2024 April General Conference, Sunday Morning Session

Swallowed Up in the Joy of Christ

Elder Brian K. Taylor
of the Seventy

Main Points

  • I testify that our Heavenly Father hears your tearful pleadings and will always respond in perfect wisdom.
  • We don’t know why some people receive miracles quickly while others don’t; but we know that God does all things for our welfare and happiness.
  • The power of Christ rests upon us in our afflictions, making us strong.
  • Life’s trials prove us and refine us

Gospel Doctrine & Principles taught

Jesus Christ, Atonement, Obedience

Scriptures

Mark 10:52, Mark 8:25, 2 Corinthians 12:8, Psalm 130:5,  1 Nephi 11:17, Helaman 12:2, 2 Nephi 26:24, Abraham 2:8, 2 Nephi 2:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, Abraham 3:25–26, 1 Nephi 20:10, 2 Nephi 4:19–35, Doctrine and Covenants 6:36, Alma 7:11–12, John 16:33, 2 Nephi 31:20, Ether 12:4, Moroni 7:48, Hebrews 12:2, Mosiah 15:7, Alma 31:38, Psalm 30:5, John 15:10–11, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, Joseph Smith Translation, James 1:2 (in James 1:2, footnote a); 2 Nephi 2:25, 9:18; Alma 26:6–7, 11, 27, 37; 28:8; 33:23; 36:20–21; Doctrine and Covenants 109:76; Moses 5:10–11, Mosiah 24:14; Alma 33:23, Luke 23:34, 43; John 19:26–27, Alma 7:12, Jacob 2:8, Matthew 11:28, Matthew 28:20, Mosiah 24:14, John 14:18, Doctrine and Covenants 98:3, 3 Nephi 17:7; Alma 36:3, 27; Exodus 2:24; 3:7; Mosiah 24:12, 2 Nephi 2:24; Mosiah 4:9; Isaiah 55:9, Alma 33:23, Alma 31:38; see also Psalm 30:5; John 15:10–11; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Joseph Smith Translation, James 1:2 (in James 1:2, footnote a); 2 Nephi 2:25; 9:18; Alma 26:6–7, 11, 27, 37; 28:8; 33:23; 36:20–21; Doctrine and Covenants 109:76; Moses 5:10–11.

Other Sources

Orson F. Whitney, in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (2006), 16.

Missionary Work and the Atonement

Joseph Smith, letter to Presendia Huntington Buell, Mar. 15, 1839, josephsmithpapers.org.

“Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” Hymns, no. 220.

Related talks: 

Look for Jesus Christ:

  • Testimony of Christ.
    • With joyful reverence, I witness our Savior lives and “His promises are sure.” Especially for you who are troubled or who are “afflicted in any manner,” I testify that our Heavenly Father hears your tearful pleadings and will always respond in perfect wisdom.
  • Description of His Life.
    • “Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight.” 
    • Even the Savior “learned … obedience by” and was made “perfect through sufferings.”
  • Description of His Atonement.
    • “My hands are not the hands that save. Those hands belong to the Savior! Instead of looking at my scars as a reminder of what I was not able to do, I remember the scars my Savior bears.” 
    • “[Our] eternal life is dependent upon [our] faith in [Christ] and in His Atonement.”
    • The Savior suffered ‘pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind’ so that He can comfort us, heal us, [and] rescue us in times of need.”
    • How did He do it? We learn, “For the joy that was set before him [Christ] endured the cross,” His will “being swallowed up in the will of the Father.”
  • Description of His relationship with us.
    • Without God, the dark experiences of suffering and adversity tend to despondency, despair, and even bitterness.
    • President Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions”
  • Words of Christ
    • Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole
    • Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.
    • Behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
    • Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
    • In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
    • If thou endure it well,God shall exalt thee on high.
    • Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
    • I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; … that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
    • I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Inspiring Words & Phrases

  • Why do some receive their yearned-for miracles quickly, while others patiently endure, waiting upon the Lord? We may not know the why, yet gratefully, we know He who “loveth [us]” and “[doeth] all things for [our] welfare and happiness.” 
  • God, who sees the end from the beginning, reassures, “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment,” and they shall be consecrated “for thy gain.”
  • “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education. … All … that we [patiently] endure … builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our [heavenly parents].” (Orson F. Whitney)
  • Coming to trust in God’s divine purposes breathes hope into weary souls and kindles determination in seasons of anguish and heartache.
  • “As we look at all things with eternal perspective, it will significantly lighten our load.” (President Russell M. Nelson)
  • Envision an eternal reward rather than focus on the excruciating difficulties of the day.
  • “After having been inclosed in the walls of a prison for five months it seems to me that my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before. … I think I never could have felt as I do now if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered.” (Joseph Smith)
  • During eternity’s most crucial, agonizing hours, our Savior did not shrink but partook of the bitter cup. How did He do it? We learn, “For the joy that was set before him [Christ] endured the cross,” His will “being swallowed up in the will of the Father.”
  • This phrase “swallowed up” deeply moves me. My interest was heightened when I learned that in Spanish, “swallowed up” is translated as “consumed”; in German, as “devoured”; and in Chinese, as “engulfed.” Thus, when life’s challenges are most painful and overwhelming, I remember the Lord’s promise—that we “should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it [be] swallowed up [consumed, devoured, and engulfed] in the joy of Christ.”
  • “When, for the moment, we ourselves are not being stretched on a particular cross, we ought to be at the foot of someone else’s—full of empathy and proffering spiritual refreshment” (Neal A. Maxwell)
  • “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come” (Jeffrey R. Holland)

Lists

Divine Principles of approaching life’s challenges:

  • Stronger faith comes by putting Jesus Christ first.
  • Brighter hope comes by envisioning our eternal destiny.
  • Greater power comes by focusing on joy.

Three examples of faith and healing

  • Blind Bartimaeus received an instant miracle.
  • The man in Bethsaida was healed after two blessings.
  • The Apostle Paul did not receive the healing he sought but was strengthened in his weakness.

Three divine principles

  • Stronger faith comes by putting Jesus Christ first.
  • Brighter hope comes by envisioning our eternal destiny.
  • Greater power comes by focusing on joy in Christ.

Three divine perspectives

  • God sees the end from the beginning.
  • Trials refine us and build our character.
  • Eternal perspectives ease earthly burdens.

Invitations/Challenges

  • Put Christ first in your life.
  • Envision your eternal destiny.
  • Focus on joy.
  • Trust in the Lord’s timing for miracles and answers to prayers.
  • Focus on the eternal joy that comes from enduring trials faithfully.
  • Turn to Jesus Christ in moments of weakness, and you will find strength.

Warnings

  • Without turning to God during adversity, suffering may lead to despair or bitterness.
  • Focusing only on immediate relief can prevent us from seeing the eternal growth that trials offer.

Blessings/Promises

  • “May God grant unto you,” as He has done for our family in times of great need, “that your burdens may be light,” even “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”
  • Christ’s power will rest upon us in our afflictions.
  • Our burdens will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ.
  • God will turn our trials into growth, blessing us with deeper peace and eternal joy. 

Stories:

  • In the New Testament, blind Bartimaeus was healed instantly by his faith. A man in Bethsaida, however, received healing after two blessings from Jesus. In contrast, the Apostle Paul prayed three times for relief but did not receive the healing he sought.
  • Holly and Rick Porter’s 12-year-old son, Trey, tragically passed away in a fire. Holly, severely burned while trying to save him, later testified of the immense peace and joy the Lord gave her family during their grief. She found comfort in recognizing that it was not her hands that could save, but the Savior’s. Holly’s experience exemplifies the promise that viewing trials through a celestial lens can bring new understanding and peace.
  • Last year, Jill and I met Paula, a beautiful young Guatemalan woman who was struggling mightily with cancer. Her response to my question of how she was feeling left an unforgettable memory in our minds and hearts: “I am grateful,” this humble teenager quietly responded almost in a whisper, “that the Lord gave it to me and not to my sister.” Then, although she was not feeling well, she; her sister, Sariah; and their father went on two ministering visits to two elderly widows with great personal needs and challenges of their own.

Application Ideas

  1. Read the definition of the word “Prove” in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary. With that definition in mind, read through the Topical Guide entry “Prove”. Stop and read any of the references that stand out to you. Write any insights you have about your own life in your journal.
  2. Ponder this sentence: “Coming to trust in God’s divine purposes breathes hope into weary souls and kindles determination in seasons of anguish and heartache.” What does it look like in your life to “come to trust” God? How can you come from where you are now to a place where you trust God? Write down one thing you can do this coming week to come closer to trusting God.
  3. Elder Taylor invites us to put Christ first in our lives. Brainstorm ways you are already putting Christ first in your life, and recognize your efforts in your journal or by sharing with a close friend. Make it a subject of prayer to find other ways to put Christ first.
  4. Elder Taylor posits that greater power comes by focusing on joy, and points to Christ as an exemplar in that principle. 

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