A Steady Flow of Power

As Elder Bednar discussed the need for Power in the Priesthood this past conference he reiterated principles given earlier by his mentor Elder Packer in a previous conference. My attention was riveted as he discussed once again the difference between authority and power in the priesthood and how we can have one without the other but become a well without water.

My mind was taken to a conversation I had with a good friend, a year earlier on the same topic. He shared an analogy that seemed very fitting to this principle.

A young man moved into a new house with an unfinished yard of weeds and dirt clods. With both willingness and great expectations he immediately set to work digging trenches and laying pipe, installing a sprinkler system intended to water his dry parcel of ground and bring life to a barren plot of soil. Upon completing his well-designed system he tapped into the city’s main water supply and installed a valve to turn the water on and off. He then went to work burying the pipes in the ground including the on/off valve. Content with his efforts he moved on to other projects only to find that his yard remained parched and barren for many seasons. Years later a friend asked him why he had never done anything with his yard. In bitterness he blamed the city for withholding their water and never blessing his yard with the much needed water. He showed his friend how diligent he had been in laying the sprinkler system. His friend asked about his connection to the city’s water system to which he promptly dug up the valve for his friend to inspect. Kindly his friend bent down and turned the valve to ON and life giving water began to course the veins of his long-dormant system.

In similar respects many have been blessed with the authority (piping) to access and use God’s power (living water) to bless their families and others under their stewardship. Sadly, having obtained authority they bury that authority and the valve to access power deep in their hearts through unwillingness to serve or unworthiness. Some grow bitter, others disinterested never seeing the beautiful fruits that come from a consistent stream of priesthood power.

Willingness and Worthiness are the keys to accessing this power. Elder Bednar said, “Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness—not experience, expertise, or education—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.” And then he shared the lamentations of many sisters who wrote him saying in essence, “Please help my husband understand his responsibility as a priesthood leader in our home. I am happy to take the lead in scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening, and I will continue to do so. But I wish my husband would be an equal partner and provide the strong priesthood leadership only he can give. Please help my husband learn how to become a patriarch and a priesthood leader in our home who presides and protects.” (Bednar, The Powers of Heaven, April 2012 General Conference)

To my brothers in the priesthood. Let us not settle for simply having obtained the authority to act in the name of God, let us be willing and worthy to have the Power of Godliness flow through our lives by actively seeking to do God’s will and becoming a true patriarch in our homes.

Thanks to Clint Nef for the analogy he shared.