The Hidden Work and Influence of God’s Prophets

When we talk about prophets, we often focus on their teachings, and rightly so. But what else do prophets do for us? What other influence do they have on our lives?

When the prophet Samuel “cried unto the Lord for Israel,” we are told that “the Lord heard him.”¹ That powerful statement, and so many others in the scriptures, give us an idea of the hidden work that prophets do for us. Yes, they teach us the word of the Lord, and we should listen. But their influence goes beyond their teachings. Prophets pray for us, and the Lord listens to them.

From the scriptures and the examples of modern prophets and apostles, we see that prophets plead with the Lord on our behalf. I don’t think we will ever fully know how blessed we are because the Lord calls prophets.

Examples from the scriptures

There are many examples in the scriptures of prophets praying on behalf of their people, and the Lord listening to their prayers:

• Genesis 18. When the Lord intimated that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, “Abraham stood yet before the Lord” and said, “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”² There is then a lengthy conversation between Abraham and the Lord in which Abraham asks whether the Lord would destroy the city if there were only 50 righteous left. When the Lord confirms he will spare it for 50 righteous, Abraham then asks if he will spare it for 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, then 10.³ In response to each question asked by Abraham, the Lord responds that He “will not destroy it” for the righteous’ sake.⁴
• Exodus 17. After Israel left Egypt, they were forced to battle other nations: “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”⁵ Moses asked Joshua to lead the battle, and Moses “went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”⁶
• Exodus 32. After the Israelites convinced Aaron to create the golden calf, the Lord said to Moses, “[L]et me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.”⁷ However, “Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? . . . Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”⁸
• 1 Samuel 7. When the Philistines went up against Israel, the children of Israel were afraid, and they said to Samuel, “Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.”⁹ In response to their request, Samuel offered a burnt offering, and “cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.”¹⁰ As the battle began, “the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines,” and the Philistines “were smitten before Israel.”¹¹
• 1 Samuel 12. The Israelites asked for a king, and despite Samuel’s objection,¹² Saul was anointed as the first king of Israel.¹³ After his anointing, the people recognized that they went against God’s will in requesting a king, and said to Samuel, “Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.”¹⁴ Samuel then said, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.”¹⁵
• 1 Kings 18. Elijah prayed for a drought.¹⁶ The Lord heard his request, and there was “no rain in the land.”¹⁷ Elijah then prayed for rain, and there arose “a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand,” that quickly turned the heaven “black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”¹⁸
• Jacob 5. In the allegory of the olive tree, the Lord’s servant often prevailed upon the Lord to not destroy the vineyard: “And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck off the branches that have not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire. But behold, the servant said unto him: Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up against the season. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did nourish all the fruit of the vineyard.”¹⁹
• Enos 1. Enos’ experience is entirely focused on prayer. He first prayed for himself, then once his “guilt was swept away,” he prayed for the Nephites, then he prayed for the Lamanites, that the Lord would “preserve a record” so that “at some future day” the Lamanites “might be brought unto salvation.”²⁰ In response to his prayers, the Lord “covenanted with [Enos] that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.”²¹ The Lord said, “Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.”²²
• Mosiah 27. When the angel appeared to Alma and the sons of Mosiah, the angel told them, “The Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.”²³
• Helaman 11. Similar to the story of Elijah, the prophet Nephi prays that there might be a famine to stir the people to remember the Lord, and after they repented, Nephi prayed that the famine might cease.²⁴

These examples show that the Lord sustains His prophets. He hears their prayers. He honors their sacrifices. He takes action at their request. The prophets do much more for us than teach. They are in quiet places, praying for us. What blessings have we received because a prophet prayed for us?

Moses and Samuel prayed for their people when going into battle. What protections from unknown dangers have we received because a prophet has prayed for our safety?

We have the Book of Mormon not just because of prophetic writings, but because prophets like Enos prayed that the Lord would preserve the writings. What other blessings have come to us because of prophets’ prayers?

Elijah and Nephi prayed for a drought to cause the people to repent, then prayed for rain once the people had repented. What have our prophets prayed for?

I don’t think we’ll ever know the answers to these questions. I don’t think we’ll ever know the hidden work that prophets do for us, or the influence that they have in our lives.

The prophets pray for us

We are assured that the prophets pray for us. In the solemn assembly to sustain Dallin H. Oaks as the president of the Church, President Oaks said, “We also pray for you to be guided and prospered as you continue the great service you give to the children of God throughout the world.”²⁵

There are two beautiful examples of modern prophets praying for us.

Gordon B. Hinckley

I think we are all aware of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Following that terrible event, in the October 2001 general conference, President Hinckley offered a beautiful prayer:²⁶

O God, our Eternal Father, Thou great Judge of the Nations, Thou who art the governor of the universe, Thou who art our Father and our God, whose children we are, we look to Thee in faith in this dark and solemn time. Please, dear Father, bless us with faith. Bless us with love. Bless us with charity in our hearts. Bless us with a spirit of perseverance to root out the terrible evils that are in this world. Give protection and guidance to those who are engaged actively in carrying forth the things of battle. Bless them; preserve their lives; save them from harm and evil. Hear the prayers of their loved ones for their safety. We pray for the great democracies of the earth which Thou hast overseen in creating their governments, where peace and liberty and democratic processes obtain.

O Father, look with mercy upon this, our own nation, and its friends in this time of need. Spare us and help us to walk with faith ever in Thee and ever in Thy Beloved Son, on whose mercy we count and to whom we look as our Savior and our Lord. Bless the cause of peace and bring it quickly to us again, we humbly plead with Thee, asking that Thou wilt forgive our arrogance, pass by our sins, be kind and gracious to us, and cause our hearts to turn with love toward Thee. We humbly pray in the name of Him who loves us all, even the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior, amen.

I vividly remember this moment. It was powerful for me to hear our prophet pray for us. As I rewatched his prayer while writing this post, I still feel the emotion and power of his prayer.

Russell M. Nelson

In 2020, we experienced the Covid-19 pandemic. In November 2020, President Nelson released a special message that he called the “Healing Power of Gratitude.” In this powerful video, he offered a prayer:²⁷

Our Father in Heaven, as fellow passengers on Thy planet earth, we humbly pray unto Thee. We thank Thee for life and all that sustains life. We thank Thee for the beauties of the earth, for order in the universe, the planets, stars, and all things of eternal significance. We thank Thee for Thy laws that protect and guide us. We thank Thee for Thy mercy and loving watchcare. We thank Thee for our families and loved ones who fill our lives with joy.

We are grateful for all who are striving to combat the COVID pandemic. Please bless them with protection and inspiration. Wilt Thou help us end this virus that has plagued so many of Thy children.

We thank Thee for the leaders of nations and others who strive to lift us. We pray for relief from political strife. Wilt Thou bless us with a healing spirit that unites us despite our differences.

Wilt Thou also help us repent from selfishness, unkindness, pride, and prejudice of any kind so that we can better serve and love one another as brothers and sisters and as Thy grateful children. We love Thee, our dear Father, and pray for Thy blessings upon us in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, amen.²⁸

Like the prayer President Hinckley offered, even as I watch this now, it is impactful for me to hear the Lord’s prophet pray for us.

Don’t look beyond the mark – our focus should be on Christ

This post talks about the hidden influence of prophets. But we must be careful not to misunderstand their role, or impute power to them that is not theirs.

Joseph Smith taught, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”²⁹

Jesus Christ is our Savior. Our prophets teach us about Him, encourage us to follow Him, and exercise priesthood authority given to them by Him. They are not our intermediaries; they do not intercede on our behalf; they have no inherent power of their own to bless our lives. Rather, they exercise priesthood authority that God has given them to lead and guide us in a manner consistent with God’s will.

All power comes from Jesus Christ. I was going to quote several prayers that Jesus has offered for us, but I decided not to, because I don’t want to confuse His influence with the prophets’ influence. The Savior’s great intercessory prayer, offered in Gethsemane,³⁰ was unlike any prayer that has ever been offered by any prophet. Jesus Christ is our Savior, our advocate,³¹ and our mediator.³² He “suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent.”³³ “[T]here is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ.”³⁴

Yes, prophets pray for us. But they are seeking to invoke God’s power on our behalf. It is similar to a parent praying for children, or children praying for their parents. There is no comparison to the Savior’s intercession for us. So, as we think about the unseen influence of prophets, we cannot look beyond the mark and equate their influence with the Savior’s infinite atonement.³⁵

Let us sustain the prophet

Our prophets pray for us, and we should pray for them. I am convinced that God sustains His prophets, so we should sustain them. As we sustain the prophets, we will receive blessings promised by Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

To sustain means to hold up another person, to give them our attention, to be faithful to their trust, to act upon their words. . . . To hold up the prophet is a sacred work. We do not sit quietly by but actively defend him, follow his counsel, teach his words, and pray for him. . . . ‘Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow the ones whom the Lord has placed to preside over his church.’³⁶

References

1. 1 Samuel 7:9. ↩︎
2. Genesis 18:16-23. ↩︎
3. Genesis 18:23-33. ↩︎
4. Genesis 18:32. ↩︎
5. Exodus 17:8. ↩︎
6. Exodus 17:8-13. ↩︎
7. Exodus 32:10. ↩︎
8. Exodus 32:11-14. ↩︎
9. 1 Samuel 7:8. ↩︎
10. 1 Samuel 7:9. ↩︎
11. 1 Samuel 7:10. ↩︎
12. 1 Samuel 8:6-9. ↩︎
13. 1 Samuel 10:1. ↩︎
14. 1 Samuel 12:19. ↩︎
15. 1 Samuel 12:23. ↩︎
16. James 5:17-18. ↩︎
17. 1 Kings 17:1-7. ↩︎
18. 1 Kings 18:41-46. ↩︎
19. Jacob 5:26-28; 49-51. ↩︎
20. Enos 1:13. ↩︎
21. Enos 1:16. ↩︎
22. Enos 1:18. ↩︎
23. Mosiah 27:14. ↩︎
24. Helaman 11:1-17. ↩︎
25. Dallin H. Oaks, “Introduction,” April 2026, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2026/04/11oaks?lang=eng&id=p_lnfm4#p_lnfm4. ↩︎
26. Gordon B. Hinckley, “Till We Meet Again,” October 2001, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2001/10/till-we-meet-again?lang=eng&id=p34-p35#p34. ↩︎
27. Church Newsroom, “The Prophet Releases a Message on the Healing Power of Gratitude,” November 20, 2020, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-gratitude-message. ↩︎
28. Russell M. Nelson, “The Story behind My Global Prayer of Gratitude,” November 20, 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/the-story-behind-my-global-prayer-of-gratitude?lang=eng. The transcript for the video can be found by clicking a link from that site, but it can also be found here. ↩︎
29. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, “Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, the Divine Redeemer of the World,” 49, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-3?lang=eng&id=p18#p18. ↩︎
30. John 17. ↩︎
31. Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5. ↩︎
32. Hebrews 9:15. ↩︎
33. Doctrine and Covenants 19:16. ↩︎
34. Alma 38:9. ↩︎
35. 2 Nephi 9:7; Alma 34:10. ↩︎
36. Ronald A. Rasband, “Behold I Am the Light Which Ye Shall Hold Up,” October 2024, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/53rasband?lang=eng. ↩︎