“‘Draw Near unto Me'”

Last updated on April 29th, 2025 at 08:55 am

General Conference Applied

S5 E4 – Thursday, April 24, 2025 | “‘Draw Near unto Me’” by President Henry B. Eyring; April 2025 General Conference

Listen on Amazon Music | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen and/or Watch on Spotify | Watch on YouTube

Podcast Episode Social Media Posts

• Facebook | Instagram | X

Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Bio

• Church News Podcast Episode 138: In honor of his 90th birthday, President Eyring shares life lessons on service, modern prophets and his testimony of Jesus Christ: “Dad always told me, he says, ‘Hal, you will never be good at anything unless it is what you think about when you do not have to.’ And I knew that — well — that was not physics. And it really was not business. But when I thought about it, my Church work was what I thought about when I didn’t have to.”
  • This comment is partially responsible for what became the General Conference Applied Podcast. I asked myself: ‘What do I think about when I don’t have to?’ I thought of two things immediately: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and books. Then, I had the thought: ‘What would it look like if I combined those two things?’
• This was President Eyring’s 102nd general conference address (the Gospel Library app shows 112 addresses, but 10 of those have been the sustaining of church officers). His most recent address was “Simple Is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ” from the October 2024 General Conference.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the Lord, through President Eyring, inviting us to do?
2. What needs to happen in our lives to allow us to bear testimony of the Savior like President Eyring: “I am a witness of the Resurrection of the Lord as surely as if I had been there with the two disciples in the house on Emmaus road. I know that He lives.”
3. How often do we put ourselves into a scriptural account like President Eyring (“The book of Luke allows us to walk with them that evening.”)?
4. Which promises that President Eyring shared in this address impacted you the most?
5. What more can we do to serve our fellow brothers and sisters?

---

“My dear brothers and sisters, it is a joy for me to be with you in this general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is His Church. We are gathered in buildings and homes all over the world in His name.

“We take His name upon us when we enter His kingdom by covenant. He is the resurrected and glorified Son of God. We are mortals, subject to sin and death. Yet, in His love for each of us, the Savior invites us to come closer to Him.

“Here is His invitation to us: ‘Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.'”

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: Prioritize drawing close to Jesus Christ and seeking to know what He would have us do.

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I think about the Savior during the day and remember what He has done for me. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79)” (Faith)
  • “[77] O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
    
    “[79] O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• “Jesus Christ loves each of us. He offers that opportunity to draw closer to Him. As with a loving friend, you will do it in much the same way, by communicating through prayer to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, listening for cherished guidance from the Holy Ghost, and then serving others for the Savior cheerfully. Soon you would feel that blessing of drawing nearer to Him.” -President Eyring
• “It will be a time of great joy for those, in this life, who have drawn close to Him in His service and can eagerly anticipate to hear His words: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'” -President Eyring

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “”The Savior’s invitation includes the way to feel that assurance. Draw near Him by always remembering Him. Seek Him diligently through scripture study. Ask through heartfelt prayer to Heavenly Father to feel closer to His Beloved Son.” -President Eyring
• Mitch: Follow President Eyring’s lead and “seek [Jesus Christ] diligently through scripture study.”

“There are times we feel close to the Savior Jesus Christ. And yet, sometimes during our mortal trials, we feel some distance from Him and wish for an assurance that He knows what is in our hearts and loves us as individuals.

“The Savior’s invitation includes the way to feel that assurance. Draw near Him by always remembering Him. Seek Him diligently through scripture study. Ask through heartfelt prayer to Heavenly Father to feel closer to His Beloved Son.

• This is how to draw near to the Savior. Despite what others may say, I will choose to listen to a prophet, seer, and revelator.
• President Dallin H. Oaks, “Divine Helps for Mortality”, April 2025 General Conference: “Trusting in the Lord is a particular need for all who wrongly measure the commandments of God and the teachings of His prophets against the latest findings and wisdom of man.”

“There is a simple way to think about it. It is what you would do if you were separated for a time from dear friends. You would find a way to communicate with them, you would cherish any message you received from them, and you would do all you could to help them.

“The more that happened, the longer it lasted, the deeper the bond of affection would be strengthened, and you would feel yourself drawing ever nearer. If much time passed without the cherished communication and the opportunity to help one another, the bond would weaken.

• How we treat our mortal friends – for example, we actually listen to them when we talk to them – is a strong indicator of the relationship we want to have and are striving to cultivate with our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

“Jesus Christ loves each of us. He offers that opportunity to draw closer to Him. As with a loving friend, you will do it in much the same way, by communicating through prayer to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, listening for cherished guidance from the Holy Ghost, and then serving others for the Savior cheerfully. Soon you would feel that blessing of drawing nearer to Him.

“In my youth, I experienced the joy of coming closer to the Savior—and of His coming closer to me—through simple acts of obedience to the commandments. When I was young, the sacrament was offered during an evening meeting. I can still remember one specific night, more than 75 years ago, when it was dark and cold outside. I remember a feeling of light and warmth as I realized that I had kept the commandment to gather with the Saints to partake of the sacrament, covenanting with our Heavenly Father to always remember His Son and keep His commandments.

“At the end of the meeting that night, we sang the hymn ‘Abide with Me; ‘Tis Eventide,’ with the memorable words ‘O Savior, stay this night with me.’

“These words brought an overwhelming sense of the Spirit to me, even as a young boy. I felt the Savior’s love and closeness that evening through the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

“Years later I wanted to rekindle the same feeling of the Savior’s love and the closeness I had felt to the Lord during that sacrament meeting in my youth. So I kept another simple commandment: I searched the scriptures.

“In the book of Luke, I read of the third day after His Crucifixion and burial, when faithful servants had come, out of love for the Savior, to anoint His body. When they arrived, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb and saw that His body was not there.

“Two angels stood by and asked why they were afraid:

“‘Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“‘He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

“‘Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’

“That evening at dusk, two disciples walked from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus, and the resurrected Lord appeared to them and walked with them.

“The book of Luke allows us to walk with them that evening:

“‘And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

“‘But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

“‘And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

“‘And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?’

“They told Him of their sadness that Jesus had died when they had trusted He would be the Redeemer of Israel.

“There must have been affection in the risen Lord’s voice as He spoke to these two sorrowful and mourning disciples.

“As I continued to read, there came these words that warmed my heart, just as I had felt when I was a little boy:

“‘And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

“‘But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.’

“The Savior accepted that night the invitation to enter the house of His disciples. He sat at meat with them. He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. Then He vanished out of their sight.

“Luke recorded for us the feelings of those blessed disciples: ‘And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?’

• My heart also burned within me as President Eyring opened these scriptures to us.
• Mitch’s brother’s primary teacher from many years ago: “She said that it’s important to read the scriptures so that (among other things) we can learn from the mistakes of others and not have to experience those mistakes ourselves.”

“The two disciples then rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven Apostles what had happened. As they were sharing their experience, the Savior appeared again.

“He stood in the midst of them and ‘saith unto them, Peace be unto you.’ He then reviewed the prophecies of His mission to atone for the sins of all His Father’s children and to break the bands of death.

“‘And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

“‘And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

“‘And ye are witnesses of these things.’

“Just as His beloved disciples, every child of Heavenly Father who has chosen to enter through the gate of baptism is under covenant to be a witness of the Savior and to care for those in need throughout our mortal lives. This commitment was made plain for us by the great Book of Mormon prophet Alma centuries ago at the Waters of Mormon:

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: Testify of Jesus Christ and care for others throughout our entire lives.

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I look for opportunities to serve others. (Mosiah 2:17)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[17] And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• “As you are faithful to these promises, you will find that the Lord keeps His promise to be one with you in your service, making your burdens light. You will come to know the Savior, and in time you will come to be like Him and ‘be perfected in him.’ By helping others for the Savior, you will find that you are drawing nearer to Him.
  
  “Many of you have loved ones who are wandering off the path to eternal life. You wonder what more you can do to bring them back. You can depend on the Lord to draw closer to them as you serve Him in faith.” -President Eyring
• “As you bind up the wounds of those in need, the Lord’s power will sustain you. His arms will be outstretched with yours to succor and bless the children of our Heavenly Father.
  
  “Every covenant servant of Jesus Christ will receive His direction from the Spirit as they bless and serve others for Him. Then they will feel the Savior’s love and find joy in being drawn closer to Him.” -President Eyring

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• Mitch:
  • “Jesus Christ loves each of us. He offers that opportunity to draw closer to Him. As with a loving friend, you will do it in much the same way, by communicating through prayer to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, listening for cherished guidance from the Holy Ghost, and then serving others for the Savior cheerfully.”
  • Oftentimes, I serve out of duty rather than out of love. I will prioritize “serving others for the Savior CHEERFULLY.”

“‘As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

“‘Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places … , even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, … that ye may have eternal life.’

“As you are faithful to these promises, you will find that the Lord keeps His promise to be one with you in your service, making your burdens light. You will come to know the Savior, and in time you will come to be like Him and ‘be perfected in him.’ By helping others for the Savior, you will find that you are drawing nearer to Him.

“Many of you have loved ones who are wandering off the path to eternal life. You wonder what more you can do to bring them back. You can depend on the Lord to draw closer to them as you serve Him in faith.

• Introduction to the Book of Mormon: “Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: ‘I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.'”
  • Consider the Book of Mormon examples that teach us this precept: Jacob, Alma the Elder, and Alma the Younger all had sons (Enos, Alma the Younger, and Corianton respectively) who came back to Jesus Christ because of their fathers’ commitment to the Savior.

“You may remember the Lord’s promise to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon when they were away from their families on His errands: ‘My friends Sidney and Joseph, your families are well; they are in mine hands, and I will do with them as seemeth me good; for in me there is all power.’

“As you bind up the wounds of those in need, the Lord’s power will sustain you. His arms will be outstretched with yours to succor and bless the children of our Heavenly Father.

“Every covenant servant of Jesus Christ will receive His direction from the Spirit as they bless and serve others for Him. Then they will feel the Savior’s love and find joy in being drawn closer to Him.

“I am a witness of the Resurrection of the Lord as surely as if I had been there with the two disciples in the house on Emmaus road. I know that He lives.

“This is His true Church—the Church of Jesus Christ. We will, on the Day of Judgment, stand before the Savior, face to face. It will be a time of great joy for those, in this life, who have drawn close to Him in His service and can eagerly anticipate to hear His words: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’

“I testify as a witness of the risen Savior and our Redeemer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

What will you do?

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

The focus of our next podcast episode will be the April 2025 General Conference address that was delivered by President Jeffrey R. Holland and was entitled “As a Little Child.”

As we conclude this episode, we would invite you to refer to the podcast episode details for this podcast episode where we have provided important information for connecting with us and further supporting the General Conference Applied Podcast. The best ways to help us are to like and subscribe to the podcast, to share the podcast with others, and to like and share our content on social media.

Please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses. We promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first.

Thank you for joining us in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.

Tags

Discipleship | Jesus Christ | Love | Resurrection | Service

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“Divine Helps for Mortality” by President Dallin H. Oaks)

Next Podcast Episode (“As a Little Child” by President Jeffrey R. Holland)

All Podcast Episodes