Worthiness is Prerequisite to the
Ministering of Angels
Gordon B. Hinckley
And so, to
you young
men who hold the Aaronic Priesthood, you have had conferred upon you
that power which holds the keys to the ministering of angels. Think of
that for a minute.
You cannot afford
to do anything that would place a curtain between you and the
ministering of angels in your behalf.
You cannot be
immoral in any
sense. You cannot be dishonest. You cannot cheat or lie. You cannot
take the name of God in vain or use filthy language and still have the
right to the ministering of angels. ( “Personal Worthiness to
Exercise the Priesthood,” Ensign,
May 2002, p. 52)
Every
boy who holds the Aaronic Priesthood is entitled to the ministering of
angels if he lives worthy of it. That means that he may call upon
divine power for protection, for guidance, for comfort, for strength. I
believe that John was not using idle words when he spoke of ministering
angels. I think he was conferring a resource of priceless worth to be
made available to those holding the priesthood provided they sought it
and lived for it. (“Upon You My Fellow Servants,” Tambuli, May 1989, p. 6)
Never lose sight
of the fact that you hold the priesthood of God. When John the Baptist
conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,
he stated that this priesthood “holds the keys of the ministering of
angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion
for the remission of sins” (D&C 13).
Do you wish for
the ministering of angels?
That ministering
will bring with it incomparable rewards. Take the high road in your
lives, and God will bless you and nurture you and “lead [you] by the
hand, and give [you] answer to [your] prayers” (D&C 112:10). [“To
Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign,
Nov. 2002, p. 56]