Gospel Doctrine Commentary
Lesson No. Forty-Three
Thankful that the Gospel is Our Sail, Our Anchor, and Our Helm
At Thanksgiving, we are thankful that the gospel of Jesus Christ is our sail, anchor, and helm – Mormon speaks directly to us in the last days “who have care for the house of Israel” and gives us a Thanksgiving message to help us “realize and know from whence [our] blessings come” (Mormon 5:10).
In powerful imagery, he uses the metaphor of a ship’s sail and anchor and helm to described the Nephite society at the time of its destruction: “But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her (a helm); and even as she is, so are they” (Mormon 5:18).
This should remind us of how blessed we are to have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as our sail, our anchor, and our helm, and for us to “realize and know from whence our blessings come.”
“A sail is means for redirecting the power of the wind to propel a craft on water, ice or land." In our lives the gospel or “the words of Christ” propels us “in a straight course to eternal bliss” and “the words Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise” (Alma 37:44-45).
“An anchor is a device used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current.” Jesus is our anchor, “and it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).
“A helm is a ship's steering mechanism.” Joseph Smith applied the metaphor of a ship’s helm to our day and circumstance: "You know, brethren, that a very large ship (our nation or the world) is benefited very much by a very small helm (our Church) in the time of a storm (the latter days), by being kept workways with the wind and the waves. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (D&C 123:16-17).
The Lord spoke of the future of His Church: "This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people" (Mosiah 27:13).
There are people today who are like Amalickiah. He “was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake” (Alma 46:10).
President Boyd K. Packer taught: "The Book of Mormon makes it clear that we never will dominate by numbers. But we have the power of the priesthood.... “While it may be said … that we are but a handful in comparison with … the world, yet we may be compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, which will eventually leaven [or lift] the whole world" (Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, April 2010).
The continued faithfulness of the Church as a group is certain. The Church will not fall into apostasy. There may be individual apostasy, but if we stay in the main stream of the Church and follow the prophet we can face the future with confidence.
President Harold B. Lee testified about the future of our country: “Men may fail in this country, earth quakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation founded on principles laid down by men who God raised up, will never fail.
“This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of her New Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won’t fail!
“I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges. I plead with you not to preach pessimism! Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through” (Ye Are the Light of the World, pp. 350).
Confidence in the future – We are especially anxious that our grandchildren have confidence in the future. With confidence in the future they will want to get an education, to get married, to raise a family, and to contribute to the Church and society.
At this Thanksgiving time, we have great reason to be thankful that the gospel of Jesus Christ is our sail and our anchor and our helm. Relying on His grace we will safely navigate the future, and our journey will lead us to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.