I love this quote by Elder Henry B. Eyring, as printed in the Liahona June 2008. His article is entitled, "Safety in Counsel."

"The Savior has always been the protector of those who would accept His protection. He has said more than once, 'How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not' (3 Nephi 10:5; see also Matthew 23:37).

"The Lord expressed the same lament in our dispensation after describing the many ways in which He calls us to safety: 'How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!' (D&C 43:25)."

In today's troubled times, it becomes increasingly urgent that we pay close attention to the Lord, His scriptures, and His living mouthpieces or oracles. With such issues as defending an increasingly under-attack traditional family and other issues, we need to understand why and how it is that the Lord works.

If we turn to Amos 3:7, we read the following scripture from the Bible.

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

I just spent an entire year with a seminary class studying the Old Testament and therefore, the history of the Israelites. The most pathetic stories evolve in this history because the people thought they were more intelligent than God. They would ignore the prophets' counsel for a variety of reasons, but each time the results were horrible due to enemy armies overrunning their land.

Today's world seems so similar. Like it or not, the Lord has a vested interest in what we choose to pursue here on earth. Like it or not, there are consequences when we, His children, ignore natural laws. And like it or not, God will tell us when we are approaching danger.

How important it is, therefore, that we study our scriptures daily. We must become familiar with the Lord's words so as to avoid heartache. We also need to stay abreast of the Lord's words through our modern prophets. There is much that will occur prior to Jesus Christ's coming. How comforting to know that the Lord is still involved in His children's lives. And how frightening to read these clear words from the document The Family: A Proclamation to the World given by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Think of the turmoil in today's world as you read this. Think of how the Lord declares truth without apology to the so-called "pundits" of the day:

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children....The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave....

"Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity."

Just because society is fraying at the seams does not mean that traditional marriage is broken.

Statistics bear out the prophetic statement above. Children raised in stable homes have a better start in life. But all of this is not the most chilling part of these prophetic words. Towards the end of document The Family: A Proclamation to the World are these words:

"We warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."

Again, ancient Israel chose to ignore God's prophets. They paid the price with their lives, properties and loss of their nation. Will we do the same?