President Thomas S. Monson on the lighthouse of the Lord

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1963. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency with Presidents Benson, Hunter, and Hinckley and then became Church president in 2008. He led the Church for almost a decade until his passing in January 2018.

"My brothers and sisters, today, as we look at the world around us, we are faced with problems which are serious and of great concern to us. The world seems to have slipped from the moorings of safety and drifted from the harbor of peace.

"Permissiveness, immorality, pornography, dishonesty, and a host of other ills cause many to be tossed about on a sea of sin and crushed on the jagged reefs of lost opportunities, forfeited blessings, and shattered dreams.

"My counsel for all of us is to look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. The lighthouse of the Lord sends forth signals readily recognized and never failing.

"I love the words found in Psalms: 'The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; ... I will call upon the Lord ... so [I shall] be saved from mine enemies' (Psalm 18:2-3).

"The Lord loves us, my brothers and sisters, and will bless us as we call upon Him.

"How grateful we are for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and for all the good it brings into our lives. The Lord has poured out His blessings upon us as a people. I bear my testimony to you that this work is true, that our Savior lives, and that He guides and directs His Church here upon the earth."

- Thomas S. Monson, "A Word at Closing", Ensign, May 2010, p. 113
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We need not be overwhelmed by the world's problems, even though, according to President Monson, "The world seems to have slipped from the moorings of safety and drifted from the harbor of peace." Amid the growing challenges, there is always one sure beacon to help us find the safe way through any turmoil:

In times of darkness and uncertainty, we should have much gratitude for the steady light available to us through the blessings of the Lord and the restored principles of His gospel!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
May 15, 2016