“He Worketh in Me to Do According to His Will”
by Michelle Pack
Jacob and Enos by Scott Snow
On April 22, 1860, Wilford Woodruff spoke in the Tabernacle. He began his discourse by saying, “I always feel much pleasure in addressing a congregation of Saints when I am inspired by the Holy Ghost, for then I can be of benefit to those who hear. . . . We are all dependent upon the Lord, upon his holy Spirit, and upon the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ for instruction . . . to edify, encourage, sustain and aid us in magnifying our callings in this life.” Wilford knew that God would work through him if he followed the guidance of the Spirit.
The ancient prophet Mormon did not know why the Lord had inspired him to include the small plates of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. He wrote, “And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Are we allowing the Lord to work through us for the benefit of others? Are we standing boldly, as Wilford Woodruff and Mormon, to declare that we want to be inspired by the Holy Ghost so we can be a benefit to others?
Years ago, I decided to ask God for daily promptings to serve. Everything went fine until the third day. A family in our ward was struggling. The mother had just had their third child, money was tight, and the father was gone a lot for work. This woman’s name came to mind, but I didn’t know her very well, so I ignored the prompting. By the afternoon, I knew I was supposed to do something. I felt prompted to make a loaf of bread so I would have an excuse to go to their home. I made the bread, went to their house, and knocked on the door.
When she answered the door, she was surprised to see me. She invited me in, and we sat at her kitchen table to visit. From there, I could see into her overflowing laundry room. I suddenly had a prompting to ask if I could help with her laundry. I didn’t know how she would react to that request. After struggling for a few minutes, I asked her if I could take a few laundry baskets home to wash and dry for her. With tears in her eyes, she told me that her biggest stress right then was the laundry, and she would appreciate the help.
I learned that day that the Spirit knows better than we do what someone needs. We need to be like Wilford Woodruff and depend on the Lord to “aid us in magnifying our callings in this life.” We need to be brave and act.
Michelle graduated from Utah State University–Eastern in 1995 with an associate degree in Graphic Design. After serving in the Guatemala, Guatemala North Mission from 1996 to 1998, she continued her education at Utah Valley University, graduating in 1999 with an associate degree in Paralegal Studies and in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Technology Management and an emphasis in Graphic Design. She worked as a paralegal for two years before having her children and becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. Her two children are now in college. Not wanting to let her children suffer through college alone, Michelle went back to school and is now attending Utah Tech University, working on her master’s in Technical Writing and Digital Rhetoric. Michelle loves the gospel, family history, and the temple. She and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, and spending time together. She is excited to be a volunteer with the Wilford Woodruff Papers.