President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: 'Waiting on the Road to Damascus'
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181st Annual General Conference — Church News coverage
Church members should not wait too long on their "road to Damascus," but should instead courageously move forward in faith, hope and charity, said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency.
"God hears and answers the prayers of His children," he explained. "Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul's or Joseph Smith's, they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe."
In essence, President Uchtdorf said, they spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus.
Speaking Sunday morning, President Uchtdorf recounted the story of Saul, who saw a light from heaven on the road to Damascus. The transformative moment changed Saul forever.
But, President Uchtdorf said, there are many who, for different reasons, find themselves waiting on the road to Damascus. "They delay becoming fully engaged as disciples."
The truth is, said President Uchtdorf, that those who diligently seek to learn of Christ will eventually come to know Him.
"They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master. Although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle — one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself —?it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. But each piece helps us to see the big picture a little better. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us — not all at once but quietly, gently, and almost unnoticed.
"This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus."
President Uchtdorf said Heavenly Father loves His children. "Often He speaks to us in way that we can hear only with our heart," he said.
"To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives. If we ignore or block out the promptings of the Spirit, for whatever reason, they become less noticeable until we cannot hear them at all."
President Uchtdorf asked Church members to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whisperings and respond, as Saul did on his road to Damascus.
Another reason Church members sometimes do not recognize the voice of the Lord in their lives is because the revelations of the Spirit may not come directly to them as the answer to their prayers.
"Our Father in Heaven expects us to study it out first and then pray for guidance as we seek answers to questions and concerns in our personal life."
President Uchtdorf said it has been his experience that some of the most powerful promptings a person receives are not only for his or her own benefit but also for the benefit of others. "If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives."
There are times, he continued, that "the Lord reveals to us things that are intended only for us. Nevertheless, in many, many, cases He entrusts a testimony of the truth to those He knows will share it with others."
Sharing a testimony, he said, it not always easy. "Some would rather pull a handcart across a prairie than bring up the subject of faith and religion to their friends and co-workers."
President Uchtdorf said often when friends would ask about his family's weekend, he would skip the usual topics and share religious experiences.
"With so many social media resources, and a multitude of more or less useful gadgets at our disposal, sharing the good news of the gospel is easier and the effects more far-reaching than ever before. ... Brothers and sisters with the blessings of modern technology, we can express gratitude and joy about God's great plan for His children in a way that can be heard not only around our workplace but around the world. Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affects someone else's life for eternity."
Closing, President Uchtdorf said the most effective way to preach the gospel is through example. "Opportunities to do so are all around us. Do not miss them by waiting too long on the road to Damascus."
