Not My Words

Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-6 "... It shall be given you in the very hour..."

I was assigned to give a talk/speech/sermon/whatever you call it in my congregation for today's sacrament meeting. Being the cocky little scamp I am, I decided to begin preparations for my delivery a mere hour before the meeting was supposed to begin. I did this all the time back in Jamaica, I reasoned.
Well, there were a couple of factors I didn't consider. For starters, with my release, the Spirit isn't as strong with me. I was far more intimately familiar with the needs of Port Antonio than I now am with the Mount Norway ward. Sitting up there on the stand, with my notes in hand, I recognized that I'd made a grave tactical error. My thoughts and ideas were a jumble. I was wholly unprepared.
Of course, that's the amazing thing about how the Lord works through His servants. Right before I took the stand, I prayed that what needed to be said would be given me. As I spoke, words and phrases I hadn't considered came to me, and I saw many faces staring up at me intently. After the fact, during the rest of the three-hour block, many members of the congregation approached me to thank me for the way my words had touched them. I accepted their compliments graciously, but I knew I had had very little credit owed me. It was all Him.

Our day closed with a peaceful evening at home, surrounded by family and friends of all sorts. I seriously don't understand how I could have taken such experiences for granted before. I don't think I will anymore.