On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 30, 1998,
a Little League football team in Inkom, Idaho, was out on the field for its
mid-week practice
and it began to rain lightly,
but that was of no concern to a group of boys who loved playing football. Suddenly,
seemingly out of nowhere,
an absolutely deafening
crack of thunder split the air,
inseparable
from the flash of lightning
that illuminated, literally electrified,
the entire scene.
Instinctively they started running for the concrete pavilion adjacent to the
park.
Some of the boys began to cry.
Many of them fell to their knees and began to pray.
Through it all,
A. J. Edwards lay motionless on the field.
Brother David Johnson rushed
to the player's side.
He shouted to coach and fellow ward member Rex Shaffer,
"I can't get a pulse. He's in cardiac arrest."
These two men, rather miraculously both emergency medical technicians,
started a life-against-death effort
in CPR.
Cradling A. J.'s head as the men worked was the
young defensive coach of the team,
18-year-old Bryce Reynolds.
As he watched Brother Johnson and Brother Shaffer urgently applying CPR,
he had an impression.
I am confident it was a revelation from heaven in every sense of the word.
As he held this young deacon in his arms,
he realized that for the first time in his life he needed
to use his newly conferred Melchizedek Priesthood,
young Bryce Reynolds
had been ordained an elder
just 39 days earlier.
Whether he audibly spoke the words or only uttered them under his breath, Elder
Reynolds said:
"A. J. Edwards,
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and by the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood which I hold,
I bless you
that you will be okay.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
amen."
As Bryce Reynolds closed that brief
but fervent blessing offered in the language of an 18-year-old,
A. J. Edwards
drew his first renewed breath. Now
not every prayer is answered so immediately,
and not every priesthood declaration
can command the renewal or the sustaining of life.
Sometimes the will of God is otherwise.
But young men,
you will learn, if you have not already,
that in frightening, even perilous moments,
your faith and your priesthood
will demand the very best of you
and the best you can call down from heaven.
You must be ready
and worthy to act.
That is why the lord repeatedly says in the scriptures,
"Be ye clean,
that bear the vessels of the Lord."
Brethren, the day may come,
indeed, I am certain it will come,
when in an unexpected circumstance
or a time of critical need,
lightning will strike,
so to speak,
and the future
will be in your hands.
Brethren, "Sanctify yourselves
for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.