What President Oaks Learned About Unfulfilled Priesthood Blessings

The Truth About Priesthood Blessings and Unanswered Prayers | Pres. Oaks' Mother’s Story

Have you or a loved one ever received a powerful priesthood blessing for healing, only to have the person pass away? You are not alone. This is one of the most difficult questions of faith, and it troubled the mother of a prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks.

In this emotional and profoundly insightful episode, through his book, Life's Lessons Learned, we go deep into President Oaks' personal history, detailing the six-month struggle of his mother, Stella Oaks, as she sought a miracle for her husband, Lloyd.

We explore:

The Struggle for Faith: She was repeatedly promised healing in priesthood blessings from prominent leaders, including an Apostle, believing that a great enough faith would compel God to act. (04:06)

The Moment of Acceptance: The shock of the final medical news, and the peace that came only when she surrendered her will and said, “Thy will be done.” (05:29)

The Defining Answer: The inspired principle taught at her husband’s funeral, using the Savior's prayer in Gethsemane as the ultimate example of submitting to God’s will. (07:07)

The Doctrine: President Oaks’ clear, powerful, and oft-quoted teaching from General Conference on the limits of faith and priesthood power. (08:06)

This video is a spiritual balm for anyone who has wrestled with feeling that their faith was insufficient or that a divine promise was unfulfilled. It transforms the way you view the will of the Lord, priesthood power, and the purpose of trials.

Stop questioning your faith and start finding peace in the higher doctrine of God’s perfect will.

Sources & Context
This episode draws heavily from President Dallin H. Oaks' book Life's Lessons Learned: https://www.deseretbook.com/product/5...
And conference talk "Healing the Sick" (Oct 1999) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/s...

This episode of Faith Insights, hosted by Tyler Griffin, was filmed on location at Scripture Central. Faith Insights is produced by Executive Producer Benjamin Griffin, with content editing and review by Kiplin Griffin, and edited by Jarret Griffin.

Faith Insights is a production of Scripture Central. Made possible by all the generous donors and friends of Scripture Central.