Hope Through Christ, Covenants, and Continuing Revelation
April 2024 Conference Deep Dive
The April 2024 General Conference talks provide several sources of hope for Latter-Day Saints. These sources include the Atonement of Jesus Christ, temple covenants, and continuing revelation through prophets and personal revelation. The talks emphasize that hope is not simply a feeling but is an active principle that requires faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to his commandments.
Hope in Christ’s Atonement
Several talks speak of the hope that comes through Jesus Christ. They emphasize that Christ’s Atonement provides hope for healing and overcoming life’s challenges. Elder Brian K. Taylor explains that understanding God’s divine purposes can give hope to those who are struggling.1 He also states that greater hope comes by envisioning our eternal destiny and focusing on the joy that comes from following Jesus Christ.2
Hope Through Temple Covenants
The talks also highlight the hope that comes through making and keeping temple covenants. Temple covenants provide hope for strength, protection, and guidance. Elder Neil L. Andersen teaches that as we worthily participate in temple ordinances, we are armed with God’s power and have angels watching over us.3
In His house, we are literally endowed with heavenly power. Our faith in Jesus Christ and our love for Him are confirmed and fortified. We are spiritually assured of our true identity and the purposes of life. As we are faithful, we are blessed with protection from temptations and distractions. We feel our Savior’s love as He lifts us from our difficulties and sorrows. We are armed with the power of God. – Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles
President Henry B. Eyring shares an experience where he and his wife found comfort and hope in their temple covenants during a time of worry and uncertainty.4 The talks also emphasize that temple covenants connect us to Jesus Christ and allow us to receive the fullness of the Holy Ghost.
Over 50 years ago, I had the privilege to serve as the president of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. On the morning of June 5, 1976, my wife, Kathy, and I drove from Rexburg to the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple to attend the sealing of a close friend. Of course, with four young boys in our home at the time, our temple trip could be only accomplished with the help of a courageous babysitter! We left our precious children in her care and made the short, 30-minute drive.
Our experience in the temple that day was wonderful, as it always was. However, after the conclusion of the temple sealing—and as we were preparing to return home—we noticed many temple workers and patrons nervously conversing in the lobby of the temple. Within moments, one of the temple workers told us that the newly constructed Teton Dam in eastern Idaho had collapsed! More than 80 billion gallons (300 million cubic meters) of water were flowing through the dam and into the 300 square miles (775 square km) of neighboring valleys. Much of the city of Rexburg was underwater, with homes and vehicles carried away by floodwaters. Two-thirds of the 9,000 residents were suddenly homeless.
As you might imagine, our thoughts and concerns turned to the safety of our dear children, hundreds of college students and faculty, and a community we loved. We were less than 30 miles (50 km) from home, and yet on this day, long before cell phones and text messaging, we had no way of communicating immediately with our children, nor could we make the drive from Idaho Falls to Rexburg, as all the roads had been closed.
Our only option was to stay the night in a local motel in Idaho Falls. Kathy and I knelt together in our motel room and humbly pleaded with Heavenly Father for the safety of our dear children and the thousands of others affected by the tragic event. I recall Kathy pacing the floors into the early hours of the morning with worry about her children. Despite my own concerns, I was able to put my mind at ease and fall asleep.
It wasn’t long thereafter that my sweet eternal companion woke me and said, “Hal, how can you sleep at a time like this?”
These words then came clearly to my heart and mind. I said to my wife: “Kathy, whatever the outcome, all will be well because of the temple. We have made covenants with God and have been sealed as an eternal family.”
At that moment, it was as if the Spirit of the Lord confirmed in our hearts and minds what we both already knew to be true: the sealing ordinances, found only in the house of the Lord and administered by proper priesthood authority, had bound us together as husband and wife, and our children had been sealed to us. There truly was no need to fear, and we were grateful later to learn that our boys were safe.5 – Henry B. Eyring Second Counselor in the First Presidency
Hope Through Continuing Revelation
The talks express hope in continuing revelation, both through prophets and personal revelation. Prophets give us hope by teaching us God’s will and helping us to navigate the challenges of our day. Elder Ronald A. Rasband testifies that President Russell M. Nelson receives revelation from God and that his words can help us to find hope and peace in a world filled with confusion and contention.6 The talks also emphasize the importance of personal revelation, which gives us hope by providing personalized guidance and confirmation from God.
Hope in Action
The talks remind us that hope is not passive but requires action on our part. We must choose to believe, to have faith in Jesus Christ, and to trust God. We must actively seek personal revelation and strive to keep our covenants. As we do these things, we will find that hope is not just a distant possibility but a present reality that sustains us through life’s challenges and guides us towards eternal joy.7
We become vulnerable when we slow down and especially when we stop. If we maintain spiritual momentum by continually “rowing” toward the Savior, we are safer and more secure because our eternal life depends on our faith in Him.
Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.”8 – Dale G Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Taylor, Brian K. “Swallowed Up in the Joy of Christ.” Lecture, Salt Lake City, UT. April 2024 ↩︎
- Taylor, et al. ↩︎
- Andersen, Neil L. “Temples, Houses of the Lord Dotting the Earth.” Lecture, Salt Lake City, UT April 2024 ↩︎
- Eyring, Henry B. “All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants“. Lecture, Salt Lake City, UT April 2024 ↩︎
- Eyring, et al. ↩︎
- Rasband, Ronald A. “Words Matter“. Lecture, Salt Lake City, UT. April 2024 ↩︎
- Renlund, Dale G. “The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ“, Lecture, Salt Lake City, UT, April 2024 ↩︎
- Renlund, et al. ↩︎
