Pour Out My Spirit
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 47, “I Will Love Them Freely,” on Gospel Library
Start
When the angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith in 1823, he quoted the end of Joel 2 and said it would soon be fulfilled (his account).
Read Together
Joel had just promised to restore what the locusts ate. Then he looked further ahead, to a day when the Lord would give something greater than food (Joel 2:26–28).
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
What It Teaches
“I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28). Pouring is generous, more than a drip or a trickle. The Lord says his Spirit will come that way to sons and daughters, old men and young men, and servants too (verse 29).
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came upon the Savior’s disciples, and Peter stood up and said, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16–18). Moroni told Joseph Smith that the fulfillment was still to come, and soon (his account). It is being fulfilled now, in homes and wards across the world.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson taught what the Spirit does in an ordinary life. “As we listen and act on spiritual promptings, the Holy Ghost magnifies our abilities and capacities to far exceed what we can do on our own. These precious spiritual gifts will help us in every aspect of our lives.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson, “Promptings of the Spirit,” General conference, October 2023
Verse 32 ends the promise. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” Each week the sacrament prayer promises that if we always remember the Savior and keep his commandments, we may always have his Spirit to be with us (Moroni 4:3).
Talk About It
Joel said sons and daughters would prophesy. When have you felt the Holy Ghost help you know something or do something?
Take to Church
Joel promised the Lord would pour out his Spirit on young and old. Today’s sacrament prayer promises that same Spirit to each of us who always remembers the Savior and keeps his commandments.