Deonna Burnett - Diamond Valley 1st Ward

I had a conversation with a young man a couple of years ago that really got me to thinking about true worship.  He said he had several siblings that had gone away from the church because of anti Mormon teachings.  It was all so bizarre for him and he wanted to understand what they were going through and so he started to delve into some of these things as well.  He went through a whole range of emotions and thoughts and went into a fairly dark place for a while.  Through all of this he came to understand that he had gone through his whole life doing his duty to the church, fulfilling callings, doing all the assignments given.  So when he went to church it was out of his duty to the church and would get all the things done at church that he could to fulfill his duty.  He realized, through this process that he never went to church to truly worship.  Once he realized that and started to change, and go to worship, his testimony was renewed and strengthened he came back into the light and came to know we can’t know everything right now and it’s ok.

I knew then that I was somewhat the same in my worship.  And I made some effort to change, but didn’t really understand how.  Then I read the conference talk “Blessings of Worship” by Dean M. Davies.  The words he used to describe worship have helped me get in touch with some deeper feelings.   He said, “When we worship God, we approach Him with reverent love, humility, and adoration.  We acknowledge and accept Him as our sovereign King, the creator of the universe, our beloved and infinitely loving Father.  We respect and revere Him.  We submit ourselves to Him.  We lift our hearts in mighty prayer, cherish His word, rejoice in His grace, and commit to follow him with dedicated loyalty.”   These words have changed the way I feel as I go to church and to the temple.  In this frame of mind, the hymns we sing have become a very spiritual experience for me.  I’ve learned things in the temple that have been very eye opening.  I have felt a deeper appreciation for The plan of Salvation that has been given to us.  It’s such a perfect plan.   I am coming to understand more about how Lehi felt when he said. “Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!” 1 Nephi 1:14.

I am praying for each of you sisters in our stake.  May we each learn and grow in our testimonies of the Savior and thus contribute to our Zion Society here in the St George North Stake.