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Welcome to the Recent Speeches Podcast presented by BYU Speeches, featuring inspiring new devotionals and forums given each week on BYU Campus. Be sure to check out our other podcasts by searching BYU Speeches wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting Speeches BYU Edu Podcasts.
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This devotional address entitled the Path and Power for your Promised Land was given on January 20th of 2026 by Matthew S. Holland, then the General of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
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And thank you President Reese and all. We love President Sister Reese and their leadership. They are just magnificent. I know that. I know you know that you're so fortunate to have them here as your leaders and we're honored to be here with them today. We thank you for the warm welcome. It is an absolute joy to be with you. I love this school. As the President said, I grew up not in the shadows of the campus. I grew up on the campus. My wife Paige and I were both educated here. I began my career here and all my children have been educated here. When it comes to byu, we could not have warmer memories or more devoted hearts. I think the only exception was that night in 2016 when the BYU men's basketball team first lost to UVU. President I don't think another opposing team has ever scored that many points in this arena. I'm just saying. I'm not sure what color blue and green make, but the Hollands bleed it. We treasure both of these remarkable institutions. I begin today with a memory. In November of 1985, just days before entering the MTC for my mission, President Spencer W. Kimball died. It affected me deeply. He was the beloved prophet of my youth. I admired him so much I was not sure anyone could replace him. But a year later I was serving in Scotland watching General Conference, riveted by President Ezra Taft Benson's words. Something special was happening. Though his style and demeanor were different than President Kimball's, I recognized he was sharing important new revelation with the church entitled the Book of Keystone of our religion. It proved to be a sermon that changed me and and changed the entire church. If you've never read it, you should. He began by declaring that the Book of Mormon was one of the most significant gifts ever given to the world, and then explained why much of what he said now serves as the heart of chapter five of Preach My Gospel. He also offered other important insights like we must make the Book of Mormon a center focus of study because it was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book. It was meant for us. Mormon abridged centuries of records choosing the stories, speeches and events that would be most helpful to us if he saw our day and chose the things which would be of greatest worth to us. Is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, why did the Lord inspire Mormon or Moroni or Alma to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age? Well, I cannot recommend more highly the practice of reading the Book of Mormon in this way. Even remote passages and concepts can start to speak to you with personal meaning and application. Let's try this exercise now with an eye on the Book's extensive wilderness imagery. Chronologically, the Book of Mormon begins with the Jaredites, who were commanded to go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had been man. Narratively, the Book of Mormon begins with Lehi, who was commanded that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. They spend the next eight years wandering that's Nephi's verb, not mine through what they called the wilderness of their afflictions. Then, shortly after reaching their long awaited promised land, which also required an unsettling ocean crossing, Nephi and his followers were commanded again to flee into the wilderness to escape his older brother's anger. Nephi's younger brother Jacob, who was born in the wilderness, reminds us by quoting Isaiah that Zion and her people are often found in waste places, deserts and wildernesses. In his dying days, Jacob confessed that early Nephite life passed away like as it were, a dream, they being lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers cast out from Jerusalem into a wilderness. Many others describe themselves as wanderers in the wilderness or a strange land. Counting at least three hundred and thirty six references to wilderness in the Book of MormonThat's more than one every other page, Hugh Nibley concludes that when it comes to the wilderness, the Book of Mormon people never entirely leave it. Wandering in the wilderness for them is both a type and a reality. So, following President Benson, we should ask ourselves, why would the editors of this book make this such a focal point? And how does this apply to us in any way? Most readers today will rarely, if ever spend any time at all in a true physical wilderness. Unless, unless they suffer from that painful, terrible, difficult to comprehend disease we call I like camping. My son in law suffers from this disease. We pray for him every day. My own impression about all this is that we have so many episodes of righteous people wandering through the literal wilderness in the Book of Mormon because God knew that in these latter days so many of us would so often wander through our own personal, metaphorical wilderness. It is quite easy, even today, to get a graphic sense of what going into the wilderness meant to Lehi, Sariah and their children. From the top ridge of Mount Scopas, where the BYU Jerusalem sits, or just above it, one can look west and take in the incredibly vibrant view of Jerusalem with its array of trees and traffic and striking buildings, ancient and modern. But then just turn around east and what you see is the mostly barren wilderness of rocks, sand and difficult to distinguish hills of the Judean desert. When this family left Jerusalem, they left comfort, prosperity, prominence, safety, friends and neighbors. Life was generally pleasing, efficient, and it made sense. In the wilderness, they found pain and impoverishment and obscurity and danger and isolation. Life often seemed boring, wasteful and confusing. Could it be that this morning someone here is experiencing one or more of these latter conditions? Could someone here today relish this spectacularly appointed campus, with its incredibly rich offerings for body, mind and soul, and yet be feeling perplexed, lonely, disappointed, unsure about exactly where you are or where you are headed or the means that you have to move forward in life? Maybe things are grand and wonderful in many ways, but in one or two important areas they have suddenly felt strange and disorienting because they are so different from what you had in the past or you expected right now in life. Maybe you feel lost in an academic performance wilderness, or a friends and dating wilderness, or a marriage fulfillment wilderness, or a career choice wilderness, or a faith crisis wilderness, or a health challenge wilderness, or a moral transgression wilderness. Maybe this condition is so excessive and unexpected that, like Jacob, you feel this all must surely be a dream. If this is the case for anyone here today, in any degree, I offer you this piece of cling to the Book of Mormon. In doing so, 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. You will also see that many wilderness moments have a purpose, designed by a God of love who is preparing you for and taking you to, often by some of his greatest miracles, to a magnificent promised land that could be enjoyed in no other way. Most importantly, the Book of Mormon will provide you with a path which in a wilderness is the most needful, yet hardest thing to find. It won't spell out every step of escape from every specific wilderness you face, but it will direct you to the wisest, most foundational and illuminating path there is. I speak of the path which leads to eternal life. Eternal life means living with God forever, in eternal families, being like God and Jesus Christ and experiencing the life they enjoy. When you are most safely and securely on this path, all other necessary paths for your personal happiness and direction become easier to discern and navigate. The path to eternal life begins with an active belief in Jesus Christ that he, along with your heavenly Father, is all good, all powerful, all knowing, and all loving, anxious and able to rescue you from sin and personal weakness as well as death and physical pain. With such faith firmly rooted, the next step is natural. Follow the Son with full purpose of heart. This is done by repenting or changing, setting aside the impulses of the natural man or woman and with God's help and grace, appropriately confessing your sins and diligently seeking to keep God's commandments and emulate his character. We signal our intent to so live by taking upon us the name of Christ by baptism. We willingly enter a watery grave and come up out of it a new person with a new name. His Name we have declared ourselves Christians, underscoring that Christ is our master, guide and stay. This introductory ordinance of the Gospel provides a necessary initial cleansing of our soul from sin. The process of change continues with a second ordinance, namely receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with a proper heart and under proper authority. It completes the baptism of water with a baptism of fire. As Nephi puts it, then cometh the remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. To your new name is now added a new tongue, an ability and desire to speak like angels, with language that is wholesome, reverent, and, when appropriate, revelatory. Nephi also teaches us that these steps alone are not enough. As he so memorably declares, we must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ and endure to the end doing so, feasting upon the words of Christ and having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and all men. As modern prophets have clarified, this also includes the ordinances and covenants we make when we take the sacrament and attend the temple. In an ultimate punctuation statement, Nephi concludes, my beloved brethren, 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. Just recently, the Church was given a powerful reminder of all of this. I was an eyewitness to the moment. On October 15, 2025, President Dallin H. Oaks granted his first interview as President of the Church. With my church communication responsibilities, it was my privilege to be there in person. Like others present, I listened especially carefully when Jane Clason Johnson trenchantly asked her final question. Is there one phrase, one scripture, or one image, President Oaks, that you would want the members of the Church to carry with them? Before I could even start to guess at the one thing God's mouthpiece on this earth might say, President Oaks answered like lightning, and the response was electrifying. He forthrightly declared, 5 Jesus Christ is the way. Then, after a little pause, he noted that this principle is taught in five important scriptures in the Book of Mormon. Consider the truly unique blessing of the Book of Mormon. Of all books on earth, it provides the clearest and most convincing portrait of the path to eternal life, which is the happiest destiny that anyone can possibly seek. It is the Promised Land of all promised lands. Reading it also gives us strength to complete the path. It provides numerous inspiring examples of those who are fortified, led and rescued by God in their perplexing journeys. According to multiple prophets, great spiritual strength flows into our lives simply from reading the book, whatever the passage or topic at hand. For example, President Nelson promised, as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions every day. The Book of Mormon not only reveals the path to our ultimate promised Land, it it gives us the power to pursue that path. So yes, cling to the Book of Mormon. With my father's recent passing, I have joined my two siblings in the emotional task of sorting through my parents belongings. At some point one of us asked could we each get a volume of scripture that mom and dad marked up? My blessed sister Mary, who was leading this project, immediately went to work looking for all marked scriptures remaining in the house. On Saturday, she sent us a picture of her labors. If there is a single image that captures my parents love affair, a lifelong love affair with the Scripturesall of Scripture, not just the Book of Mormonthis may be it, but what of the Book of Mormon in particular? Much has been said lately about my father, including his legendary love and testimony of the Book of Mormon. If you have not listened to his October 2009 conference talk about the Book of Mormon safety for the soul, you should what is less well known, but is no less powerful is my mother's love and testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is also not as well known that at an earlier time she too came very close to dying and was brought back to life in a miraculous fashion, just like my father was two and a half years ago. Listen to her testimony of how the Book of Mormon got her through a wilderness of near death health challenges and what it has meant to her and our family.
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I leave with you my testimony of this wonderful book. Recently, during a near fatal illness, I wanted Jeff and his priesthood to be with me constantly because he couldn't always be at my side. I wanted the next best thing. I wanted my Book of Mormon in my hands, holding it and when I slept, I wanted it under my pillow with doctors telling us that I wasn't going to make it, that they had done everything they could and we should call our children. I knew if I did live, it would be because the blessings and the truths that I've studied so many times in this gospel that the Book of Mormon teaches, Nephi could raise his brother from the dead. God. I knew if he could do that, he could raise me as well. And he did. By the same apostolic faith and authority that ancient Nephi prophet had. I bear witness to you, brothers and sisters. This book has given me life over and over again since I first read it as a young woman. It has given Jeff and me and our children 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.
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My dear brothers and sisters, with my mother's example and other impressions from today ringing in your heart, may I invite you again to cling to the Book of Mormon and make regular reading of it a lifelong commitment. Whatever else you are reading for school and church, along with my goodly parents, I declare to you that it is true. I know, I know. It is the very word of God and it reflects his pure love and righteousness. Cherish it in good times and bad, and you will remain unshakable in difficulty and conquer in your aim to achieve your fullest potential and divine destiny. Now, one final and most important point. What makes the Book of Mormon so uniquely powerful is that it is the purest and most extensive testament we have of Jesus Christ. More than any other book, it provides the fullness of his gospel. It also gives us more direct witnesses of and more direct language from Jesus Christ himself than any other book. The Book of Mormon is only the keystone of our religion because it is the most relentless, poetic and prophetic reminder we have that Jesus Christ himself is our cornerstone. 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, as he promised the Nephites anciently and thus promises you. Today, I will be your light in the wilderness, and I will prepare the way before you. And ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. Just last week I got a very personal reminder of this truth. Besides my wife and children, my father was my very best friend on this earth. You can see from childhood to adulthood he has been my greatest hero and apparently my most important stance and wardrobe advisor. Losing him leaves an enormous hole for me. As long as I can remember, he brought laughter and confidence and wisdom into my life like no other. So I wasn't really prepared the other day when I turned on my phone and realized I needed to remove his contact from my favorites list. After two weeks of stoic resolve, it all hit me and I broke. Never again would I get a call and hear that cheery upbeat voice. Never again would I get a little text based love note or inside joke or a gentle correction about how to be a better man. Never again could I pick up the phone and get that nugget of needed counsel. Raw emotions tumbled out. I was grief stricken and more than a little unsure of myself and the world I would now live in the rest of my life. That evening as I sat brooding in a chair, I felt a repeated Go and read your Book of Mormon. Finally, I retrieved the book and picked up where I had left off. Alma58 As I began to read, I quickly realized certain passages were speaking directly to me. Though the page was new and unmarked, the following words seemed highlighted to me as if in bold. We were grieved and also filled with fear. Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God that He would strengthen us and deliver us. Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us, yea, insomuch that 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. Every word was seared into my soul. 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. The Book of Mormon was the conduit, but the power was in Christ. We cling to this book, His Book to cling to Him. I cannot promise you that every time you turn to the Book of Mormon you will have an experience exactly like that. Nor can I say that experience has wiped away every tear or sense of loss I may have. But I know whatever you are facing, Jesus Christ is the way. And the Book of Mormon reveals this better than any book on earth. I also declare that your wildernesses are way stations, not destinations. You are not meant for pain, loneliness, failure and confusion. You are meant for bliss. Over and beyond every single wilderness lies a promised land, your promised land. Move toward it with optimism and faith each day, one step at a time. And for those seasons of wilderness like detours and difficulty, I join Isaiah of old in solemn witness to every student in Zion that God lives and can be trusted to help and bless you to the uttermost. 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. Joy and gladness shall be found therein. That, my bright, young, beautiful friends, is your foreordained destination. Settle for no other. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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You've been listening to the recent Speeches podcast presented by BYU Speeches. Please check out our other podcasts, including classic speeches taken from our vast audio library, as well as other BYU Speeches compilations on love and overcoming adversity by study and by faith. Come follow me the Prophet Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ Our Savior and Redeemer. Go to Speeches byu Edu and click on Podcasts for more information. You can also find all BYU Speeches podcasts at your preferred podcast provider.