Even miracles, if necessary

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood Session of the October 1981 Conference.

Lately (actually, I see that it's not only lately) I've been thinking about "power in the priesthood"—a phrase we hear often—and what it means. How much power do we have to change things in our lives? How much power is in our desires, if they are righteous? How does submission to God's will affect our power to have what we desire, or what He desires for us?

Two of the talks in this session referred to "power in the priesthood," and both emphasized how small acts of obedience increase this power. Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

Power in the priesthood comes from doing your duty in ordinary things: attending meetings, accepting assignments, reading the scriptures, keeping the Word of Wisdom.

and Elder H. Burke Peterson said:

I’ve found out that power in the priesthood comes to those who keep a few simple rules. Power doesn’t automatically come from the priesthood unless we live for it.

But my favorite part was this story Elder Peterson told:

Now, every boy listening really can be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to perform all sorts of sacred priesthood responsibilities—even miracles, if necessary…. Let me close my [talk] by sharing an experience:

Some years ago, when I was serving as a bishop in a ward in Arizona, we had an unusual group of teenagers. Most of them had the courage to do what was right. They stayed close to each other and helped each other when things got tough. Most of them went to a high school close by. In numbers, they were really only a handful of the total student body. They met a girl at the school who was not a member of the Church. Her circumstances were unusual, for she was deaf. She also had a defective heart. The only way she could know what you were saying was to watch your lips and read them. She sat in the front of each class so she could see the teachers speak. She was a good student, but when you can’t hear and can’t be active, it’s hard for you to be a part of what is going on. You’re sort of a spectator rather than a participant. She was a spectator watching from the sidelines. 

The young people from the ward were friendly to her and invited her into their circle. She responded to their kindness. One step led to another, and with her parents’ permission she was finally invited to receive the missionary lessons in one of the homes. She was taught by two nineteen-year-old elders not much older than she. She liked what she heard; she believed what she heard; she felt good inside. The day was set for her baptism. We were all invited to go. Dressed in white, she and one of the missionaries entered the water, and she was baptized as he said, calling her by name, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

The next step was for her to be confirmed. Some of us stood in the circle as priesthood hands were placed on her head. I was aware that she couldn’t see the lips of the one confirming her. And she wouldn’t be able to hear the blessing he might give. I listened carefully because I wanted to invite her into my office later, where she could see me talk, and tell her what had been said. 

A nineteen-year-old elder was the voice as she was confirmed a member of the Church. He then continued with a blessing. As he spoke, he began to make her promises that I thought were unusual. In fact, I became a little uneasy at his words. He continued the blessing, and I began to feel a calm spirit of peace as he spoke. Later, I sat in front of her and said, “I want to tell you of the blessing the elder gave you. It was tremendous.” 

She paused, and with moistened eyes said, “Bishop, I heard the blessing.” 

She had been healed. She could now hear, and her heart was beating normally. She could now participate more fully in the gospel and in the blessings of life. 

There are many lessons to learn from this story. The one I would like you Aaronic Priesthood bearers to remember is this: Here was a nineteen-year-old missionary, an elder holding the holy Melchizedek Priesthood. He had prepared himself for a mission. He had made himself worthy to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to perform a miracle. So, as he stood with his hands on her head, he felt an impression—a heavenly message, if you please—telling him there was a special blessing for this young woman and he had been chosen to deliver it. 

He listened. He obeyed. And through the authority and power of the priesthood, a young life was made whole.

I guess I don't know what application this story has for my own attempts to gain "power in the priesthood" (which every person who has made temple covenants has access to)—except that it reminds me that sometimes, God's will for us is that a miracle will happen. It's so easy to assume that submitting to His will necessarily entails sacrifice and heartache (though also, of course, eventual blessings). And often, sacrifice and heartache is exactly what we get! I know we have to be prepared to be stretched and made uncomfortable as we follow God's plan. But in this story, the blessing of healing was there for the girl, waiting for her, already God's will. And the priesthood, in the hands of a young and inexperienced boy, had the power to unlock that blessing and make it a reality!

It gives me hope that there are blessings I have yet to access in my life as well; miracles waiting for me or for the people I love. And the power of the priesthood—whether through a formal blessing, a prayer, or some other exercise of this gift—can call those blessings down when we are ready for them.

Other posts in this series:

• The Complexity of Our Era and the Power of Agency by Nathaniel Givens
• Is Priesthood Power Being Used in Your Relief Society? by Jan Tolman