but that won't affect our spirits. And the powers of hell can try to shake our spirits, but if we continually exercise the principles of the Gospel, our eternal welfare is secure.

This is part of the reason the concept of building on the rock is so well-known in the church, found in everything from a parable to a Primary song. It is essential that we build our foundations on on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many forces arrayed against us, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, we can overcome them all.