Did I Vote for the New Prophet?

No, I did not. What I did was participate in the Solemn Assembly where I had the privilege to raise my hand to "sustain" our new prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.  This picture shows Aaron and Hur holding up, or "sustaining",  Moses so the Israelites could continue to prevail in a battle. So am I going to hold up the Prophet's arms? In a way, yes.

You might be wondering not only what  sustaining means, but how it differs from voting. To explain, you need to understand that there is no campaigning for the office of President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Change is peaceful and orderly. All know that the next Prophet will be the person who is the senior apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  The Lord, who has power over life and death, chooses the person who will be in this senior position. In this way the Lord provides that the next prophet will be the person who not only has the most experience and years of service in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, but the person whom He has prepared to serve as prophet at this time.


In 1919, Elder George Albert Smith—who became President of the Church in 1945— . . . spoke of sustaining . . . “The obligation that we make when we raise our hands … is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means … that we will stand behind him; we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct,” he said.  https://www.lds.org/church/news/raising-our-hands-to-sustain-is-also-a-promise-to-do-our-part?lang=eng&_r=1&cid=HP_SA-31-3-2018_dPFD_fCNWS_xLIDyL2-3_

Throughout history many prophets did not have the support of the people they were called to serve. In fact, being called as a prophet to deliver the Lord's messages was certainly not how to be popular, or sometimes to even live very long.

So, did I raise my hand to vote for a new prophet? No.  I raised my hand to sustain the Prophet. By doing this I made a promise that I would do all in my power to further the work of the Lord as revealed through his new prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. This was a conscious decision. I have known the love and spiritual maturity of President Nelson for over 40 years. I studied his life, learned about his family, and reread many of his talks.  I prayed about it and felt the Holy Ghost witness to me that President Nelson is the person the Lord has prepared to be the prophet at this time. Most importantly, I experienced a strong confirming sense of peace when asked if I would sustain our new prophet. I know that Russell M. Nelson has been chosen and prepared by God to be His Prophet today.