Heavy Hands

I was asked to speak in my ward's sacrament meeting today. Below is the text of my talk.

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters. I am grateful for this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you today. I am also grateful for your sustaining vote a month ago when we were called to serve together as a bishopric.

To be honest, I’m still not quite sure how I got here. Serving in this calling wasn’t remotely in my plans, ever. Some of you already know that I perform improv on the weekends, and in improv theater, you are trained to react and respond to the unexpected. But nothing could possibly have prepared me for this.

 

It was President J. Reuben Clark Jr. who taught: “In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines” (in Conference Report, April 1951, p. 154).

 

Since it is our course of study this year in Sunday School, I’ve been reading the Old Testament. I was reading the book of Exodus recently when I came across the following passage in Chapter 17. At this point in time, the house of Israel have just escaped Egypt, and they come up against their first foe in their journey to the promised land.

 

“Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

“And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

“So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

“And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

“And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

 (Exodus 17:8-13)

Joshua not only “fit the battle of Jericho” but this one, too! I find the symbolism here very powerful. Moses’ hands were “heavy.” I wonder if they were heavy for him not only in the physical but also the spiritual sense. Aaron and Hur were there to “stay up his hands,” or to hold them up when Moses could no longer do so on his own power. In many ways, I see this as the role of a counselor in Church service.

As a Church, we have a prophet whose hands are “stayed up” by two counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other auxiliary leaders. Our stake president, likewise, has counselors and secretaries. At the ward level, the bishop, as well as elders quorum, Relief Society, Sunday School, Primary, and other presidents all have counselors and secretaries to sustain them in their service. It’s a wonderful structure.

Returning to Exodus, we read more about Moses and his prophetic duties in Chapter 18:

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

“And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

“And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:

“When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
“And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

“Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

“Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

“And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

“Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

“And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

“If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

“So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

“And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

“And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.”

(Exodus 18:13-26)

Once again, Moses is weary, and the burden is “heavy.” He has to deal with the children of Israel and their frequent complaining and rebellion for 40 years as they wander in the wilderness. He feels this burden deeply because he has been doing it alone. Then, his father-in-law Jethro comes up with this idea to delegate some of his responsibilities to people he can trust.

The organization of the Church today is not too different from this plan. Our Moses is, of course, President Russell M. Nelson. As rulers over thousands, we have our stake presidency. A bishop serves as a ruler over hundreds. As rulers over 50, there are elders quorum and Relief Society presidencies. For rulers over tens, all the way down to and including families of three, two, or one, we have ministering assignments so that we may assist our ward, stake, and Church in the work of perfecting the Saints.

As I look around this room and also think of those who may be watching us today on YouTube, I try to empathize with the heavy burdens you face. Your challenges are many. These challenges are physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. There are those who are frustrated, depressed, those who are weighed down and who grieve. There are those who have not been physically present with us for months or years because of illness or age or even doubts about what they truly believe. There is a place for each of you in the Church but also, more specifically, here in our ward.

The question I find myself wondering lately is, “How can we better sustain you?” There are other hands that need to be raised up, and they are “the hands which hang down” (Hebrews 12:12; D&C 81:5), as we read in the scriptures. After all, we raise our hands to sustain new memberships as they are read into the ward. This is not a one-time action. We must continually be vigilant for those around us who may be in need of our help.

President Henry B. Eyring said:

“Many years ago, I was first counselor to a district president in the eastern United States. More than once, as we were driving to our little branches, he said to me, ‘Hal, when you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.’ Not only was he right, but I have learned over the years that he was too low in his estimate” (“Try, Try, Try,” October 2018 general conference).

We recently studied the prophet Elijah in Come, Follow Me. He is one of my favorite prophets of the Bible. Following his confrontation with the priests of Baal, when he called down fire from heaven, Jezebel the queen was furious and sought to have Elijah killed. It is at this point that we read about the tremendous toll this had taken on this man of God:

“(Elijah) went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

“And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

“And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

“And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.”

 (1 Kings 19:4-8)

From this story, I learn two things. First of all, a nap and a snack can lighten your mood! But seriously, and more importantly, I was stunned to learn that even a great man such as Elijah, one of the most prominent prophets in the scriptures, had been depressed to the point of just wanting to die. But he recovered. An angel intervened to save his life.

While our Heavenly Father indeed still sends angels to the Earth, I feel that most of the time we are the ones who are meant to act in the stead of angels to serve those around us.

Ministering may look like different things to different people. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. We can minister with a short visit, or dropping off a treat or a note, or even a simple text message, depending on the needs of those we minister to. As we minister, we not only bless others but are ourselves blessed through our efforts.

President Lorenzo Snow said, “When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated” (in Conference Report, April 1899, pp. 2-3).

Camilla Kimball, the wife of President Spencer W. Kimball, said, “Never suppress a generous thought.” My wife, Jana, and I love this motto and have tried to employ it as we seek inspiration to serve those around us. Jana has been a great example to me of following this counsel. Just last week, she baked several loaves of banana bread; then I drove while she delivered them to numerous neighbors. I’ve also seen numerous good examples of generosity and service in this ward, particularly during the pandemic when we weren’t able to meet face to face for a long time.

Personally, I’ve been blessed countless times by people who have ministered unselfishly. I was 42 years old when Jana and I married; her age at the time is still unknown. Prior to that, I spent the majority of my adult life as a single member of the Church, including many years in which I feel like I stood out like a sore thumb in family wards. Fortunately, two bishops in two of my wards in particular took an active interest in me, befriended me, and regularly checked in with me during difficult health challenges and other trials. One of my home teachers took me out to lunch each month for his visits. I remember a very cold, 10-degree day when he answered a distress call from me and showed up to change a flat tire on my car when I had injured my shoulder and couldn’t do it myself. These people truly ministered to me, as did others.

I want you to know that in the month I’ve been able to work with Bishop LeVitre and Brother Padilla that their hearts are pure. They genuinely care about each of you and wish to help relieve your burdens, and we pray for you by name. Their callings are truly inspired, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with him. I am anxious to get to know more of you, to listen to and learn from you, and to serve you in any way I can.

I know that our Heavenly Father loves us perfectly, and that is why He sent His Beloved Son, who likewise has loved us perfectly through His Atonement. I know that Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of God. Though the world is in commotion, he looks optimistically to the future. I also know that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, that he saw the Father and the Son, as he testified. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.