Cleave unto God

People "cleaving" to the iron rod

I was reading in my studies the other morning in Moroni 7:28 and I read the word “cleave.” In the verse it reads, “and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing.” This sparked a memory of a previous study I had a couple of months ago. I was reading in Jacob chapter 6. In verse 5 it states, “ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you.” The word cleave stuck out to me. I did a short scripture search on the word cleave. I found other scriptures such as Joshua 23:8, "But ^acleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.” Another verse I found was Helaman 4:25  “and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should ^bcleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish.” Here the Nephites would be destroyed if they didn't hold onto the Lord and keep His commandments. In this reference, they had to cleave onto the Lord, or they literally would perish.

Another reference found in the Doctrine and Covenants section 11 verse 19 states, “Yea, ^acleave unto me with all your heart, that you may assist in bringing to light those things of which has been spoken—yea, the^btranslation of my work; be patient until you shall accomplish it.” Joseph Smith wouldn't have been able to translate the golden plates, unless he cleaved unto God with all of his heart. We can't do the work unless we cleave unto Him, the Almighty, our Father in Heaven.

There are several moments in our lives where we can picture people cleaving. I see a person who is  cleaving to the cliff that they’re trying to climb or hold on to.  I see someone cleaving onto a rope that will pull them to safety. I see a shy little child cleaving onto her mother’s shirt to hide from a stranger. I see the people in Lehi's dream cleaving to the iron rod. So I ask myself this, "What am I cleaving to?"

 Am I cleaving to my Savior Jesus Christ? Am I cleaving to the eternal truths of the gospel? Am I holding on with every fiber of my being to the iron rod? Am I keeping my covenants? Am I doing my very best to remain steadfast? 

Now I ask you, Are you cleaving to God? Do you pray unto Him every morning and night? Do you pray unto Him when your heart is filled with gratitude? Do you pray unto Him when you are angry, lonely, depressed, irritated, or hurt? Do you keep following the commandments even if it's not the "cool" thing to do? 

ARE WE CLEAVING UNTO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN?

If we are not, we must begin now. Get to your knees. Cleave unto Him in every thought, word and deed. It's possible. We must cleave unto Him. We will become more humble, we will grow. We will learn what we need to learn. May I invite you all to ask yourself honestly, "Am I cleaving to God?" What can you do now to start cleaving? 
Our Father in Heaven is there. He is reaching out to us. He loves us. As President Monson said, "your Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there." (We Never Walk Alone, General Relief Society broadcast Sept. 2013)