I tried this approach as I studied the talk given by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the October 2024 general conference titled “Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up.”

Elder Rasband’s talk centered on sustaining the prophet and the importance of temples. For the purposes of this column, I want to focus primarily on the concept of sustaining the prophet. Here are some questions that were answered:

What does it mean to sustain the prophet and how do we do it?

“To sustain means to hold up another person, to give them our attention, to be faithful to their trust, to act upon their words,” Elder Rasband said.

Also during the address, he said, “President Russell M. Nelson said, when serving in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, ‘Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities.’

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“To hold up the prophet is a sacred work. We do not sit quietly by but actively defend him, follow his counsel, teach his words and pray for him.”

Additionally, he said, “Brothers and sisters, we need to do more lifting and less murmuring, more upholding the word of the Lord, His ways and His prophet, who has said: ‘One of our greatest challenges today is distinguishing between the truths of God and the counterfeits of Satan. That is why the Lord warned us to “pray always, … that [we] may conquer Satan, and … escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold [the adversary’s] work” [Doctrine and Covenants 10:5; emphasis added].'”

When we think of sustaining church leaders as Latter-day Saints, we think of raising our hands to show support. But do we really sustain the prophet with that action, or is raising our hands simply an exercise in acknowledging that he is the prophet? To sustain means more than just acknowledging he is the prophet. We must do our best to heed his counsel. We must not just accept his words; we must actively defend him and teach his words. It is not enough to simply not criticize or murmur. Murmuring is antithetical to sustaining the prophet. If I’m complaining about what the prophet is counseling me to do, I’m necessarily calling into question his prophetic mantle, whether I intend to do that or not. I’m suggesting through my murmuring that maybe he isn’t quite right, and that means I’m not completely holding him up or supporting him. Asking questions is one thing; actively murmuring against counsel is another entirely.

Why do we sustain the prophet?

Elder Rasband said, “They speak by inspiration of the Lord; they understand the current issues, the moral decline of society and the adversary’s increasing efforts to thwart the Father’s plan. In holding up our hands, we are committing our support, not just for that moment but in our daily lives.

“Sustaining includes holding up our stake presidents and bishops, quorum and organization leaders, teachers and even camp directors in our wards and stakes. Closer to home, we hold up our wives and our husbands, children, parents, extended family and neighbors. When we hold up one another we are saying, ‘I am here for you, not just to hold up your arms and hands when they ‘hang down’ but to be a comfort and strength at your side.'”

He also said, “To the Nephites, Jesus said: ‘Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up.’ We hold up the Lord’s light when we hold fast to our covenants and when we support our living prophet as he speaks the words of God.”

He added, “President Harold B. Lee, at the time a member of the First Presidency, cited the example of Moses standing atop the hill at Rephidim. ‘The hands of [the President of the Church] may grow weary,’ he said. ‘They may tend to droop at times because of his heavy responsibilities; but as we uphold his hands, and as we lead under his direction, by his side, the gates of hell will not prevail against you and against Israel. Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow the ones whom the Lord has placed to preside over his church. He knows whom he wants to preside over this church, and he will make no mistake.’

“President Nelson draws upon years of serving the Lord. His maturity, wide-ranging experience, wisdom and consistent receipt of revelation is specifically suited for our day. He has said: ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is preparing the world for the day when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:9). … This work is empowered by a divine announcement made 200 years ago. It consisted of only seven words: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”‘ (see Joseph Smith–History 1:17).

“President Nelson has also said: ‘There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul. Imagine how quickly the devastating conflicts throughout the world — and those in our individual lives — would be resolved if we all chose to follow Jesus Christ and heed His teachings.'”

Toward the end of the talk, Elder Rasband said, “Angels bring light. God’s light. To His Nephite Apostles, Jesus said, ‘Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up.’ As we sustain our prophet, we testify he is called of our Savior, who is ‘the light … of the world.'”

We sustain the prophet and heed his counsel because there is nobody better to guide us through the maze of mortality and back to our Heavenly Father. By sustaining the prophet, we ensure that Satan will not prevail against us, and our spiritual safety depends on whether we follow the prophet. Importantly, as Elder Rasband noted, the prophet is “whom the Lord has placed to preside over his church.” He isn’t randomly called; he is handpicked by the Lord himself. As Elder Rasband said, the Lord “knows whom he wants to preside over this church, and he will make no mistake.” If the Lord trusts a particular person to be the prophet, how could we not also trust that person and all of their counsel?

If you question whether having a prophet is necessary, just look at the world. The vast majority of the world does not accept that there is a prophet and does not follow the one that is on the Earth right now. How is the world doing?

Are prophets perfect?

Said Elder Rasband, “King Benjamin, in the Book of Mormon, said to the people, ‘I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen … and was suffered by the hand of the Lord … and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.’

“Likewise, at age 100, President Nelson has been kept and preserved by the Lord.”

The prophet is not perfect. But that’s not relevant. What’s relevant is that the prophet at any given time is who the Lord has chosen for that moment. The Lord knows the time period we are in, and he has “kept and preserved” President Nelson for it. I don’t need nor want a perfect prophet. What I need is a prophet who is chosen by the Lord for the time I am in who will lead me back to Heavenly Father, and right now, that’s President Nelson.

Elder Rasband went on to discuss temple worship, quoting significantly from President Nelson to explain the purpose of temples and what blessings one can receive from temple worship. These blessings should be enough to motivate all to be worthy to enter the temple, but it’s notable to me that Elder Rasband linked sustaining the prophet to temple worship and used so many of President Nelson’s words in his discussion on temple worship. With the recent surge in temple announcements, it is clear that worship therein is a prophetic priority of President Nelson. As I ask myself whether I’m truly doing all I can to uphold that prophetic priority by worshipping in the temple as much as possible, it’s obvious to me that I can and must do better.

Having a living prophet is a tremendous blessing. Because we have a prophet, regardless of how dark the world becomes, we don’t ever have to worry. I emphasize this to my children because I want them to know that with all the confusion and conflicting voices of the world, they can always know what the Lord wants them to do by listening to the prophet, and, if they follow his counsel, they will have peace.

All who choose to sustain the prophet — to truly sustain the prophet — can know what the Lord wants them to do and have peace.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388.