October 2026 General Conference › Talks › Elder Dale G. Renlund

Saturday afternoon session · October 2026 General Conference

Elder Dale G. Renlund

“How Long Will It Be Ere They Believe Me?”

Quorum of the Twelve

Read the full talk on churchofjesuschrist.orgWatch on YouTube

In brief

Elder Renlund recalls a heart-transplant patient who, days after a near-miraculous recovery, complained that his oatmeal was cold. He likens this to ancient Israel and to us: losing sight of God's past mercies and promises when daily problems loom. Our hope rests on Christ's righteousness, not our own, and he tells of his sister Linda, who learned there is no asterisk excluding her from God's promises, urging listeners to erase their own.

1,355words
~10minutes
22.9references to Christ per 1,000 words
4questions asked
0direct invitations

Themes in this talk

Adversity 10Witness 3Grace 2Identity 1

Number of coded passages from this talk in each theme.

Teach this talk

Three ready-to-teach 30-minute lessons built on this talk.

Adults · 30 minutesPast the Cold Oatmeal: Trusting the Lord’s PromisesWhen we remember the great things the Lord has already done, we can see past today’s frustrations, trust His promises, and find peace and joy in Jesus Christ now.Youth · 30 minutesZoom Out: No Asterisk Next to Your NameWhen we zoom out and remember what the Lord has already done, we can trust that His promises are for us, with no exceptions, and find peace in Him even on hard days.Children · 30 minutesJesus Keeps His PromisesHeavenly Father and Jesus have done great things for me, and They always keep Their promises.

Test yourself on this talk

Three short quizzes on what Elder Renlund taught: easy for families and first-time listeners, medium for understanding, hard for careful study.

Questions and explanations are written for this site and are not official Church materials. Each answer points to the paragraph of the official talk it comes from. All quizzes →

Key passages

Grace · redeemed by christ's righteousness

“our hope rests on His faithfulness and righteousness, not on our own”

T09.11
Identity · "no asterisk"

“there is no asterisk excluding you from God’s richest blessings”

T09.14

Scripture referenced

  • Exodus 14:11–12
  • Exodus 16:2–4
  • Exodus 17:3–6
  • Numbers 11:4–6, 31–32
  • Numbers 14:2
  • verses 3–4
  • Numbers 14:11
  • Judges 2:1
  • John 16:33
  • 2 Nephi 2:3
  • Book of Mormon title page
  • Moroni 10:3
  • Matthew 28:18
  • Psalm 116:2
  • Mormon 8:22
  • 2 Peter 1:4

From the talk's official footnotes and in-text citations.