Living Oracles

We thank thee, oh God, for a prophet!

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we hold a semi-annual general conference. At the five-session conference, leaders of the church present gospel messages and counsel pertinent to our day. After the conference, their remarks are published in The Ensign and available online at the general conference archives. The most current general conference talks are God's word to His people in these days and are comparable in value to ancient scripture.

I try to study a talk from the archives every day. Since the most recent session of conference this October, I have received counsel from those talks directly pertinent to the world's turmoils and my place in them. I have received great peace and reassurance. I have had cause again and again to praise God and thank Him for sending us living oracles.

I am sure that every message shared in that conference spoke directly to someone. However, I would like to share a few of the messages that spoke to me and that I found very pertinent to our time:
* To the family wondering how to respond to the world's financial crisis, Elder Perry recommends simplifying.
* To the people living in a climate of contention, Elder Eying calls for unity.
* To the youth encouraged to stand up for themselves and yet to be kind and tolerant, Elder Hales outlines what it means to have "Christian courage".
* To the church member dissenting to the Church's support of Proposition 8 (and perhaps those supporting it with wrongful prejudice), Elder Christofferson offers this call to Zion.
* To the doubters who struggle to reconcile a loving God with the uphill journey unfairly meted out to some of His children, Elder Corbridge reaffirms that Christ is The Way.
* To the child of God who is tried and afflicted, our compassionate and long-suffering Elder Wirthlin shares the advice of his mother: "come what may, and love it."
* To the citizen who cultivates an attitude of entitlement and is racing to acquire more and more worldy goods, our beloved prophet, President Monson, cautions us to live with gratitude.

Each of these messages was a lovingly crafted "tender mercy" of the Lord to me. Each bolstered my testimony when the winds and rains of a sometimes cruel world attempted to shake me from the Rock of my Redeemer.

I invite all of you, members of the Mormon church or not, to read these inspired messages and take heart in troubling times. Which counsel, in its timely arrival, was a tender mercy in your life?