Post # 6 – Power in the Priesthood

Hello, Family & Friends,

Today I would like to talk with you about the power that is in the priesthood – specifically priesthood blessings.

First off, for those of you who do not know what Priesthood blessings are, I found the following on lds.org:  A blessing given by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, by the laying on of hands and by inspiration, to one who is sick or otherwise in need of special counsel, comfort, or healing. If the blessing is for the sick, consecrated oil is used 

https://www.lds.org/topics/priesthood-blessing?lang=eng

(James 5:14-15).

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

The following also comes from lds.org, I always want to be sure that I am only putting the truth in my posts, so I will always go directly to the source for the information that I share with all of you. I have only put in parts of the articles or talks to share with you, but if you want to read the entire article or talk I have tried to include the name of the talk and other pertinent information so that all you have to do is go to the website and put in the name of the talk and it should pop right up. This first talk is specifically for the women of the church.

Power in the Priesthood  By Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

My message to this faithful woman and to all is that we can live every hour “blessed by the strength of priesthood power,” whatever our circumstance.

We sometimes overly associate the power of the priesthood with men in the Church. The priesthood is the power and authority of God given for the salvation and blessing of all—men, women, and children.

We know that worthiness is central to performing and receiving priesthood ordinances. Sister Linda K. Burton, general president of the Relief Society, has said, “Righteousness is the qualifier … to invite priesthood power into our lives.”

A loving Father in Heaven has sent his sons and daughters here to mortality to gain experience and to be tested. He has provided the way back to him and has given us enough spiritual light to see our way. The priesthood of God gives light to his children in this dark and troubled world. Through priesthood power we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to lead us to truth, testimony, and revelation. This gift is available on an equal basis to men, women, and children. Through the blessings of the priesthood, we can be equipped with “the whole armour of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (see Eph. 6:11–18). This protection is available to every one of us.

Through the priesthood many other blessings are also available to all of the sons and daughters of God, making it possible for us to make sacred covenants and receive holy ordinances that enable us to travel that strait and narrow way back to our Father in Heaven (see Matt. 7:13–14).

The priesthood is the power of God, which is given to man to act in His name. The priesthood of God is timeless. It “was in the beginning, [and] shall be in the end of the world also” (Moses 6:7; see also History of the Church, 3:386). Before this world was created, the premortal Council in Heaven was held under the direction of the priesthood. The formation of the universe and of the world upon which we live was brought to pass—not by chance, but through the power of the priesthood. The great Creator spoke, and the elements obeyed. The processes of nature that enable us to exist on this planet, the resources of this world that sustain life—all were set into motion and continue their course through the power of God’s magnificent priesthood. While most of the earth’s inhabitants do not recognize this priesthood power, all living creatures are its beneficiaries.

It was through the priesthood that the Son of God, the Savior, Jesus Christ, established his church—both in the Old World and in the New World. On both continents, he established sacred covenants and ordinances as a means for entering “in at the strait gate … which leadeth unto life [eternal]” (Matt. 7:13–14; 3 Ne. 14:13–14). In both places, he ordained twelve special witnesses to govern the affairs of the Church and to carry his word to the sons and daughters of God.

The creation of this earth provided a place for the sons and daughters of God to live and grow—a place where our Father could bestow the blessings of his wondrous priesthood upon us. The priesthood was first given to Adam, who held the keys from generation to generation. Adam ordained seven generations of his posterity to the priesthood, beginning with his sons Abel and Seth (see D&C 84:16; D&C 107:40–53). After the death of Adam, the priesthood continued from father to son, even until Melchizedek.

Originally, this priesthood “was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

“But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek” (D&C 107:3–4) because “Melchizedek was such a great high priest” (D&C 107:2).

One who received the priesthood at the hands of Melchizedek was Abraham (see D&C 84:14). The Lord later covenanted with Abraham that “in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed … shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abr. 2:11).

It was through the priesthood that the Son of God, the Savior, Jesus Christ, established his church—both in the Old World and in the New World. On both continents, he established sacred covenants and ordinances as a means for entering “in at the strait gate … which leadeth unto life [eternal]” (Matt. 7:13–14; 3 Ne. 14:13–14). In both places, he ordained twelve special witnesses to govern the affairs of the Church and to carry his word to the sons and daughters of God.

Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of all who will repent and be baptized through the power of the holy priesthood. Through the Atonement, our Savior broke the bands of death and became “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:9).

Following the death of Jesus and his Apostles, the earth was enshrouded with darkness. Known as the Dark Ages, this was a period of great apostasy, when for a long period of time the priesthood blessings and ordinances were withheld from mortals on the earth (see Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957–66, 2:45).

But, as had been prophesied, the glorious priesthood of God, together with a fulness of its blessings, has been restored to the earth in our own time. The restoration of the priesthood and its blessings began in 1820, when Joseph Smith, a young boy prophet, beheld and spoke with God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in a sacred grove of trees.

Later, additional heavenly messengers—John the Baptist; Peter, James, and John; Moses, Elias, and Elijah; and others—brought to the Prophet Joseph Smith the power, authority, and keys necessary for the salvation and exaltation of mankind. As a result, the Church of Jesus Christ was restored upon the earth, complete with the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods of old. Now, as God covenanted with Abraham, all the individuals and families of the earth may be blessed.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/power-in-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Prior to my diagnosis with breast cancer, I had received many priesthood blessings since becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in late 1988. Members of my family have also received priesthood blessings as well, though we have not really had the priesthood in our home on a regular basis as my husband was not an active member for very long during our marriage, so he wasn't able to perform his duties in the priesthood, therefore i had to ask it of others for blessings when they were needed for myself or my children.

I am so very grateful to all those men who have honorably held the priesthood and been willing to bless the members of my family throughout the years. Without those men and all those precious and sacred blessings taking place, some of us would not be here today. 

I mentioned in an earlier post about one of my sons, who was the youngest son at the time we had our car accident on the way home from visiting one of our foster daughters. During that accident he had been thrown from the car as it went airborne and the car had landed right beside where his little body had fallen. 

At the time of the accident I did not remember having ever gone unconscious, but it was entirely possible. I only remembered having my young son in my arms and thinking that I must have thrown him out of the car because my first memory was of smelling gas and realizing what had just happened and that I needed to get my children out of the car before it blew up or started on fire. I knew I could deal with any injury, but I could not handle watching my children burn up in the car and not be able to do anything to save them.  So, in trying to get the all out as quick as possible I thought that I had caused his injuries by putting him out the window of the car before I could get the door opened. 

When the car came to a stop, my oldest daughter was hanging out the back end of the car and all of our groceries were strewn all over the countryside. At that time, I had a seizure disorder and needing to focus on something  to prevent having seizures. So, after I had made sure that all of my children were as safe as I could make them, and I remembered that when a person is thrown about like she must have been to end up hanging out the back of the car that I should not move my oldest daughter. 


I knew that if I did not keep myself focused on something that I would succumb to seizures and I needed to be sure my children were safe. So, I roamed around picking up our groceries and putting them back in bags and putting them in to the car. As I went around picking up the groceries and as I did so, I would call out to my children to be sure to keep them conscious until help would come. 

I had my three littlest children sitting on the bank of the hill by the roadside, away from the car just in case it caught fire. I never went too far from the car for that reason either, so that I would be able to get my daughter out of the car if needed to protect her.

Anyway, the ambulance finally came and transported all of us to the hospital. All of my children received priesthood blessings for the sick and afflicted, but I want to talk specifically about my son that was my youngest at that time.  He received x-rays at the hospital and we were shown on the x-rays that the break was very significant and that the break went down into the growth plate, so we would need to take him out to primary children’s hospital in Salt Lake City because he needed to see a pediatric specialist. I called our home teacher, who came right to the hospital and gave him a blessing. 

The hospital had called and told them that we were headed their way with our injured son. They had prepared his arm for the journey out to the hospital. We hand carried the x-rays they had taken at our local hospital with us out to the specialist. When we arrived to see the specialist we gave him the x-rays and he put them up on the screen and showed us where the break in his arm had come down to, but not through – did you hear that? – the break came down to, but not through the growth plate, so his arm should heal just fine in a few weeks. They then casted his arm, we received medicine for the pain he was in and headed home, simply amazed at what had transpired in the past few hours. It had to be the power of that priesthood blessing! The Lord was truly mindful of my child and knew of his needs.

In 1992 we were blessed with our youngest son, he was born healthy and well…. Or that’s what they told us for a few weeks anyhow. One day I had taken the baby to his pediatrician and I told her that he was throwing up all the time and it seems as if the food had no where to go but back up. She examined him, and she said that he was doing well and not to be concerned about the throwing up as he was still gaining weight, he had gained a quarter of an ounce or so since his last visit. I wasn’t so sure that I believed her, so I prayed about it. 

A day or so later I had an appointment for my other young son, the son that was just three years older than the baby.  When I took my older son to the physician’s assistant that we called Dr. Charlie, and I felt prompted to tell him what has transpired at the pediatrician’s office with the baby. 



During his examination of my older son, he listened as I told him what had happened, he looked at me and asked if I would mind if he took a look at the baby when he was finished with his brother. I trusted Dr. Charlie and I had a good feeling about having him look at the baby. After he had examined the baby, he said he wanted me to take the baby over to the hospital and get some x-rays done.

So off we went to get the x-rays done and then we went back home. We had barely gotten into the house with the boys when the phone began to ring. It was Dr. Charlie on the phone, he had already seen the x-ray results and wondered just how soon we could get the baby out to Primary Children’s Hospital. 

I told him that the other children were all still in school, except the younger three. He said to me, “how long will it take you to go get them out of school, make some arrangements for their care and get that baby out to the hospital?’ I told him I wasn’t sure, but I would get right on it. He told me to get him out to the hospital as quickly as you can.” He had such an urgency in his voice it was scary.

I was worried for my young son, what was going to happen to him, would he be alright? I prayed in my heart to know what to do.  I picked up the phone to call the schools and was prompted to call to my visiting teacher, who made some calls and made the arrangements for the pick up and care of all of the other children – I had 10 children, all under the age of nine ( the baby was only 5 weeks old, 2 –3 year-olds, a 5,6, 2-7 year-olds, a, 8, 2-9 year-olds). 
While she was calling to find someone to care for the children, I called and my husband. She had also called our home teachers. They came to our home right away and a priesthood blessing was administered to my baby & they gave me a blessing as well. With that done and the care for the children was in place we dropped off the two younger boys at her house and my husband and I headed, out to the city with the baby.

By the time we had arrived at the hospital and the specialist had seen the baby, we found out that he was too dehydrated for them to be able to perform the surgery that he needed to save his life. They had to put him on IV’s to rehydrate him, as soon as this was accomplished they took him right into surgery. My baby had literally been starving to death. He had pyloric stenosis - this is where the bottom opening of your stomach begins to close itself off and the food really does have no where to go except back up. After two nights in the hospital we were finally taking our baby home – with a big cut across his stomach, but he was alive and that was all that mattered.

I think back on it now, and if I hadn’t taken the baby to see Dr. Charlie he would probably have died. Again, the power of the priesthood and the power of prayer had helped my family through a very hard situation. i am here to tell you that the power of the priesthood is great and priesthood blessings are something that I want everyone to know about – they can be life-saving, as I have experienced with my baby. He is a grown up now with 5 boys of his own and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for restoring the priesthood and making priesthood blessings available to everyone whenever they need them. 

I hope that what I have shared with you today – my story and the information and talks enlightened and uplifted you in some way. And if you have gained nothing else from my experiences, remember that there is great power in the Priesthood and that power can come into your lives as it has mine.