July 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering – Esther – Instruments in His Hands
The July 2022 Come, Follow Me Ministering printable ties together Elder Michael T. Ringwood’s April 2022 General Conference talk “For God So Loved Us” and this July’s “Come, Follow Me” lesson on Esther and “The Lord can make me an instrument to bless others.”
Download July 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable (4×6)
You can print these printables as 4×6 photo prints. My local drug store prints them for just pennies. They are also a higher resolution if you want to enlarge them.
July 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Message
Esther – Instruments in His Hands
After putting it off for decades, a few months ago I started scanning letters from my mission. While scanning, I found a wonderful letter from a former companion. I thought she might like a copy, so I got back in touch with her on social media and sent her the scanned image. As we chatted back and forth, I learned that she was worried about an upcoming biopsy. We decided to exchange phone numbers and continued to text regularly. It was a big blow when the biopsy came back positive. We continued to text as she prepared for surgery and chemotherapy.
This wasn’t the first time we had talked about cancer. While I was on my mission my brother was fighting cancer. It was a really hard time because letters took weeks to get to me. Any news I received was a month or more behind. The only way I knew he was okay was that I knew the mission president would call me if it got bad. We had very real reasons to think he would not make it.
During this time, she was one of many companions who listened to me and supported me. And now I was able to be there for her. Because of my experience with my brother, I was better able to empathize.
It is moments like this that testify of a loving Heavenly Father who knows us personally and goes to great lengths to support us. What are the chances I would reconnect with a mission companion just weeks before she was diagnosed with cancer? And that she would be struggling with the very illness my brother had been fighting when we were companions.
Our Personal Plan of Salvation
In the April 2022 General Conference, Elder Michael T. Ringwood shares that moments like this in the scriptures help testify of a loving Heavenly Father. Moments when God intervenes in our lives in tender and personal ways. Elder Ringwood shares, “God sent Jesus Christ, His only Son in the flesh, to lay down His life for every one of us. This He did because He loves us and designed a plan for each of us to return home to Him. But this is not a blanket, catchall, hit-or-miss sort of plan. It is personal, set forth by a loving Heavenly Father, who knows our hearts, our names, and what He needs us to do.”
Queen Esther Prepared for Such a Time as This
Elder Ringwood lists several examples of this in the scriptures, including Queen Esther saving her people from the evil designs of Haman. Esther did not save her people by chance. Even in the bleakest moments, the Lord was putting in place the needed pieces.
The Lord placed a courageous, orphaned Jewish girl in the palace as queen. He placed her uncle and guardian Mordecai where he could overhear a plot to kill the king, thereby saving the king’s life. As Esther works to change the king’s mind about Haman’s decree to kill the Jewish people, the Lord is already paving the way. The night before Esther’s banquet, the king can’t sleep. So he reads from the book of records and is reminded of what Mordecai did for him. Haman comes to the feast ready to hang Mordecai and the king comes ready to honor Mordecai. Esther doesn’t need to convince the king, the Lord had already prepared him. The Lord had not only prepared Esther “for such a time as this,” but He also provided everything she needed (Ether 4:14).
Instruments in His Hands
Elder Ringwood notes that although we may not always recognize the Lord in the small details of our lives, He is there preparing us and guiding us so that we can be “instruments in His hands to fulfill His purposes.” He shares, “We are the focus of Heavenly Father’s plan and the reason for our Savior’s mission. Each of us, individually, is Their work and Their glory.”
This is immensely comforting. Our lives are not left up to chance. Even in the most challenging moments, we can trust in the personal plan Heavenly Father has for us.
July 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering Handout
I found these super cute flower pens in the clearance aisle of Office Depot, but they have similar flower pens on Amazon as well. The flowers made me think of the personal way the Lord helps us to grow and reach our full potential. Plus, I am a sucker for cute stationary items!
Did you like this July 2022 Come Follow Me Ministering message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society, Sunday School, or Family Home Evening. I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to.
