Adress given at St. Louis Missouri Stake Priesthood Meeting August 30, 2015
I hope you enjoy.
Last month I received a very distinct impression to study on a certain subject after I had listened to a conference talk and sat pondering its message. I had just the right opportunity on a 20 hour train ride to the Philmont Scout Ranch a week later. When President Bunderson articulated the theme of obedience and sacrifice for this meeting tonight it became quite clear to me that this was the purpose for my previous inspiration. Allow me to introduce my subject by relating the story of one of my pioneer ancestors, Ephraim K. Hanks. To the youth, I referenced his story recently at the trek fireside. Ephraim was a mountain man and worked for the pony express. He traveled back and forth across the plains, making fifty trips in all from our area of the country out to Utah. He was well aware of the Martin Handcart Company and knew of their delay in crossing the plains. They were often on his mind. One night while down in Provo, fishing, he had the following experience:
Ephraim Hanks-"The Tempered Wind"
"Well, I was staying at Gerney Brown's place, and though the bed was comfortable enough, I couldn't sleep. Finally I did drop off, but no sooner than I'd done it I was waked up again. Somebody said, "Ephraim," so I said, "Yes?" But it wasn't Gerney that was speaking. No one was in that room. Then my name was spoken again. My heart was like to pound right out of my body, but I couldn't see anything. The third time the voice said, "Ephraim," seemed like it was sort of sharp and out of patience. I said, "Yes, yes. Is there something that I can do for you?" Then the voice said clear as if I'd been face to face with a neighbor, "Ephraim, that handcart company is in trouble. Will you help them out?"
Ephraim packed a wagon and two horses early the next morning and headed for Salt Lake City. When he arrived he met with messengers from Brigham Young who had been dispatched to ask him to come. Being prepared by the Lord and willing to obey, Ephraim left many days before the bulk of the rescue party left. His experience in the night reminded me of the young boy Samuel in the Old Testament. The account reads:
1 Samuel 3
4 ..the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.
8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
"Here am I," repeated the young boy three times. Before he even knew that it was the Lord who called, he expressed his willingness to obey. When we show the Lord our willingness to obey, He will entrust us to do His work and receive His blessings. "Here am I" is a phrase echoed through the scriptures.
The great prophet Isaiah recorded, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." (Isaiah 6:8)
Moses answered the Lord, who talked to him from the burning bush, saying, "Here am I." (Exodus 3:4). After this expression of commitment he was then given the directive to free Israel.
Before Moses, the prophet Jacob replied in the same way: "And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I." (Genesis 46: 2) He was then commanded to go into Egypt at the peril of his family.
Obedience was obviously part of the heritage passed on to these great men of God. Consider Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. The Lord called out to him by name and he responded:
"Behold, here I am.
And [The Lord] said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." (Genesis 22:1-2) Part of the reason why Abraham was able to follow through with the Lord's commandment to sacrifice his son was that he had already made up his mind that he would be obedient, regardless of what was asked of him.
The phrase "here I am" is not just a simple recitation of a willingness to obey, it is a manifestation and recognition of deity. President Russell M. Nelson taught: "Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word hayah, which means "to be" or "to exist" A form of the word hayah in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament was translated into English as I AM." (Jesus the Christ: Our Master and More" Elder Russell M. Nelson, CR April 2000). The declaration of "here I am," therefore is also a witness that God lives, that he is our savior and that we have consecrated our lives to Him and stand ready to obey.
"Obedience," Elder L. Tom Perry taught, "is an emblem of our faith in the wisdom and power of the highest authority...Obedience is a choice. It is a choice between our own limited knowledge and power and God’s unlimited wisdom and omnipotence." (Elder L. Tom Perry, April Conf 2014)
In fact, the phrase, "Here I am" echoes back to our premortal existence when our Heavenly Father's plan was presented. We read in Abraham, chapter 3:
27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first." Not only was Jesus willing to obey and to sacrifice, he was also the first born of the Father and capable of being our savior. Satan's answer was the same as the Lord's on paper but with a different emphasis, "here I am," wanting the glory for himself. Jesus' response was in essence, "here Father I stand willing to do thy bidding."
"Whom shall I send?" Has the call from the Lord ceased? Does he speak to us today? To you young men of the priesthood and to those not so young as well, listen to the words of a modern day witness:
"The Savior’s call is to you of the rising generation. He is asking for worthy, prepared, faithful young men and young women who will heed the prophet’s voice, who will step up and say, as the Savior Himself said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27). The need has never been greater. The field has never been whiter. You are called to go “this last time” (Jacob 5:62). There is no greater work; there is no greater call than teaching “all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)." ("A Call to the Rising Generation" Elder Brent H. Nielsen Oct CR 2009).
When President Monson stood to announce the age changes for missionary service in October of 2012, my family was changed forever. My daughter, Rachael, who was 19 at that time had come to my wife and I three months before, sat us down and told us that after a lot of fasting and prayer, Heavenly Father had let her know that she needed to serve a mission and that she should prepare right now. At the time we were happy for her but didn't think too much of it since she had two years to prepare. When we heard the prophet's voice we knew that like Ephraim, the Lord had prepared Rachael to answer the prophet's call, "Here I am, send me." My son, Devin, was 16 at the time. His initial response was, "I still want to go to college for a year before my mission." A few weeks later he came back, letting us know that through his prayers, he received the strong impression that though it would be fine if he waited till he was 19 to serve, for him, Heavenly Father wanted him to prepare right now and go when he was 18. That moment inspired a mighty change in his heart. He grew from being a good young boy to a powerful servant of God over the next two years. Obedience and preparation were his mantra. He had received his call to serve a mission, long before the letter arrived in the mail. When the Lord through his prophet asked, "whom shall I send," Devin through his obedience answered, "Here I am."
We have many, many such faithful, willing and obedient young men and women from our very own stake. Listen to some of their testimony and willingness to participate in the work of the Lord.
Elder Karl Appelgarth, "I know with all my heart that if we develop a powerful and unbreakable faith, we will always be led by the hand of the Lord and we will always be able to do his will."
Sister Alexis Kendall, "I love my mission and the people here! I love sharing the gospel to everyone I meet! I'm so thankful that I can be part of this great work!"
Sister Selah Mahaffey, "I love the members. I love this area. I love the scriptures. My testimony is growing so strong. I am grateful I chose to go on a mission. I would be a different person. I am so grateful for the change that is happening within me. I thank the atonement for that-well for everything. I love being a missionary! What a unique and incredibly opportunity to be able to serve a mission."
Elder Ross Rosenloff, "Every missionary activity is (or should be!) to the ends of helping people come unto Christ and to receive the fulness of His gospel in their lives. I am grateful for the chance that I have to do this every day. Missionary work is great!"
Sister Savannah Betzold, "I love the Savior and his gospel and being a missionary so much. My heart swells with love and gratitude. God is soo good, and kind and merciful! Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"
These young men and women stand as witnesses to you and to me. As the hymn states, they declare:
It may not be on the mountain height
Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle's front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I'll answer dear Lord with mine hand in thine:
I'll go where you want me to go.
Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin
Some wand'rer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if thou wilt be my guide,
Tho dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet:
I'll say what you want me to say.
There's surely somewhere a lowly place
In earth's harvest fields so wide
Where I may labor through life's short day
For Jesus, the Crucified.
So trusting my all to thy tender care,
And knowing thou lovest me,
I'll do thy will with a heart sincere:
I'll be what you want me to be.
"I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" Hymns #270
If our youth are so valiant, full of testimony and obedient, what about the rest of us? We may not be called to the Philippines or to Brazil, but we are called to feed the flock right here where we live as home teachers. We may not be called on to leave our families and cross the plains but as Elder Ballard has put it, we may be called upon to walk across the street and talk to our neighbors.
"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!" (Doctrine & Covenants 128:22).
May our cry always be, "Here am I!" As we show the Lord that we are willing to give all that we have to him, He will be there for us. With arms open wide He stands waiting. Then shall the words of Isaiah be fulfilled when he promised,
"Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, 'Here I am." (Isaiah 58:9)
