Podcast Summary: The Path and Power for Your Promised Land

Speaker: Matthew S. Holland
Podcast: BYU Speeches
Date: January 21, 2026

Main Theme and Purpose

Matthew S. Holland delivers a spiritually charged devotional focusing on the journey through personal "wildernesses" and the sustaining power found in the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. Drawing on scriptural narratives, personal anecdotes, and recent church experiences, Holland seeks to inspire listeners to "cling to the Book of Mormon" as a means of finding guidance, peace, and strength on their unique paths to their promised lands.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Connection to BYU and Spiritual Leadership

• Holland warmly acknowledges BYU, President and Sister Reese, sharing deep familial and personal ties to the institution.
• Lighthearted reflection on a BYU basketball loss demonstrates humility and humor (03:22).

2. The Book of Mormon’s Wilderness Theme

• Drawing from President Ezra Taft Benson’s teachings, Holland emphasizes the importance of making the Book of Mormon a central focus of study (06:50).

• He notes the Book of Mormon's “wilderness” motif with over 336 references, asserting its symbolic relevance to modern metaphorical wildernesses—times of trial, confusion, or distress (08:05).

  "Wandering in the wilderness for them is both a type and a reality."
  — Matthew S. Holland (08:55)

• Holland humorously refers to those who willingly seek out literal wilderness camping as "suffering from that painful, terrible, difficult to comprehend disease we call 'I like camping.'" (09:35).

3. Application to Modern Life’s Wildernesses

• Holland identifies personal “wildernesses” university students might face: academic, social, faith, health, and moral struggles (10:42).

• He reassures:

  "You will see that you are not alone, that saints of all ages have had to wander through a wilderness, often more than once and sometimes for a long time."
  — Matthew S. Holland (11:55)

• He teaches that these are purposeful, preparatory experiences designed by a loving God.

4. The Book of Mormon as a Path and Power

• Holland details the path to eternal life as outlined in the Book of Mormon: Faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, enduring to the end, participating in sacred ordinances (15:19).

• He recounts President Dallin H. Oaks’ declaration in a recent interview:

  "Jesus Christ is the way."
  — President Dallin H. Oaks (17:54)

• The Book of Mormon, according to Holland, is “the clearest and most convincing portrait of the path to eternal life” (18:14).

5. The Book of Mormon’s Power in Real Life

• Holland shares a moving family story: as his family sorted his late parents’ things, they were struck by the abundance of marked-up scriptures, a testimony of lifelong devotion (19:10).

• He plays his mother Patricia Holland’s recorded testimony during her health crisis:

  "This book has given me life over and over again since I first read it as a young woman... a blueprint and the power to live peacefully and calmly, patiently, with the brightness of the sun lighting the way, even the brightness of the Son of God."
  — Patricia Holland (19:46)

6. Christ as the Cornerstone and Final Comfort

• Holland powerfully ties the Book of Mormon’s central purpose to Jesus Christ:

  "What makes the Book of Mormon so uniquely powerful is that it is the purest and most extensive testament we have of Jesus Christ... The true path and power needed for the wilderness of life is Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, our pillar of cloud by day and our pillar of fire by night."
  — Matthew S. Holland (22:10)

• He recounts a recent moment of grief after his father’s passing, when he was prompted to read Alma 58 and was comforted directly by the words:

  "He did speak peace to our souls and he did grant unto us great faith and he did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in Him."
  — Book of Mormon, cited by Matthew S. Holland (25:14)

• Holland underscores:

  "The Book of Mormon was the conduit, but the power was in Christ... your wildernesses are way stations, not destinations. You are not meant for pain, loneliness, failure, and confusion. You are meant for bliss."
  — Matthew S. Holland (26:30)

• He draws upon Isaiah’s promise (quoted at 28:05):

  "For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On studying the Book of Mormon:
  "Even remote passages and concepts can start to speak to you with personal meaning and application." (07:36)

• On personal wildernesses:
  "Maybe you feel lost in an academic performance wilderness, or a friends and dating wilderness... Maybe this condition is so excessive and unexpected that, like Jacob, you feel this all must surely be a dream." (10:55)

• On the ordinances and Christ's role:
  "This is the way, and there is no other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God." — Nephi, quoted by Holland (16:59)

• On recent loss and comfort in scripture:
  "As I began to read, I quickly realized certain passages were speaking directly to me... I dropped to my knees and called upon the Lord and in Him I found and continue to find the strength, peace and deliverance I was missing that bewildering afternoon." (25:00)

Important Timestamps

• Personal introduction, BYU memories & humor: 00:36–04:15
• President Benson and the Book of Mormon’s purpose: 04:15–07:36
• Wilderness motif and modern application: 07:36–12:45
• The path to eternal life as mapped in scripture: 14:05–17:00
• President Oaks' affirmation 'Jesus Christ is the way': 17:54
• Family scripture legacy and Patricia Holland’s testimony: 19:10–21:00
• Christ as cornerstone and personal grief experience: 22:10–26:30
• Isaiah’s promise and closing testimony: 27:50–28:50

Final Thoughts

Matthew S. Holland’s devotional is a heartfelt and deeply doctrinal reflection urging listeners—especially students—to grasp onto the Book of Mormon amid personal wildernesses. By sharing prophetic counsel, familial examples, and his own moments of vulnerability, he reaffirms that the ultimate source of power and guidance is Jesus Christ, the “true path and power needed for the wilderness of life.” The episode closes with a solemn invitation to claim the promised land—both literal and figurative—through faith, perseverance, and scriptural engagement.