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speeches.bYU.edu slash podcasts. This devotional address entitled God's Hand in Our Nation's History was given on March 28th of 1977 by Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My beloved brethren, sisters, I am very pleased that you were kind to me as I came in late. I remember Elder Orsenev. Whitney years ago, member of the 12, was traveling out to a state

conference by train. He was concentrating on the scriptures as he rode and he went right

by the place where he should have got off at the conference. And he found himself

of two or three miles beyond of another town,

and he got out and hired a delivery rig,

a horse and buggy, to drive him back.

The state president waited and waited

and finally decided he'd better start the meeting.

And his brother of Whitney walked in, the choir was singing,

Ye simple souls who stray.

And I have not been surprised had you been singing that as I came in.

I've had an anxiety about coming here tonight.

For 33 years, I've had the honor and privilege of coming here and enjoying communicating with the students, speaking to them.

And I've had a fear that sooner or later you would place me in the embarrassing position

that an old lady placed a railway conductor up in Boise, Idaho.

This good woman had never had a ride on a train.

Her family were all married and she was on a little rocky farm all along.

And she wanted to have a ride on a train before she passed on, and her children wanted

her to have that experience.

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