Jacob opened both of his sermons by telling his people that he was anxious for the welfare of their souls (2 Nephi 6:3, Jacob 2:3). This terminology is not surprising, since his father Lehi had ended his final counsel to Jacob by saying, “I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls” (2 Nephi 2:30).
I, Jacob, gave unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained mine errand from the Lord. Jacob 1:17
I don’t know exactly what he did to obtain his “errand from the Lord,” but it sounds to me like he wanted to be certain that he was speaking the words God wanted to say, so that his people would hear the voice of God as he preached.
Every April and October, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a general conference, in which leaders speak to church members and friends of the church worldwide. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland provided the following insight into their preparation to speak:
Perhaps you already know (but if you don’t you should) that with rare exception, no man or woman who speaks here is assigned a topic. Each is to fast and pray, study and seek, start and stop and start again until he or she is confident that for this conference, at this time, his or hers is the topic the Lord wishes that speaker to present regardless of personal wishes or private preferences. Every man and woman you have heard during the past 10 hours of general conference has tried to be true to that prompting. Each has wept, worried, and earnestly sought the Lord’s direction to guide his or her thoughts and expression. “AN ENSIGN TO THE NATIONS,” GENERAL CONFERENCE, APRIL 2011
general conference... for the welfare of my soul.
