Matt, suggested that I should gather my young grandsons and conduct a Priesthood preparation session.  He wondered if that should be expanded to include all of my grandsons.  I wondered if perhaps it should be expanded to include all of my Melchizedek Priesthood sons as well.

I was once asked to speak to the holders of the Priesthood in the whole stake.  I was asked to motivate the men and boys in the exercise of their Priesthood.  For two weeks I thought about the subject and puzzled over how to fulfill the assignment.  One morning just before the day that I was to give the talk I got up very early, gathered my study materials and my blanket, and made myself comfortable in my quiet living room.

First I prayed.  I said, "Heavenly Father, I have been asked to speak to and motivate the holders of Thy Priesthood in this stake.  Please show me through Thy Spirit how to do it."

I thought, and I thought.  The more I thought, the more frustrated I became.  The meeting was to be held on a Saturday afternoon.  I saw myself speaking to 200 men who were already faithful in their Priesthood responsibilities.  Those Priesthood brethren would have set their employment aside, left their families, put off their yard work, and would have sacrificed their fishing, hunting, or 4-wheeler excursions so that they could be where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there.  These men had been invited to come to a place and to a setting where the Spirit would speak to them.  They would have set everything else aside, and they would be there.

I was frustrated because  I was being asked to tell these already-faithful men how to be faithful.  In my mind's eye I saw 200 other holders of the Priesthood who should also have been there, but who had more important things than the Lord's work to do.

In my frustration I leaned my head against the side of the couch, and suddenly I was asleep.  I was warm under my blanket, and I was comfortable.  But not quite.  Every so often I had to surface and change position because my left arm kept going to sleep.  It would start tingling and lose sensation.  It happened again and again.

Now remember, I had begun with a prayer that the Lord would show me through His Spirit what I should say to the holders of the Priesthood in the stake.  It should, therefore, not be a surprise when after about the third time that I had to wake and shift position because of that pesky, sleepy arm, a voice came into my head.

The voice said, "The brethren here assembled are the Lord's right arm through which all will be accomplished.  Never mind about the left arm.  It is dead and useless."

The moral of the story is that you are the Lord's right arm.  The left arm--the non-diligent holders of the Priesthood--is dead and useless.

The Lord has launched a giant, monumental effort to gather Israel.  President Nelson says that it's the biggest, greatest, most important thing happening in the world today, and you are the ones chosen to do it.  The 5th chapter of Jacob in the Book of Mormon talks about you when the Lord of the vineyard tells his servant, the prophet, to go call helpers to prune the vineyard for the last time.  It says in verse 72 that "the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them."  We're in verse 74 of that 77-verse allegory of the history of the world leading up to the Lord's Second Coming.

The Lord is laboring with you.  Why did He choose you?  He could do the work Himself.  Why you?  Why did He choose you and give you His power?  What power did He give you?  What is it?  How can insignificant you possibly be worthy to hold such power?  What are you supposed to do with it?

Why you?  It's because of who you were before you ever came to earth.  You were on the front line in that war in heaven when Satan tried to change the plan.  He wasn't volunteering to be our Savior.  He wanted to change the whole plan and to make himself the grand dictator of the universe telling all of his robots what to do.

You saw through his scheme and came out very openly in support of the Savior and of His plan of redemption.  This was a war of words, and you were very vocal in the stand that you took.  You loved the Savior, and He knew and loved you.  You knew that He was your only hope.  You wanted to be like Him.

By the power of the Savior's Priesthood Satan was cast out.  He was cast down to the earth where he would be allowed to put your allegiance to the Savior to the test.  You knew that you'd be strong enough to withstand his temptations.

The Lord knew you'd be strong enough, too.  So He fore-ordained you to the Priesthood there in your pre-earth existence, and reserved you to be born in the latter days when conditions would be the most difficult.  You were the best and the strongest spirits that He had.  Don't doubt that for a minute.  The prophets have told us that time and time again.  You were held back for this time.  You were held back for a purpose.

What power did He give you?  What is this Priesthood power?

Over in Vanuatu, on my mission in the South Seas, I went to the island of Ambae and hiked up to the village of Lovutialau.  The Livu family up there was presided over by a venerable, white-headed man who was the father of 12 children.  A son was the branch president.  A son-in-law was branch president in the next village down the mountain.  Another son had left home, gone to the capital city of Port Vila, found the Church, was baptized, served a mission, and had then gone home to teach his family.  They all  joined the Church and taught their friends.  These people were the most loving, simple, wonderful people in the world.  They're the hope and future of Vanuatu.  This is how the gathering of Israel is taking place.  This family's influence (and yours) will spread like a pandemic.

But these people had a problem, and it's the same problem many of us have.  That is, that we are shy about using our Priesthood.  We don't understand what it is, or comprehend its power.

I asked those men, "What is the greatest power in the world?"  They gave me answers, and I wrote them on a chalk board.  One man said that the greatest power in the world was a volcano.  After I left Vanuatu their entire island had to be evacuated because of the volcano that erupted and rained rocks down on their village.

Another man said that the greatest power in the world was a cyclone.  My wife and I once hiked up to their village following a dry trail.  While we were there it started raining.  A cyclone was going by without directly hitting the island.  It ultimately stranded us on Ambae for a week.  We were under the tin roof that constituted their chapel.  The rain on the roof was terrifically loud.  I shouted to my wife, "It can't rain any harder than this!"

It rained harder.  I said that to her three times, and each time it rained harder.  And then it was over.  The downpour turned into a drizzle.  We opened our umbrellas and said goodbye.  The branch president and some other men said that they would come with us.  I'm grateful that they did.  We had to cross 12 rivers to get back to our bungalow.  They were raging rivers.  They came down off that steep mountain, raged over the road, and plunged off the cliff to our right and into the ocean.  At the first river two native men each took one of Marjorie's arms and showed her how to shuffle her feet as she waded through the torrent.  She was told not to lift her feet at all or she would be swept off her feet and over the brink.  I held my breath, and trusted that these men knew what they were doing as they led my precious wife into that raging river.  They took her across, and then came back for me and for the two young missionaries who accompanied us.

What's the greatest power in the world?  A volcano?  A cyclone?  An earthquake?  I experienced 23 while we were in Vanuatu.

Is the greatest power in the world tides, and waves, or a tsunami?  Is it thunder and lightning?  Is it fire, or gravity, or atomic power?

The men named all of these, and then I wrote on the board "Priesthood."

Jesus created the earth by the power of His Priesthood.  He used it to still the storm and to calm the waves.  He used it to send the earthquake that released Alma and Amulek from prison.  He used it to send the exceedingly sharp lightnings that caused Zarahemla to burn.  He used it to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace.  Moroni used it to control a pillar of light in which he descended to talk to Joseph Smith.  He used it to gather the light around himself before once again ascending.  Moses used it to divide the Red Sea, and the Brother of Jared used it to move a mountain.  Bruce R. McConkie said in general conference that "If one-third of the hosts of heaven were cast down to earth by the power of the priesthood, surely that same power can put at defiance the armies of nations or stay the fall of atomic bombs."  (The Ensign, May 1982, pgs. 33-34).

The Lord has given that same Priesthood to you!  The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys to the ministering of angels.  That means, among other things, that if you are worthy, angels are watching over you.  The Lord said in the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, which contains the oath and covenant of the Priesthood, "I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you to bear you up."  (v. 88).  He said, "And even I have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you."  (v. 42).  I could tell you story after story to illustrate that this is true.

All you have to do is be worthy and willing.  You make yourself worthy as you keep the commandments, as you keep repenting, as you take the sacrament weekly and renew your covenants, and as you use your Priesthood each time the opportunity comes.

You can't use the Priesthood to bless yourself.  It was given to you so that you could bless others.  It was given to you so that you could learn how to use it.  It was given to you so that you could learn faith.  It was given to you so that you could become like the Savior.

Those men in Vanuatu were shy about using their Priesthood.  I gave them each an empty vial, had them fill it with olive oil, showed them how to consecrate it, and had each one do it.

I then asked if there were any sick among them.  They brought in a girl.  I showed them how to anoint and bless her, and coached them through the process as they blessed her.

It's not just the sick that we're to administer to.  We should be ready to give blessings to our families and others when they're distressed or faced with big decisions or when they're in need of comfort or guidance.

We can't be shy about using the Priesthood.  It's a power--the greatest power in the world.  It's a training program.  It's teaching us faith.  The Aaronic Priesthood is a training program for a young man to soon have and hold the higher Priesthood.

When a holder of the higher Priesthood lays his hands on a person's head, thoughts will come to him.  It's left up to him to put those thoughts into words.  Those thoughts will always be there.  It's the Lord's blessing, and not yours.  It need not be eloquent.  The Lord will ratify the blessing.  In the temple, as an ordinance worker, I pronounce blessings upon men's heads in the initiatory ordinances that are absolutely stunning, and the Lord recognizes and ratifies every one!  I'm a nobody, but he ratifies every patriarchal, temple, or healing blessing that I give.  I am humbled and amazed.

The Priesthood is the greatest power in the world--and I'm allowed to hold it!  It's my greatest possession.

Because of it I have temple covenants.  Because of it I have an eternal family.  Because of it my wife and children and grandchildren will be mine forever and ever.

But I must be worthy.  I must never allow myself to have anything to do with anything that is addictive.  Satan knows who I am and uses alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and pornography as his tools to derail me from my duty and my destiny.  If he can derail me or you he will potentially be able to derail millions of people, because that's how many people you are destined to influence as you serve your missions, raise your families, and answer calls to service in the Church.

Mark my words:  The Lord knows who you are and what you're capable of.  You will fulfill every purpose for which you have been sent to earth, but you have to be worthy and willing.

Mark my words:  Satan knows who you are, too, and he is going to do everything in his power to knock you off the path.

Again, mark my words, you have power over him.  You can deactivate him in your life through the marvelous gift of repentance.  You have power in the Priesthood, and those powers will grow and develop as you use it and as you continually repent and make yourself worthy.