I love libraries and I love books. When I saw the title of Elder Boyd K. Packer’s talk for this week’s General Conference Odyssey, found in the April 1990 Priesthood session, I knew I had something to say. His talk, entitled, “The Library of the Lord,” reminds us of the importance of the scriptures.

While it’s true I love reading, and I read all sorts of genres, I have always had a fascination with the scriptures. It’s taken years, and lots of in-depth study to understand as little as I do. And I am always eager to learn more about not only the workings of God, but how to convey His eternal message to others. Have you ever tried to explain The First Vision, the plan of salvation, or the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ quickly, smoothly, and without going on tangents? It takes practice.

Because my father-in-law was a Seminary teacher, my husband and I got to tag along to the summer Inservice classes offered to the Seminary teachers in our area. We attended enough summers that we were able to study all of the standard works with some of our church’s best teachers: S. Michael Wilcox and Robert J. Matthews. What I loved best about their teaching was that they both taught us how to hunger for the scriptures. They could easily share their insightful knowledge of the scriptures with us, but they both had the ability to inspire us to have that desire to learn more on our own. That is the magic of a good teacher.

How important is it for us to know the scriptures? Very! Why? Because understanding the scriptures will help us understand Jesus Christ, and understanding Jesus Christ will help us come unto Him and be saved. Without an understanding of the scriptures, we are very likely to fall off the path.

Knowing the scriptures doesn’t mean knowing the stories, although that is a great place to start. Knowing the scriptures is how we get to know the voice of God and recognize how He talks to us. Depending on how confident, or maybe I should say humble and teachable, we are, the scriptures will begin opening up to us. I’m still in the infant stages, but I continue working at it.

Latter-day Saint women are aware of what Pres. Kimball said years ago, and again what Pres. Nelson reiterated.

“I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. We want our homes to be blessed with sister scriptorians” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Role of Righteous Women.”)

“We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation” (Russell M. Nelson, “A Plea to My Sisters.”)

And we recall what Emma’s blessing included:

“And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:7).

Elder Packer’s talk shows us what the church has done to make the scriptures available to us. The cross-referencing was a major achievement. And being able to search a word or phrase allows us to bring concepts together. I love using LDS Scripture Citation Index, which helps me bring the scriptures and words of our Latter-day prophets together for further understanding.

We have so much available to us, all it takes is desire and time. It’s no secret that we tend to make time for those things that interest us most. With General Conference coming up, may we be inspired to delve into the scriptures just a little more. A little goes a long way. And why not take time to practice explaining a gospel doctrine. See how it feels, then pray for an opportunity to share what you’ve practiced with someone who might benefit from your simple explanation. Who knows what might come of it.