We are children of a loving Heavenly Father who knows us. Coming to earth is part of His plan for our eternal progression and happiness.
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:5
Jesus is the source of peace.
For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river
- Isaiah 66:12
I have felt joy in the service of the Lord.
Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart
- Isaiah 65:14
Where can we glimpse the majesty of what God offers us? Where can we gain an eternal perspective and think celestial?
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
- Isaiah 64:4
Jesus read these verses in Nazareth and said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:16–21):
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn
- Isaiah 61
The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
- Isaiah 60:19
Hope in Jesus Christ!
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression
- Isaiah 59:20
I am grateful for the blessings of the fast including a closer relationship with the Lord.
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
- Isaiah 58:6-7,9
Humility and a contrite heart enable us to be in the Lord's presence.
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit
- Isaiah 57:15
As I listen to general conference talks and study Come, Follow Me, I find the Lord's word enriching my heart and mind. I'm so grateful that the heavens are open!
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
- Isaiah 55:10-11
With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
- Isaiah 54:8
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.... Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows
- Isaiah 53:3-4
"Jesus Christ descended below all things and suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind”; therefore, He comprehends our suffering, is filled with mercy, and knows how to succor us according to our infirmities."
- By Elder Kevin J. Hathaway, October 2026
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good,
that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion,
Thy God reigneth!
- Isaiah 52:7
"Our testimony is not a talent to be hidden. It is a gift to be shared—with grateful hearts and in a spirit of humility and love."
- Elder Gérald Caussé
It is so comforting that we have the Son of God as our Advocate with the Father.
"Thy God ... pleadeth the cause of his people"
- Isaiah 51:22
#Grokimagine
One of the great messages from this general conference is the power of covenants to point us to Jesus Christ and access His power.
"Behold, the Lord God will help me"
- Isaiah 50:9
The Lord has all power to redeem and deliver us, to comfort and strength us, and to guide us.
"Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?"
- Isaiah 50:2
#comefollowme
Experiencing difficulties? Need to know you're not alone? Want to hear the Lord and feel His love? Watch general conference today!
"All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear.... Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."
- Isaiah 48:14,17
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/broadcasts/watch-saturday-live-sessions?lang=eng
We can always count on Jesus Christ to do what He says, to keep His promises. He has the power to do so and will. And we will hear Him in general conference.
I have spoken it,
I will also bring it to pass;
I have purposed it,
I will also do it.
- Isaiah 46:11
Image: The Second Coming, by Harry Anderson
I believe in Jesus Christ.
"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
- Isaiah 45:22
“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
- Isaiah 41:13
"Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself"
- Isaiah 44:24
Image: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/horsehead-nebula-nircam-image/
Fear thou not;
for I am with thee:
be not dismayed;
for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee;
yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Isaiah 41:10
There is always hope in Jesus. He will find and gather us and those we love.
"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."
Isaiah 40:11
Jesus is the great hope of Isaiah. The Lord gathers and restores. I love the imagery of Isaiah 35:1, that a desert will rejoice and blossom. Yes, this prophecy may be fulfilled in the Saints' populating the Intermountain West, but I have also seen it fulfilled in the desert of my heart and the hearts of so many others who now rejoice and blossom because of Jesus Christ.
"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."
Isaiah 35:1
"And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him."
Isaiah 30:18
We are so often like little children who have no idea how much their parents do for them, but complain about the smallest things like having to take a bath, eat their dinner, do their chores, share with a sibling, etc. May we strive to remember that we are the potter's clay, and not the Potter.
"Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?"
Isaiah 29:16
But I love the hope in this promise...
"But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine."
Isaiah 29:23-24
Jesus Christ is our foundation, a sure foundation that will not fail us. If we build on anything else, it will crumble.
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
Isaiah 28:16
As I get older and face more physical challenges as well as lose family and friends whose mortal journeys have ended, I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus Christ has overcome death.
"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces"
- Isaiah 25:8
Rest in Jesus will come.
"The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve"
Isaiah 14:13
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 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
Hank Smith shared that these verses remind us of the sacrament. We are unclean, but as we covenant with the Lord by taking the sacrament, the bread taken from the sacrament table and placed in our mouths, Jesus can purify us. And the smoke mentioned in verse 4 represents the Lord's presence, which we can feel in our sacrament meetings.
#comefollowme #GrokImagine
It's interesting to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading through the earth, and how the Lord is accomplishing this through many means including the coming Salt Lake Temple celebration.
"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly"
- Isaiah 5:26
#comefollowme #GrokImagine
Image: Enhanced version of a photo I took
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."
- Isaiah 2:2
#comefollowme #GrokImagine
Image: Enhanced version of a photo I took of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple
"As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all."
- Ecclesiastes 11:5
One of the greatest lessons I've learned in my life is that my knowledge compared to God's like that of a toddler's compared to his parents. That comparison has helped me to trust God, even when I don't understand a commandment or why things are happening to me. He knows. He has the infinite knowledge and wisdom and love of a perfect parent.
#comefollowme
Image: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth/parenting/giving-kids-a-growth-mindset?lang=eng
"It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people's minds. Yet, mortals still can't grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end [of time]."
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 (GOD'S WORD® Translation)
When I see the works of Creation, I am reminded of a Heavenly Father who sees all eternity before Him and uses that knowledge to bless me. I trust Him.
Image: NASA, ESA, STScI, William Blair (JHU); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
The thing that hath been,
it is that which shall be;
and that which is done
is that which shall be done:
and there is no new thing under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
I love this verse.
The New Living Translation says it this way: "History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."
As I pondered this, a couple of thoughts came to mind:
1. This is why we are encouraged in the Book of Mormon to remember the captivity of our fathers. Just as our fathers needed Jesus Christ to deliver them, so do we today find ourselves in spiritual and sometimes physical bondage, but Jesus can deliver us too.
2. We can look back to our pre-earth life for insight and wisdom that guides us today. What we experience here is a pattern of what was experienced before. We see that our great heavenly family is a pattern of our families on earth. There is always a fight between good and evil. We can always count on the Savior to be true to His promises, and we can also assume that Satan will promise the world and then break those promises once we are captive to him.
And in the U.S., it seems appropriate that I read these verses today, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
#comefollowme #911Remembrance
The anonymity of social media invites anger, outrage, judgment, and unkindness. Beware these. They are tools of the Adversary.
"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul."
- Proverbs 22:24-25
#comefollowme #Grokimagine
If I have learned anything in life, it's that treating others with kindness improves my own attitude and raises everyone.
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
- Proverbs 16:24
#comefollowme #Grokimagine
