Elder Uchtdorf Asks Young Adults to Listen for the Music of the Spirit

“We are here to learn how to hear the music of the Spirit, to find God, to recognize and follow His voice, even amid the clamor and noise of the world,” said Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Uchtdorf spoke at a Brigham Young University devotional in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, January 15, 2019. He said the address built on messages about “the adventure of mortality” that he and his wife, Harriet, shared with young adults a year ago during a worldwide devotional.

“You young people are the strength and future of the Church of Jesus Christ all around the earth,” he told the students gathered in the Marriott Center. “You are the Latter-day Saints who will be a blessing to the world. We love and admire you.”

Elder Uchtdorf told a story about a casually dressed world-class musician who gave an anonymous, virtuoso performance in a Washington, D.C., subway station in 2007. Only a handful of the hundreds of passers-by stopped to hear Joshua Bell play his 1713 Stradivari violin during the 45-minute performance.

“We sometimes get so caught up in the grind of everyday life that we fail to recognize the sublime voice of the Spirit and disregard the profound and beautiful message our loving Heavenly Father imparts to us through His messengers,” he explained. “In every hour of the day and throughout the night, He communicates through the divine music of the Spirit.”

Elder Uchtdorf said recognizing the voice of God may take time and commitment. “Some seem to be born with a testimony of the gospel and a sensitivity to spiritual things. For others, belief comes slowly, and the process may feel difficult or frustrating.”

As a young boy growing up in Zwickau, East Germany, he would often admire a stained-glass window in the chapel of his meetinghouse, which depicted the Prophet Joseph Smith kneeling in the Sacred Grove. “As I sat in the chapel and gazed at that scene, even as a young boy, I believed.”

Elder Uchtdorf encouraged those seeking answers to prayers to be patient. “This light will come in God’s time, not ours. … It will come in God’s way. … It comes as we believe.”

He continued: “To desire to believe does not mean to pretend. It means to open your heart to the possibility of spiritual things, to lay aside skepticism and cynicism.”

Elder Uchtdorf urged the audience to study the holy scriptures to learn more about the revelations given to the early Saints.

“If God answered the prayers only of the perfectly obedient, He would have to shut down heaven’s entire prayer-answering department,” stressed Elder Uchtdorf. “God reaches out to us even when we are struggling. When we are failing. In fact, we might say that He reaches out to us especially when we are struggling and failing.”

The Latter-day Saint apostle offered hope to those who feel inadequate. “We are imperfect. But we are striving. Striving to believe. Striving to love. Striving to trust. We are striving to align our lives with the teachings of Christ. We are in the process of refining our spirits and improving our daily lives. This is one of the great reasons we wanted so desperately to come to this earth..”

“Don’t ever give up,” said Elder Uchtdorf. “You’re going to make mistakes in this life. Please know that the Savior’s love for you is greater than any of your mistakes. … Being a disciple or follower of Christ does not mean we live perfectly. It means we stay on the path.”

“Open your hearts, minds, and souls to hear the wondrous music of the Spirit, and you will surely rejoice in God’s goodness and grace,” he concluded.

To watch or listen to the devotional in its entirety, visit https://speeches.byu.edu/.