October 6, 2010

Tonight I read a talk from the Priesthood session earlier this year called Healing the Sick by Dallin H. Oaks. As I read, I paid attention to the guidelines and expectations of those who hold the Priesthood so that I can teach my boys what the Lord expects of His sons. They "should all be prepared to use [the priesthood power] properly." This talk speaks specifically of healing the sick. The first step is to anoint the sick. I really liked this quote that describes the purpose of the anointing: "Anointings were declared to be for sanctification and perhaps can also be seen as symbolic of the blessings to be poured out from heaven as a result of this sacred act."

Following that up is the sealing of the anointing which "opens the windows of heaven for the Lord to pour forth the blessing He wills for the person afflicted." The opportunity and blessing that comes to bearers of the priesthood is that "when [they] are prepared, when [they] are holy vessels before the Lord, a stream of power from the Almighty can pass through the tabernacle of the administrator to the system of the patient, and the sick are made whole." So the Lord expects His sons to be prepared to be instruments in His hands, which means always living worthy of the Spirit, and for them to be holy vessels before the Lord. When I hear that phrase, I think of something that is consecrated and kept immaculately clean.

The third part of the healing blessing is the faith of the sick. The forth part is what is said in the blessing. The words themselves "are not essential to its healing effect." However there are expectations in this regard, as follows: "be so in tune with the Spirit of the Lord that [they] will know and declare the will of the Lord in the words of the blessing." Brigham Young said, "It is your privilege and duty to live so that you know when the word of the Lord is spoken to you and when the mind of the Lord is revealed to you." I see that as a tremendous responsibility. It is so important to teach my sons how to listen and recognize the voice of the Lord. Which is interesting, as I think of that important expectation and then of how hard the adversary works to thwart that. I think especially that boys are so susceptible to getting wrapped up in video games, even violent ones, and that can keep the them from recognizing and hearing the voice of the Lord.

The last step is to "always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is." So the main expectations the Lord has for His sons that I gathered from this article are to be prepared, to be holy vessels, and to be in tune with the Spirit, accustomed to hearing the voice of the Lord.