#35: H is for High-Vantage Point

I feel like I get asked the same question a lot on my mission:

Why do we need prophets?

The argument is that we should be able to talk to God without a middle-man. And we can. Prayer is always a way for us to talk directly to God. Having a living prophet is just one more way that God can talk to us.

The best comparison I can make is this: [and I’ll add a disclaimer here—I am a band geek. You’ve been warned.] When a band is practicing for a field show competition it’s vital that each member of the band is in exactly the right spot for the show to be perfect. When you’re down on the field, you can’t see the big picture. You can only see what’s immediately around you and so with that limited perspective it’s easy for a team member to feel like they are “close enough” with their choreography and position. But from a higher vantage point (i.e. the press box) it’s much easier to see what corrections need to be made to align the band members with the drill.

When I was on the BSU color guard I had the opportunity to function as co-captain of the team. That gave me the chance to watch some of the practices from the press box with the coach. She and I could look out from our higher vantage point and easily see what needed to be corrected to present a more unified show. After discussing what needed to be done, I would go back down to the field and give instructions to my team members about what they could fix to improve the show. Through this process our field show was more precise and the result was a higher level of performance that was much more enjoyable to watch.

A prophet is just like the captain of the team. A prophet has a somewhat expanded view of our circumstances and is able to receive instructions (or revelations) from the Coach. With this instruction and guidance, the rest of us are able to make the small corrections that help us to align our thoughts and actions with the Lord’s perfect plan. I am grateful for prophets that lead us today and I know that as we listen to their counsel we will be blessed because our lives will be more in harmony with God’s will for us.

H is for High Vantage Point