As the final lines of “How Firm a Foundation” (“Hymns,” No. 85)—sung by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square seconds before—seemed to linger throughout the conference center, President Henry B. Eyring highlighted the phrase of counsel and comfort from both that hymn and Isaiah 41:10.
“Fear not, I am with you.”
Opening speaker for the Sunday morning session of the October 2026 general conference, the First Counselor of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recited the second and third verses of the hymn, affirming that the Lord’s promises found in those verses and in the 41st chapter of Isaiah “will become more important and more precious in the times to come for all of us and for those we love.”
In the valley of poverty or in the abundance of riches,
At home or abroad, on land or sea —
As your days require, so will your help be.
3. Fear not, I am with you; oh, don’t be dismayed,
For I am your God and I will always help you.
I will strengthen you, help you and make you stand,
Supported by my righteous and almighty hand.
“It is important to realize that the promise is not about removing challenges,” President Eyring said, recounting some of the lessons and his mother’s late-life health challenges.
One might wonder why a loving and all-powerful God allows mortal trials to be so difficult. “It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual purity and stature to be able to live in His presence,” President Eyring said. “To make this possible, our Heavenly Father has given us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves, by faith, to keep His commandments, to repent, and to come to Him.
“The Savior not only understands and has felt sorrow, but has ‘beared (your) sorrows and borne (your) sorrows’ (Isaiah 53:4). He knows you fully. He knows your heart.”
The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as Heavenly Father’s children are: no two are alike, President Eyring said. “But what is tested is the same, at every moment of our lives and for every person: will we do everything that the Lord our God commands us?
The Lord sends faithful disciples to help him fulfill his promise to help others in their distress, President Eyring said, thanking those who have helped the Lord and encouraging others to join him in fulfilling his promise today and in the difficult days ahead. He also shared examples of “what many of you have already done and are doing to help the Lord fulfill His promise to help those in need in His earthly kingdom.”
Many have:
- Constantly prayed in faith that family members or friends would know who the Lord wanted them to help for Him. “When a face or a name comes to mind, you reach out to them. Even your simple attention was a comfort. The fact that you felt moved to reach out to them was proof to them that the Lord knew them and loved them.”
- Recognized a discouraged missionary as an invitation to raise up a servant of Jesus Christ. “Your kindness to them, even for a few seconds, or just a warm smile, can strengthen their faith that the Lord is watching over them. As you speak to them, you will find words to strengthen their faith that the Lord knows them and is aware of their situation.”
- Prayed regularly for the Lord’s servants, whatever their calling. “By showing them your appreciation and confidence that they have been inspired, they will feel evidence that God has called them, knows them, and has guided and blessed them. »
- I have invited the Holy Spirit to find ways to help the Lord comfort those who ask. The Lord “gives us the great blessing and confidence to help him fulfill his promise to help our father’s children in the trials they face throughout their journey back into mortality.”
President Eyring concluded, “We shed tears of joy and take heart every time we hear the words, ‘Fear not, I am with you,’ and we are touched that He offers us the confidence to help and love others.
“I testify that this is His Church and that He keeps His promises both through the Holy Spirit and through His loving, true, and faithful disciples.”
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