I have been reading in
Doctrine and Covenants for the last few months and it has really been a
blessing. Many times a question would arise during the day about an issue in
the news or a family matter and the page that I would read that night in the
Doctrine and Covenants just happened to be speaking directly to me and had my
answers.
I truly can attest this was given
to us as a source to guide us through these last days. It's amazing how often
the second coming of the Lord is mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants as well as
the signs to watch for.
The first paragraph in the
introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants reads as follows:
The
Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations and inspired
declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God
on the earth in the last days. Although most of the sections are directed to
members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the messages,
warnings, and exhortations are for the benefit of all mankind and contain an
invitation to all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ,
speaking to them for their temporal well-being and their everlasting salvation.
I testify that this is true!
I came
across this message from President Henry B. Eyring in the January 2013 Liahona.
He shares an amazing experience from an ancestor and explains how the Doctrine
and Covenants can help us in these last days. It's very much worth the read!
The Voice of the Lord
The Doctrine and Covenants invites all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ (see D&C 1:2, 4, 11, 34; 25:16). It is filled with His messages, warnings, and encouraging exhortations given by revelation to chosen prophets. In these revelations we can see how God can answer our prayers of faith with messages of instruction, peace, and warning.
In our
prayers we seek to know what God would have us do, what we should do to
find peace and happiness in this life and the next, and what lies ahead
of us. The Doctrine and Covenants is filled with answers to such
questions asked by ordinary people and by prophets in humble prayer. It
can be a precious guide to teach us how to receive answers to questions
about our temporal well-being and eternal salvation.
Humility and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are key. Oliver Cowdery received an answer from the Lord regarding his desire to help in the translation of the Book of Mormon:
“Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in
faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought
not” (D&C 8:10).
Over and over
in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord requires faith and humility
before He gives His help. One reason for this is that His answers may
not come in the way we expect. Neither will they always be easy to
accept.
Church
history and the experiences of our ancestors illustrate this reality. My
great-grandfather Henry Eyring prayed fervently to know what he should
do when he heard the restored gospel taught in 1855. The answer came in a
dream.
He
dreamed that he was seated at a table with Elder Erastus Snow of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and with an elder named William Brown.
Elder Snow taught the principles of the gospel for what seemed to be an
hour. Then Elder Snow said, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you
to be baptized and this man [Elder Brown] … shall baptize you.”1 My family
is grateful that Henry Eyring had the faith and humility to be baptized
at 7:30 in the morning in a pool of rainwater in St. Louis, Missouri,
USA, by Elder Brown.
The
answer to his prayer did not come in an audible voice from the Lord. It
came in a vision and dream in the night, as it did with Lehi (see 1 Nephi 8:2).
And He
encouraged Oliver this way: “Did I not speak peace to your mind
concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?”
(D&C 6:23).
The Doctrine and Covenants, Church history, and the history kept by Henry Eyring on his mission just after his baptism have taught me that answers can be felt as warnings as well as peace.
In April
1857, Elder Parley P. Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
attended a conference in what is now Oklahoma, USA. Henry Eyring
recorded that Elder Pratt’s “mind was filled with gloomy forebodings … ,
not being able to discern the future or any way of escape.”
Henry recorded the sad news immediately thereafter of the martyrdom of
the Apostle. Elder Pratt had gone forward on his journey despite
feelings of danger, just as the Prophet Joseph had done in going to
Carthage.
It is my
testimony that the Lord always answers the humble prayer of faith. The
Doctrine and Covenants and our personal experience teach us how to
recognize those answers and accept them in faith, whether they be
direction, confirmation of truth, or a warning. I pray that we always
will listen for and recognize the loving voice of the Lord.
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