President Oaks, President Eyring Testify of Divine Help — for the Prophet Joseph Smith and ‘for Each of Us’

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By Aimee Cobabe, Church News

In a post on social media Wednesday, July 23, President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Joseph Smith accomplished more than any mortal man could have accomplished in so short a time.

President Oaks’s words came a month after he also taught new mission leaders at the Provo Missionary Training Center why a testimony of Joseph Smith is vital to missionary work.

“It is very important that our missionaries have a testimony of the divine calling and miraculous work of the Prophet Joseph Smith. That needs to be part of your teaching and counseling,” he said on Saturday, June 21, during the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders.

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Joseph Smith’s comparative young age overarched his prophetic ministry: He was 14 at the time of the First Vision, 21 when he received the gold plates and just 23 when he finished translating the Book of Mormon.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized when Joseph Smith was 24 years old, and over half of the revelations in our Doctrine and Covenants were given through this Prophet when he was 25 or younger.”

Further emphasizing Joseph Smith’s temporal accomplishments, President Oaks quoted a BYU Studies publication on his legal encounters.

“[He] founded cities, including Kirtland, Far West and Nauvoo; called and trained hundreds of Church leaders; studied Hebrew and the Bible; … ran businesses, alone and with partners; developed real estate and built temples; wrote and published articles and editorials; … served in several civil capacities, including commander-in-chief of a large legion of militia men, as well as the mayor and chief judge for the city of Nauvoo; ... attracted tens of thousands of followers, prompting waves of converts to immigrate to the United States” (Sustaining the Law: Joseph Smith’s Legal Encounters).

President Oaks concluded: “The only possible explanation is heavenly help.”

Divine help was also a theme in a social media post from President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, on Monday, July 28.

Alongside a painting of Jesus Christ praying by artist Rebecca Johnston, President Eyring testified that “our mortal life is designed by a loving God to be a test and source of growth for each of us.”

Said President Eyring: “Since the beginning, the tests have not been easy. We face trials that come from having mortal bodies. All of us live in a world where Satan’s war against truth and against our personal happiness is becoming more intense. The world and your life can seem to you to be in increasing commotion.”

Despite this sense of increasing commotion, President Eyring reassured that “the loving God who allowed these tests for you also designed a sure way to pass through them.”

That sure way is Jesus Christ.

“Heavenly Father so loved the world that He sent His Beloved Son to help us,” President Eyring wrote. “His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. Jesus Christ bore in Gethsemane and on the cross the weight of all our sins.”

Further testifying of the Savior’s divine role in Heavenly Father’s plan, President Eyring said Jesus Christ “experienced all the sorrows, the pains and the effects of our sins so that He could comfort and strengthen us through every test in life.”

As this truth sinks into one’s heart, “may your faith in Him increase,” President Eyring said.

“May you feel more hope and optimism, and may you feel the pure love of Christ for others and for yourself.”