God Knows, Loves and Needs You, President Porter Teaches at Utah State University

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By Trent Toone, Church News

A scripture and visual image of the Savior came to the mind and heart of Primary General President Susan H. Porter as she prepared to speak to hundreds of young adults in a devotional at Utah State University on Sunday, September 22.

Revelation 3:20 reads: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Why might people not open their door to the Savior? President Porter said they could feel hurt by life’s challenges. They might feel discouraged or think they are not good enough. Sometimes they make mistakes and don’t feel like the person they used to be. They might be afraid to let the Savior in to see their messy life, with its imperfections, doubts and worries.

Introducing her heartfelt message to those gathered inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, President Porter declared: “My testimony to you is that God knows you and loves you. I testify that if you open the door to your heart the Savior will come in. He will come with light and joy. And, in that moment, you will realize He loves you perfectly, He knows you perfectly, and He needs you to love others the way He loves you.”

After asking and getting approval from the young adults to rename the event the “Primary alumni devotional,” President Porter invited everyone to ponder the following two questions:

• How can you open the door of your heart to Him?
• What blessings will you receive as you do?

God Loves You

President Porter said knowing one is loved by God is one of the most “powerful and life-changing experiences” one can have.

“Love brings about a mighty change of heart,” she said. “You may wonder if Heavenly Father knows all of my bad thoughts and incorrect choices, how can He love me? He loves you because you are His child.”

President Porter invited her grandson, a student at Utah State University, to tell about a time in his life when he felt God’s profound love. At age 15, the young man began to question his faith. He felt lost, confused and alone. He stopped attending Church. He had no interest in the Church when he began attending USU years later. Despite his lack of interest, one roommate consistently invited him to Church each week.

Near the end of the school year, in the midst of more trials, he finally accepted an invitation to attend Church. While partaking of the sacrament, he prayed to know if God was aware of him. His prayer was answered as he felt the “most wonderful, divine, unending, special love,” the young man said. He felt understood and lovingly accepted like never before, and the feeling brought him to tears. He left the meeting a completely changed person.

“Each of us, when we go before the Lord in total humility, can reach out and find out if God loves us,” President Porter said.

She also taught and shared experiences that show how one can feel God’s love when serving others and when receiving service from someone else.

“When we open our hearts to God, He will enter, He will stay and sup with us,” she said. “I invite you to look for evidence of His love, not in your circumstances, but in His blessings. Pray to know He loves you. Pray to have your eyes opened to see evidence of His love.”

God Knows You

God knows each person perfectly because all are His children. He knows each person’s strengths, weaknesses, sorrows, pains, mistakes and inadequacies because He carried them long ago, President Porter said.

Turning to the scriptures, President Porter told the story of the Savior with the woman at the well in John 4. When Jesus asked her for a drink from the well, He already knew her story — she had a difficult life, had been married five times and was living with a man to whom she was not married.

Jesus did not refuse to talk to her or consider her life hopeless. He taught her, gave her hope and invited her to change by receiving His living water. She returned to the village to testify of the Messiah.

“She opened her heart and came to know that she was known by God,” President Porter said.

God Needs You

The Lord wants you enough to invite you to bring others to Him. Citing examples in the scriptures, President Porter taught that it is never too late to turn to the Lord, act on truth and experience the joy of opening your heart to the Lord and helping others to do so as well.

She told about a family member who returned to college after his mission but was frustrated in his efforts to find a meaningful relationship, despite his best efforts. Opening his heart to the Lord, he decided to pray earnestly for a true friend rather than a romantic relationship. One day while reading the scriptures, he felt a strong reassurance from the Lord that his prayers would be answered. A few months later, he met his future wife, President Porter’s daughter, and they were later married. One of the couple’s two children was the grandson who shared his heart-opening experience.

“How will you choose to open your heart? What blessings will you receive?” President Porter said. “I pray you will open your door to the Savior. Invite Him into your heart and life. He loves you. He knows you. He needs you. He stands at your door and knocks.”

What Young Adults Learned

After listening to the devotional, Zach Dixon, a 22-year-old senior at USU, was reminded of how much the Savior knows him personally.

“Sometimes it’s so easy to forget that, especially with the busyness and hectic life we have as college students,” he said. “It’s always good to be reminded that Jesus Christ knows me, He knows what I’m going through and struggling with and that He will help me with my challenges.”

Ava Epling, also a student at USU, said, ”What stood out to me is I love how much our [Church leaders] emphasize how much Christ loves us. They know that is something we needed. It’s definitely something I needed.”

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