The Prophet is Dead. Long Live the Prophet.

By Susan Knight

I was recently reminded of the saying, "The King is Dead. Long Live the King."
It is said in the United Kingdom, and probably has been said in any monarchy. But it's true about our prophets, too.

President Thomas S. Monson

President Thomas S. Monson died on January 2, 2018, at the age of 90. What a perfectly precious  human being he is. I think he has best shown Christlike love of any prophet I've lived under. When I say that, I mean . . . I've always wondered what the personality of Jesus Christ was like. Did you ever wonder that? Was He reserved or outgoing? Did He have a sense of humor, or was He serious all the time?

What we do know is that service was at the top of His list of everyday living. Wherever He went, He personified service--healing the sick, the lame, the blind. He was also a very forgiving God--forgiving the woman taken in sin; forgiving the man who had palsy. He went out of His way to do service.

The Savior Laughing

Did he have a sense of humor? I think of how he told of forgiveness by comparing it to the mote in one person's eye and the beam in another's eye. Hyberbole. Yes, humor.

And He told parables that enthralled the population. Scores of people surrounded Him and followed Him.

Thus was President Thomas S. Monson.

Service was personified in "Tommy Monson," as he liked to refer to himself. He went out of his way for the widow, the lame, the elderly, the forgotten.

His sense of humor abounded in every talk he gave. You could see his tongue in his cheek.

And his stories . . . I couldn't wait to be enthralled by his stories every Conference weekend.

I think, in my humble opinion, that when I think of Jesus Christ now, I will remember President Monson. I believe their personalities were similar.

President Russell M. Nelson

I will miss President Monson, but I welcome our new Prophet Russell M. Nelson. It was formally announced yesterday. I have waited for him to be Prophet for 34 years. Yes, I already had a testimony that he would be our prophet one day. Yet, he was a newly-ordained apostle when I had that vision.

As "Elder" Nelson grew older--and older--I didn't think my vision would come to pass, yet we are here. President Nelson is 93 years old. I don't know how long he will serve, but I always knew he would serve as president of the church.

I had a vision I have only shared with a few people. Perhaps I'll write about it one day.


President Monson is dead. Long live President Nelson.