Conference Talk of the Week

Overview

President Henry B. Eyring builds this talk on the hymn "How Firm a Foundation," whose words come from Isaiah 41: "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed." He explains that the Lord does not promise to remove our trials. As his mother taught him, life is meant to be a test, and the question being tested is the same for everyone: will we do whatever the Lord commands? What the Lord promises is to be with us, to strengthen us, and to send help suited to our needs. Much of that help comes through other people, as President Spencer W. Kimball taught. Most of the talk thanks members who already help the Lord keep this promise and invites others to join them. He names specific ways to help: praying to know whom to reach out to, encouraging missionaries, supporting Church leaders, and comforting those who mourn.

Three Key Takeaways

• 1The promise in Isaiah 41 and the hymn is that the Lord will be with us and strengthen us in our trials, not that He will take the trials away. President Eyring's mother lived with serious illness from girlhood and still found that promise fulfilled because she trusted it.
• 2Life is hard on purpose. We must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to live in God's presence, so Heavenly Father gave us a Savior who has borne our griefs, along with agency to choose to obey, repent, and come unto Him.
• 3Trials differ from person to person, but the test is the same for everyone: whether we will do whatsoever the Lord our God commands us.

Reflection Questions

• When have you felt the Lord strengthen you during a trial He did not remove, and what difference did that make in how you got through it?
• Who has the Lord sent to help you in a hard time, and what did their help teach you about whether He knew you?
• When you pray to know whom to help, whose face or name comes to mind, and what is keeping you from reaching out to them?