Doctrine and Covenants 21: 4-9

How is divine protection being granted to you as you strive to follow God's words through His prophets?

"4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

6 For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.

7 For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard.

8 Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen, and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer; for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins, and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works.

9 For, behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe on his words, which are given him through me by the Comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart." (Doctrine and Covenants 21: 4-9)

And here's the beginning part of the commentary entitled: "Obeying God’s word through His prophets will give me divine protection." : 

"Doctrine and Covenants 21:4–9 contains invitations to follow the Lord’s prophet and powerful promises for people who do. The following ideas can help you ponder these verses:

• What words in verses 4–5 describe what the Savior wants you to do with the words of His living prophet? Why do you feel “patience and faith” are needed to do this?

• Ponder the imagery the Savior uses in verse 6 to describe the blessings of following His prophet. What do think is meant by “the gates of hell”? How does the Lord “disperse the powers of darkness” for you? What does it mean for “the heavens to shake for your good”?

• What is the Lord asking you to do through the current President of the Church? How has the Lord fulfilled His promises as you have followed His counsel?"

The Savior wants me to give heed unto all the words of the prophet and do so walking in holiness before him, and in all patience and faith. It takes faith to follow the prophet because it's not easy to go against the flow or be different from many others who are not following the prophet. Following the prophet also takes patience because the blessings of doing so don't come right away or as quickly all the time. And yet there is always hope that the blessings will come in God's timing. We just need to wait on the Lord and waiting takes patience. 

The "gates of hell" means those things that bring disappointment or sorrow. The Lord "disperses the powers of darkness" for me by covering my weaknesses in mercy as He allows things to happen so that the consequences of my weaknesses are overcome. He also softens the eyes of people in authority so that they are able to appreciate my effort in doing my work the best way that I can so that they are able to overlook some mistakes I made due to my own weaknesses. "The heavens to shake for your good" means everything is happening for my own good. Even those seemingly negative things at the outset turn out to be blessings in disguise. And I'm so grateful that I've been enjoying these blessings. "If God is with me, who can be against me" is my affirmation along with "Everything is happening for my own good". As I strive to obey God's words through His prophets, I'm indeed being given divine protection. And so it's easy for me to find joy in whatever circumstance I find myself in.