The Infinite Power of God in Our Covenants

Read the Book of Mormon with Consistent Faith

Elder Morgan’s mother reads the Book of Mormon aloud each day, even when he appears inattentive. Her persistence communicates her testimony and the book’s importance. He teaches that no effort to read the Book of Mormon is wasted.

But more than any words that I heard or did not hear, I knew the Book of Mormon was important to my mother.

And I knew she knew it was true.

No time or effort is ever wasted in reading the Book of Mormon. Not for you, not for your children, not for your family, not for anyone.

• Consistent scripture reading communicates faith even when its immediate effects are difficult to see.
• A parent’s example helps a child recognize the importance of the Book of Mormon.
• Remembering the Book of Mormon is part of responding to the Lord’s covenant instruction.
• Efforts to read scripture bless individuals and families and are never wasted.

• What experience shows you that scripture reading matters even when you do not immediately notice a result?
• Who communicates love for the Book of Mormon through consistent actions, and how does that example influence you?
• How does reading the Book of Mormon strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ?
• What simple scripture-reading practice helps you or your household remain connected to the gospel?

Seek Truth and Honor Your Testimony

Elder Morgan expresses gratitude for his religious upbringing while sincerely seeking to know where the Lord’s Church is. His search leads to a testimony that sustains him despite questions and disappointment from family members. His account illustrates both appreciation for the faith others nurture and commitment to the truth God reveals.

All of this led me to sincerely seek the truth.

I can’t fully express the gratitude I have for my upbringing and the knowledge I had received; even so, I came to know that this is the Lord’s Church.

I had been given a gift—a testimony.

I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it.

• Gratitude for one’s upbringing can accompany a sincere search for additional truth.
• The faith and friendship of others can contribute to a person’s spiritual journey.
• A testimony is a gift that provides strength amid uncertainty and opposition.
• Personal conviction invites faithfulness even when following it is difficult.

• What experience helps you recognize a testimony as a gift from God?
• How does a sincere question lead you toward greater understanding of the restored gospel?
• Who helps you seek truth through friendship, example, or encouragement?
• When does your testimony give you courage to follow Jesus Christ despite difficulty?

Trust God’s Covenant Power Across Generations

Elder Morgan recognizes the influence of his ancestors’ temple covenants in his own spiritual journey. He teaches that covenants bless generations without removing the agency of children or grandchildren. The Lord’s covenant with Enos illustrates that fulfillment can extend far beyond the lifetime of the person who receives the promise.

It was covenants that had impacted me, not my covenants but the covenants of those who came before me.

Though the covenant faithfulness of parents and grandparents does not alter the agency of children or grandchildren, there is a discernible impact of those covenants on all our posterity.

Covenants with God are filled with incalculable power. They do not bless just the maker of the covenant but are generational in their impact.

Like the great binding power of gravity that stretches across the universe, covenants with God stretch over all time and all space.

• God’s covenants have an influence that extends beyond the covenant maker.
• Faithful ancestors can bless later generations through their covenant relationship with God.
• Covenant influence does not override anyone’s agency or guarantee a particular choice.
• God’s promises can unfold over generations rather than according to immediate expectations.
• Making and keeping covenants matters even when their full influence is not visible.

• How does the faithfulness of a parent, grandparent, or another spiritual mentor influence your relationship with God?
• What family-history experience helps you feel connected to those who come before you?
• How does keeping your covenants shape the example you offer others?
• What experience helps you trust God’s timing when a hoped-for blessing is not yet apparent?
• How do you offer faithful encouragement to a loved one while respecting that person’s agency?

Find Hope in Christ’s Infinite Reach

Elder Morgan assures listeners that neither they nor their loved ones are beyond the reach of divine love. He identifies the Atonement of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s greatest promise: to provide a Savior and Redeemer. This infinite and eternal power gives reason for hope when someone feels spiritually distant.

As Elder Patrick Kearon has taught, “He employs every possible measure to bring [us] back.”

If you are wondering whether you or a loved one has wandered so far away that the love of God and His covenantal power cannot reach you—I say to you, you have not.

You have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the greatest promise God made—that Jesus Christ would be our Savior and Redeemer.

• No one is beyond the reach of God’s love and covenantal power.
• Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to provide a Savior and Redeemer.
• The power and reach of the Savior’s Atonement are infinite and eternal.
• Hope rests in the Savior’s power rather than in an assumption that someone’s present circumstances determine their final outcome.

• What experience helps you feel the Savior’s love when you feel distant, discouraged, or unworthy?
• How does repentance help you recognize the power of Jesus Christ’s Atonement?
• When does a teaching about divine love renew your hope for yourself or someone you love?
• How do you communicate the Savior’s love to someone who feels they do not belong, without sharing that person’s private circumstances?

Keep Covenants and Wait Faithfully on God

Elder Morgan acknowledges the anguish of those who pray for struggling loved ones. He encourages them to keep their covenants, act faithfully within their power, and trust God’s timing and manner of answering prayers. He closes with the assurance that our individual and family stories are not finished.

Take comfort; God hears you and will answer your prayers in His own time and in His own way.

Keep your covenants, strive to be faithful, and “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power; and then may [you] stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”

I testify that the infinite power of God is in our covenants.

Don’t ever give up. Your story, your family’s story, is not all written. God is the author and the finisher of it.

• God hears prayers offered in anguish for loved ones.
• Answers come in God’s own time and way.
• Faithfulness includes keeping covenants and doing what lies within our power.
• Trusting God accompanies faithful action rather than replacing it.
• Present struggles do not constitute the final chapter of an individual’s or family’s story.

• What experience helps you trust God when an answer to prayer does not come as quickly as you hope?
• How does keeping a covenant strengthen you during uncertainty?
• When does doing what lies within your power help you find peace about what you cannot control?
• What helps you maintain hope for a loved one while continuing to love and respect them?
• How does the knowledge that your story is unfinished change the way you approach a current challenge?