Whose Power Is the Power in the Priesthood?

Photo by Cosmic Timetraveler on Unsplash

Today’s line of thinking was born from a discussion we had around the spiritual thought given in our Ward Council. The topic of the spiritual thought given was the difference between priesthood authority and priesthood power.

I have talked about priesthood authority and power in the priesthood in Women and Power in the Priesthood. But today’s thinking is all about the actual power in the priesthood. I recommend reading the article in the link then coming back here to read this topic.

Who has power?

I have always just heard the expression “power in the priesthood.” But whose power are we referring to? What power are we referring to? How does it work? Who can have it? What does it mean when someone tells us to develop power in the priesthood, be we a man or a woman? These are the kinds of questions I wrestled with. And here are my answers.

First – I have no power, nor can I create my own personal power. If I had power I could be a creator of things, which I am not, nor can I be while in mortality. The power we are referring to here is largely the power to manipulate the physical world around us. I can’t of my own power move mountains, divert rivers, heal the sick, or raise the dead based on my own ability to make these things happen. All of these things are possible only by God. The universe obeys only His voice.

When we pray we are supposed to exercise faith in God that He can and will answer our petitions. We believe it is true then we act on that belief. That is what faith is. Anyone in the world can exercise faith in God and have miracles happen in their life. That is based solely on their willingness to live according to their belief that God answers prayers. No one has to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for this level of answers to prayer to be given. Look at both the Old and the New Testaments for stories of people who weren’t even of the house of Israel, yet God worked miracles in their behalf, because of their faith in Him.

The bible is very clear that anyone alive who exercises faith in God can have God’s blessings in their life. He loves us all equally in that way.

What is power in the priesthood?

To adequately answer this question you need to have already read the previously linked article, for much of what I need to talk about is found in that article. The priesthood we enjoy in the latter-days is equally shared by men and women alike. All of the blessings of the priesthood are available to anyone who enters into priesthood covenants and participates in priesthood ordinances. The blessings that flow into our lives from these covenants and ordinances are available to every person who enters into the covenants and agrees to the conditions of the ordinances then lives their lives by what they have promised to do. The effect of living the covenants and ordinances of the priesthood is that exercising faith slowly changes and perfects us, meaning we become spiritually whole and complete, forgiven and purified.

If God is the only one with actual power then why do we refer to us as having power in the priesthood? Here is my perspective on the answer to that question. God tells us all the time throughout the scriptures that when we exercise faith in Him He will do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves. He will give us great things when we ask in faith and are faithfully keeping His commandments.

The power we refer to when we talk about the power in the priesthood is the trust level between God and each of us. The more He can trust us to do and ask for righteous things, the more often He can affirmatively answer the prayers we offer to Him. And when we are doing what we have been commanded to do, God obligates Himself to bless us according to His own laws. Here is a lengthy quote from Helaman 10. Nephi had just revealed the murder of the chief judge and who killed him. He was going home and pondering on the wickedness of the people. This is how Mormon describes what happened to Nephi (Helaman 10:4-11). This is God speaking to Nephi.

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.
6 Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.
7 Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.
8 And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.
9 And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.
10 And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.
11 And now behold, I command you, that ye shall go and declare unto this people, that thus saith the Lord God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction. (emphasis added)

I underlined the parts I want to point out. The power Nephi was given is clearly stated as God being willing to honor the requests of Nephi. Why? Because Nephi has proven himself to the Lord that he is faithful in fulfilling all of God’s commandments. Nephi did not seek his own comfort, but always sought to do God’s will. Over time Nephi had become so in tune to the whisperings of the Spirit that he had learned wisdom and could feel what God would chose in a given situation.

Eventually, God saw that Nephi’s choices could be trusted completely. He would never ask anything he shouldn’t ask, and he wouldn’t do anything he shouldn’t do. It was completely safe for God to promise Nephi that anything Nephi said would happen God would honor it and do it for him. Nephi wasn’t causing the famine that he declared in the subsequent chapters, he petitioned the Lord, explaining why he wanted it to happen for the good of the people. God agreed and caused the famine according to Nephi’s request. This is power in the priesthood. It is God’s priesthood. His power.

Little power

Power in the priesthood isn’t just causing a famine that kills tens of thousands of people, driving them to rethink their life choices. Power in the priesthood comes from praying for the welfare of our children and seeking to bless the life of our neighbor who is struggling. The power of God is manifest in our lives as we seek to become united with His will. When we do what He has commanded and are seeking to become better at being obedient He can trust us a little more and a little more. As we become more trustworthy in His eyes our prayers are answered in more open and unaccounted for ways. We see the hand of God more active in our life than it was before. Anyone who keeps God’s commandments (through the covenants and ordinances of His priesthood) should expect to see the presence of God in their life increase as their own obedience becomes a permanent way of being in their life.

Just as we learn to understand the gospel and its covenants a little here and a little there, so too do we gain power in the priesthood. God’s priesthood is the power by which He framed the universe, creates worlds, and keeps all things in order in the universe. We don’t have any idea how it works. All we know is that all things obey Him. When we are doing His will and ask for His help, He is able then to answer our prayers and cause things to happen that we couldn’t possibly do on our own. God wants to bless us with all things. He wants to reveal Himself and His works to each and every one of us, but we have to prove ourselves to Him that we are trustworthy of that knowledge. It’s a good thing He is patient and full of mercy and grace as He waits patiently for us to figure out what we really want and then He teaches us line upon line, increasing the power, His power, we are able to draw upon in our personal life. This is how we get access to the power in His priesthood.