Noah began building the ark before the rain came. He only knew to do it because God told him, and he listened. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” can be like the ark. It was given to us before most even knew clouds were brewing, and within its principles we find safety from the storms as clearly as Noah and his family found safety in the ark.
Paragraph 1 reminds of the solemn duty of prophets, and God’s definition of marriage.
Paragraph 2 clarifies important aspects of gender and identity.
Paragraph 3 describes important elements of the plan of happiness.
Paragraph 4 states the importance of chastity and procreation.
Paragraph 5 testifies of the sacred and divine appointment of all life.
Paragraph 6 gives direction in our duties to children.
Paragraph 7 provides a template for successful families.
Paragraph 8 warns.
Paragraph 9 affirms advocacy.
How many of these subjects dominate today’s headlines?
God invited Noah and his family into the ark “… come thou and all thy house into the ark;” (Gen 7:1) and once they were in, God shut them in so that they were secure (7:16). We too are invited into safety where the storms can be stopped at the doors of our homes.
By accepting the invitation and extending it to loved ones, we find safe harbor as Helaman spoke of:
“Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power to drag you down … , because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation” (Hel. 5:12).”
Christ alone has the power to say “Peace, be still,” and calm us in the midst of a storm with places of safety, one of those being an “ark“ for our day: “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man” (Joseph Smith—Matt 1:41).