Dr. Paul A. Cox, a renowned ethno-botanist and a member of the Kauai Stake in Hawaii, told BYU-Hawaii Women's Conference attendees that the Savior knows each person's name and is prepared to speak it at the moment of her greatest stress or anguish.
Cox, director and CEO of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens on Kauai and a former BYU professor, shared several stories from his early missionary experience in Samoa to illustrate the women's conference theme, "Be still and know that I am God."
Though Cox struggled initially with the different culture and customs in a small, remote village, "the people were so remarkable," he said.
"When you're called by the Lord, there's no need to fear," he said. "When you're called as a missionary, you're doing exactly and precisely what you're supposed to do."
He recalled how an old woman in Samoa would carefully pick the leaves from the small stones covering the floor of their tiny chapel, put hot charcoal into the old-style iron which she would use to press the sacrament cloth, and would also polish each of her plates and utensils before use.
"When I got to the point where I could speak with her, I told her you don't need to polish the plates clean," Cox said. "She finally told me, 'This is what I would do if the Savior were to come to dinner. He's not here, but you represent him.'"
The conference theme was taken from Doctrine and Covenants 101:16, which originated at a time when Latter-day Saints in Missouri were heavily persecuted.
"This is a message given to people who have suffered extraordinary circumstances," he said. "I take this as a message of consolation. What's fascinating is that the Lord has not promised to stop the losses, but that He will recompense."
Cox said the theme is also found in Psalms 46:10. "Note again that this psalm is given to people who are in serious trouble. In times of such significant turmoil, we are to remember that the Lord is our refuge."
He added he once visited with Harold B. Lee, former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a student at BYU. The Prophet told him, "If the Lord wants us to be aware of something, he will make it abundantly clear in the scriptures."
Cox explained the conference theme is not limited to people in external strife. "You would be stunned if you knew how many people in this room had extraordinarily difficult times in their lives."
"All of us in our lives will have intense moments of depression, doubt, pain, anguish; and this scripture speaks to those precise moments," Cox said.
He then quoted Elder Robert Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who in a General Conference address said, "There's meaning and purpose in our earthly challenges. Each of us must go through such experiences to be more like the Savior."
"When there's trouble in our lives, each of us has to confront the position that God is in charge," Cox said. "I think we have to have trust in His time table for the execution of His plan, which is often very different from our expectations. We need to trust that He is our Heavenly Father and that He is with us. Our attitude to Heavenly Father in such times should be one of complete submission."
Cox noted many examples of "submissiveness in the scriptures," and shared the stories of significant women in the scriptures: the widow of Zarephath in I Kings 17, who gave her last morsel of food to Elijah; and Anna the prophetess found in Luke 2:36-38, who had been a widow for 84 years and served in the temple night and day.
"What a wonderful presence in our scriptures," he said. "I think of Anna a lot. You know temple workers like this. One day she comes into the temple, and she sees the Christ child."
"Isn't it interesting that the resurrected Christ appears first to women, and not the apostles?" Cox said in sharing the story of Mary Magdalene found in John 20:11-16.
"The Savior is prepared to speak your name," he said. "He knows your name. He knows your circumstances. I testify to you that if you were for a moment to feel His love, you would know He cares for you."