Search
Donate
Quick Links
Languages
Help
Sign In
Request Info
Apply for Free
Back
Search
Donate
Quick Links
Languages
Help
Request Info
Sign In
> ... Devotionals & Speeches > “He Shall Prepare a Way”

BYU-Pathway Worldwide Devotional

“He Shall Prepare a Way”

Stephen T. Rockwood
CEO of FamilySearch International, Director of Family History Department
November 08, 2024
Your download has started and may take several minutes to complete.

You can view or print this speech in the following languages:

 English | French | Portuguese | Spanish"He Shall Prepare a Way"Hello, friends. It is such a privilege to share a few minutes with you. Can I just say that you are amazing. And I know that because you’re a student at BYU-Pathway Worldwide. That tells me that you’re obviously not afraid to do new and even difficult things. Your lack of fear ignites a flame of faith. And I admire your faith that is burning bright as you simply seek to obey the Lord’s command to gain an education and build self-reliance for you and your family. President Russell M. Nelson, the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has taught, “Education is yours to obtain. No one else can gain it for you. Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn. For us as Latter-day Saints, gaining an education is not just a privilege, it is a religious responsibility.” i
x
Russell M. Nelson, “Will You Choose to Increase in Learning?” New Era, Sept. 2014, 1
 So when it comes to education, you have heard the Lord’s will through His prophet. In that sense, you remind me of a young Nephi, who said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” ii 
x
1 Nephi 3:7 

Way to be amazing by going and doing like Nephi! And, as you act in faith to gain an education, the Lord has prepared a way, and that way is BYU-Pathway Worldwide.  

Now, may I share with you another commandment from the Lord through His living prophet? And may I also share with you the way the Lord has prepared for us to, once again, be like Nephi and “go and do”? 

When President Nelson and his two counselors first addressed the world in a press conference, they did so from the temple. President Nelson said, “As a new Presidency, we want to begin with the end in mind. For this reason, we're speaking to you today from a temple. The end for which each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God — that of eternal life” iii
x
Russell M. Nelson, “As We Go Forward Together,” Liahona, Apr. 2018, 7 

The end in mind culminates with covenants and ordinances in the house of the Lord — “endowed with power” and “sealed as families.” 

Temple and family history work is the means for uniting and sealing families for eternity. iv
x
See Matthew 16:19

We do so by: 

Well, what are the ways the Lord has prepared for us so that we can go and do what He has commanded? 
First and foremost, the Lord through His prophet, is bringing the House of the Lord closer to His children in all parts of the world. President Nelson has taught that “unprecedented times [calls] for unprecedented measures.” viii
x
Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 93
 The hundreds of temples announced, under construction, or in operation today are unprecedented in the history of the world, enabling more of His children to be endowed with power and sealed as families. 

In addition to temples, what is the way the Lord has provided for us to discover our ancestors? FamilySearch International. When the Lord provided the Salt Lake Temple to the early pioneer Saints in 1893, His prophet at the time, Wilford W. Woodruff, then created the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1894 to simply help the members discover their ancestors in order to perform ordinances and unite their families for eternity. One hundred and thirty years later, the Genealogical Society of Utah is now known as FamilySearch International, and we do the same thing we have always done: help you discover your ancestors and unite your family for eternity. 

Just as BYU-Pathway uses unprecedented technology to enable you to pursue higher education, FamilySearch uses unprecedented technology to enable you to pursue exaltation for your family. 

So as you go and do the Lord’s will with your education to bless you and your family for generations to come, I invite you to go and do the temple and family history work of your family by going to FamilySearch.org and by downloading the FamilySearch apps.  

Just as BYU-Pathway takes you on a journey of discovering the truths of heaven and earth, FamilySearch will take you on a journey of discovering the truths of your family both in heaven and on earth. 

BYU-Pathway and FamilySearch are not just websites that enable you and me. They are actually a means for you to feel and be guided by the Holy Ghost. 

In Moroni 10:5, we’re promised, “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” BYU-Pathway Worldwide provides faith-based learning that invites and relies on the Holy Ghost to help you learn the truths about God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the truth of all things in this world like history, math, computer science, and languages. 

Well, you have the same promise when it comes to learning the truth of your family through what’s called the spirit of Elijah. Now, Elijah was an Old Testament prophet who held the sealing power. In the book of Malachi the Lord said, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” ix
x
Malachi 4:5–6
 Elijah did come. And he did restore the keys of the sealing power when he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery just days after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. x
x
See Doctrine and Covenants 110
 President Nelson has taught, “The Spirit of Elijah [is] a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.” xi
x
Russell M. Nelson, “A New Harvest Time,” Ensign, Apr. 1998, 34

So as you strive to discover your ancestors, you will feel and be helped by the Holy Ghost. Your heart will turn to them, their hearts will turn to you, and together you’ll turn to Christ. 

Let me show you what I mean. During Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, he partook of the fruit that brought him great joy and immediately had the instinct to share that joy with his family. As a covenant child of God, you have partaken of the fruit. You have experienced that joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now you have the natural instinct to want to share that joy with your family — those on earth and those in heaven.  

So I ask you now to specifically think of a deceased member of your family who has not partaken of the fruit and experienced the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who comes to your mind right now? Who comes to your heart? Is it a deceased grandmother or grandfather? Is it a deceased parent, brother, or sister? Is it even a deceased child?  

As you’ve turned your heart to that person and feel what you may be feeling right now, that is the spirit of Elijah. That is the Holy Ghost. And that same Holy Ghost that may be touching your heart at this very moment will then inspire you, guide you, and teach you the truth of other members of your family who are awaiting you — family members whose names you don’t even know yet. They look to you with hope and faith that you will seek them out, discover them, and bring them to Christ through temple ordinances.   

You have been prepared for this time and this season. As you strive to be like Nephi, I testify that he actually saw you in a vision when he said, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” xii
x
1 Nephi 14:14
You are amazing, and the Lord has an amazing work for you to do. It’s my prayer that you may do so through the means of BYU-Pathway Worldwide and FamilySearch International and be guided, protected, and even sanctified by the Holy Ghost on your journey. God is our Heavenly Father. Jesus is the Christ, and He is hastening His work of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on the earth. We are His covenant people, and we are preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. And you have a key role in that preparation. I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.