Knowing His Voice

"And the Lord passed by, and a great strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-12).

One of the most important aspects of knowing the Lord is knowing his voice.  We have a tendency to assume that the most glorious, powerful being in the universe would speak to us in such a way, but he does not.  Elijah learned that he speaks to us in a "still small voice."  The nephites in the Book of Mormon who heard the voice of the Lord described it saying, "it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice, nevertheless and not withstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the very center insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn" (3 Nephi 11:3).  Great blessing await those that will hear the voice of the Lord.  The blessings of Abraham came because "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge" (Genesis 26:5).  Conversely we are taught, "whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me" (Doctrine & Covenants 84:52).

How then do we become acquainted with the voice of the Lord?  First we must listen with our heart rather than with our ears. When Nephi admonished his brothers for not listening to the voice of the Lord he bemoaned, "ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words" (1 Nephi 17:45). The Lord's voice is felt more than it is heard.  Our hearts must first be turned to him and our minds must be single to his.  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, saith the Lord" (Isaiah 55:8).

Once our heart and mind is attuned to the Lord, we must then acquaint ourselves with his words.  It has been said that when we pray, we talk to God; when we read the scriptures, we hear his answers.  "Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high.  They can become the key to open the channel to our communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ" (Richard G. Scott, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).  As we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, God's word seeps deep within our soul; we feel his voice speak to us.  The Lord has declared, "these words are not of men, nor of man, but of me; wherefore ye shall testify they are of me and not of man; for it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them; wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words (Doctrine & Covenants 18:34-36).

Another Testament

In a court of law, a witness is asked to testify as to what he or she knows according to what has been seen and experienced.  Do we know Jesus Christ well enough that we could stand as a witness of him?  Those who knew the Savior best were called to be his apostles, special witnesses of Him to testify to all the world.  We read of them in God's holy writ.  For centuries, God's word was collected and passed down as scrolls.  Jesus himself studied and read them as he grew.  In his ministry he taught from and quoted the prophesies concerning his coming.  These scrolls, together, now form what we know to be the Old Testament.  In Jesus' day, those who knew the savior best recorded his words, his actions and his miracles from their first hand accounts.  Those were written down as were the scrolls or "books" of the Old Testament.  Several hundred years after Jesus' death, they were compiled into one book which we now recognize as the "New" Testament.  The Old Testament witnesses of the promise of a Messiah, given to ancient Israel.  The people were given laws through the Prophet Moses to point them towards Christ.  When Jesus came to earth he fulfilled the law of Moses.  The New Testament witnesses of his great atoning sacrifice, of his glorious resurrection and his abounding love for all mankind. Together, they form the Bible.  They both witness of the covenant that God made with his people.  

Does God love us today as much as he did the ancient Israelites?  Are the Israelites the only civilization fortunate enough to receive his word and witness of him?  The God I know loves all of his children.  He will speak to whom he will.  Who are we to place limits on an all powerful, all knowing God?  It is declared in the Old Testament, by Jesus himself and also by the Apostle Paul that by two or three witnesses shall every word be established (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:5, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1). The glorious truth is that there is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, even the Book of Mormon.  


The Book of Mormon is the spiritual account of a civilization that left Jerusalem 600 years before Christ's birth, led by a prophet of God.  They crossed the ocean and settled on the American Continent.  They too lived the law of Moses.  After the death and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus came and appeared to them.  Like the apostles of old to whom Jesus appeared and who felt the marks in his hands and in his feet, these people also witnessed of their experience.  It is recorded: 


  "And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.  And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him" (3 Nephi 11:15-17).

We have this additional witness of the Savior because God speaks to man today.  As He did with Moses, God appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820.  He sent to him angelic messengers as he did to Mary and to Joseph and to Jesus himself (see my post Angels).  He was shown where the record of this people had been hidden.  By the power of God, Joseph translated the record which is now known as The Book of Mormon.  Hand in hand with the Old and the New Testament, it is Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  I testify that it is true.  I have felt the spirit of the Lord, confirm its veracity to me in my mind and in my heart.  I have grown to know my Savior through reading its words and living its teachings.

Said the Prophet Joseph Smith, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."  I invite all to examine, read and experience for themselves this record.  I invite all to know Christ for themselves.  For more information, please visit http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/.

The Unknown God?

Altar to "The Unknown God"

Paul, when preaching in Athens, Greece came across an altar with the inscription, "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD" (Acts 17:23).  At this time Athens was considered the cultural and intellectual center of the civilized world yet in all their learning, they failed to grasp the knowledge most important of all, the knowledge of God.  Paul went on to teach them what he considered to be the core, basic tenet of who God is.  He first referred to Him as the creator, not having been created by the works of man.  More important even than having created the universe, he is the creator of men.  He "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.  For in him we live, and move, and have our being...for we are also his offspring (vs.26, 28).

In the Doctrine & Covenants, we learn that the "key of the knowledge of God" is held by the greater or Melchizedek Priesthood in the great treatise on the priesthood found in section 84.  We are taught that it is in the ordinances of the priesthood that the power of godliness is manifest (vs. 19-20).  This starts with baptism, it continues with the sacrament.  We grow close to God in the covenants that we make to him in the temple endowment and achieve our highest potential in the culminating ordinance of being sealed to God with our spouse for time and all eternity.  We are told that without this, "no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live" (vs. 22).  I believe it is in this short three word definition of God that the key to knowing him resides.  The scripture simply states, "even the Father."  As Paul told the Greeks, we are not mere creations of God, we are "his offspring."

Mars Hill as seen from Corinth

 A prophet in our day defined our relationship to God by succinctly stating, "all human beings-male and female-are created in the image of God.  Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).  Being married for eternity, then, is more than the wonderful blessing of uniting families forever, it is teaching us of God's true nature and the potential within us to become like him. The family is more than a convenient social organization to raise children.  It is the core unit in God's plan to teach us who he is and how we can reach our highest potential.  In the scriptures I learn of the God-like qualities of persuasion, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, love and kindness (see Doctrine & Covenants 121:41-42).  It is in my role as a father that I learn how to live these qualities.  The more closely that I learn to live as God does, the more clearly I can see who God is, the better I can know God, even my Father.

Knowing Us By Name

I was deeply touched this week reading the account of when Mary Magdalene encounters the empty tomb. Of all the people we read of in the New Testament, she certainly knew and had a special bond with the Savior of the world.  She sensed his goodness and felt of his divinity.  She knew that he would redeem her soul for he already had.  Luke's first description of her as "Mary, called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Luke 8:2). Recall the words of the master to her sister Martha when Mary chose to sit at his feet rather than to perform her household tasks, "But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42).  She was also rebuked by Judas Iscariot for anointing the Lord with copious amount of costly oil at the last supper.  Said, Jesus, "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.  For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial" (Matthew 26:10-12).

I find it significant that the very first person that Jesus appeared to after his resurrection was this woman who loved him so much.  He had changed her life.  She feasted on his words, trusted in him and would do anything for him.  Indeed at that moment she had come to finish the embalming of his body.  How she must have suffered and sorrowed in those dark days.  To add to her grief, when she arrived at the tomb, the stone had been rolled away, the body was gone!  Horror stricken, she ran to tell the apostles.  They came and saw the empty tomb and then left.  She remained, weeping outside the tomb.  As she looked in she saw two angels who asked her why she was so distraught.  Replying that her Lord had been taken she turned and saw a man she took to be the gardener "and knew not that it was Jesus" (John 20:14).  He asked her, "Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?" (vs 15).  In my minds eye, I can picture Mary, so full of grief and anxiety that she started just bursting forth, pleading and begging with the man to see if he knew what had happened to the body, telling him that she would care for it.  One word changed her entire outlook.  One word spoken by the Savior of the whole world ceased her babbling.  One word was enough for her to know him.  Jesus simply said, "Mary" (vs. 16).  Her tears turned to those of joy.  Her heart leaped for joy.  Her soul filled with the hope that was lost.  Answering, she simply replied, "master."

I firmly believe that it is possibly to personally know Jesus Christ, the creator of the world, the one who is the author of the salvation for all the human race.  It is possible because he knows us.  To a young boy seeking the truth in prayer he appeared with his Father.  The first word spoken to him was simply "Joseph."  He knows me and he knows you as well.  After showing Moses a vision of all the worlds that he created, of all the inhabitants thereof, and of the heavens above, he told him "Behold this is my work and my glory-- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).  He did not say "men" but "man."  He atoned individually for all of our sins.  Through the ordinance of the sacrament he has asked us to take upon us his name.  We can do so because he has taken upon him ours.  That is why our burden is heavy and his is light.  He knows us by name because he has experienced and suffered all that we have and will ever go through.  If there were only one soul on the earth, you, he would still descend into the valley of death and go through the atonement  just for you.  I know he would do so because he already has, for each of us, one soul, one name at a time.

"Feed My Sheep"

If there was ever a person that could say they knew their Savior, it was Peter.  I have loved reading and pondering the life of this man.  I suspect that Peter may have known Jesus prior to his being called as an apostle. He was likely a person of considerable means as we know that he was an owner of several larger sized fishing boats and commanded their fleets.  He was an active owner, working along side his employees.  He was well aware of hard work and of the elements.  He would have known about the sea and the wind and the waves.  Jesus was familiar with his family as there is mention of him healing Peter's mother-in-law early on.

Peter's ministry, though, began on that morning when he returned with his crew from a fruitless night of fishing.  As they sat on the shore performing the dull chore of cleaning their nets, Jesus approached him and asked if he could use one of his boats to deliver a message to those on the shore.  When Jesus was done teaching, he returned the boat and admonished Peter to launch out again a little deeper and let out his nets.  Having just finished cleaning the nets and knowing that the best time for catching fish had just passed, Peter somewhat begrudgingly accepted the counsel from the carpenter's son.  The nets of course were filled beyond capacity.  Peter cried, "I am a sinful man," and Jesus told him that from henceforth he would be "fishers of men."  Peter then "straightway left his nets" and accepted the call of Jesus to "come follow me."

From that day on, Peter walked side by side with the master.  When others left, he responded, "to whom shall we go?  Thou has the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).  When asked by Jesus, "but whom say ye that I am" he resolutely responded, "thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16).  He was promised to receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, receiving power to bind on heaven what he would bind on earth (Matthew 16:19).  He stood by the Savior as he was transfigured before the Father, witnessing the appearance also of Moses and Elijah.  In all this Peter was not yet what he would become.  He was allowed to have weaknesses and challenges to humble himself.  He was learning how to rely on the Lord.  He was admonished to let the children come unto Jesus, to forgive even to seven times seventy.  When unable to heal a man with an evil spirit he and his disciples were told to have faith as a mustard seed.  To the end of Jesus' mortal mission, Peter's spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.  He misunderstood the Lord's purpose for washing their feet.  At the last supper he boldly declared that he would never deny the Lord.  Jesus warned him that Satan desired to have him and that Jesus had prayed for him that his faith would not fail.  He then told him "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethern" (Luke 22:32).

What followed was likely regarded by Peter as the worst night of his life.  Jesus took him with James and John to the garden of Gethsemane.  The were admonished to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation.  Three times the Lord came back to find them sleeping while he suffered alone.  In the savior's greatest hour of need, Peter was not there to support him.  Immediately thereafter came Judas' betrayal.  Quick to show his willingness to standby his master, Peter drew his sword, cutting off the ear of one of the men who came for Jesus.  He was tenderly restrained and Jesus miraculously cured the man.  The soldiers took Jesus away to the High Priest, Caiaphas and all the disciples fled, though Peter followed from afar. Caiaphas accused Jesus of blasphemy to which he was answered not a word.  He then asked Jesus, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  While Jesus answered in the affirmative, Peter's previous declaration of the same rang somewhat hollow as he once then twice and finally three times denied being an associate of the man from Galilee.  Immediately the cock crew.  "And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.  And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow that shalt deny me thrice.  And Peter went out and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:61-62).  The man he had left his nets for, the man he had devoted his life to, the man he knew to be his savior was then taken, condemned, scoured and hanged on a cross.  I cannot imagine the depths of Peter's remorse.  He must have thought that all was lost.  I would imagine he thought that he had failed.

News of his sighting by Mary Magdalene three days hence must have come as a great shock.  He ran to the empty tomb.  Later, with the disciples, the Lord appeared to them all while they conversed among themselves.  They felt the marks in his hands and in his feet from the nails.  He talked with them and ate with them.  Still, Peter was unsure of what he should do, what direction he should take.  Like most of us would, he went back to doing what he knew best.  He went back to his nets.  One night while on the lake, a man from the shore called, telling the men to throw the nets on the other side of the boat.  As they did so, the nets filled again as they had only filled once before.  Peter, knowing immediately that it was Jesus, leaped into the water to get to the shore as quickly as possible.  That night, Peter's life changed forever, this time for the good.

While eating the fish together, Jesus turned to Peter and queried, "lovest thou me more than these [the fish]?"  Peter answered, "Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee."  Jesus answered, "feed my lambs."  Again Jesus looked at Peter and asked, "lovest thou me?" Again the answer, "yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.  This time came the injunction, "feed my sheep."  Fresh with the memory of his failure in his mind, Peter was asked one more time, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?  Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.   Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep" (John 21:14-17).  Just as he had denied Jesus thrice, the Lord blessed him with the opportunity to affirm his conviction three times as well.  From then on, Peter never wavered.  From the converting of thousands on the day of Pentecost, to the establishing and running of the Lord's church, to the healing of the lame man outside the temple Peter was truly changed.  He devoted the rest of his life to feeding the Lord's sheep.  His path was not easy.  Walking with the Savior stretched him to the limit.  Through his trials, Peter grew to know the Lord.  As one of His most trusted companions, he became an instrument in the hands of the master.  His flesh became as strong as his spirit was willing.  Never again would his devotion to his savior be questioned.  Peter had become a man of God.

Receiving His Image

A well known story by an unknown author reads as follows:

A woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

 As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that Yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’

He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’

In my quest to know the Savior, I have concluded that we know Jesus best when we put ourselves in his hands and allow Him to work with us.  It is never easy to be held to the refining fire of repentance and adversity but He will make of us more than we can ever make of ourselves.  It is only by wholly giving ourselves over to him that we can “receive his image in our countenances” (see Alma 5: 14).  He will guide us in the changes we need to make in our lives.  He will lead us to the people whom we can influence for good.  We will be changed, converted, even born again.  Our prayers will change from self centered seires of requests to that of earnestly seeking the will of the Lord in our life.  A modern day apostle of the Lord said the following:

“The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing” (Elder David A. Bednar).

When we seek God’s will above our own He is able to imbue us with more of his power.  To the prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon he declared:

“Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou has with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people.  And thou hast not feared them, and hast no sought thine own life, but has sought my will, and to keep my commandments.  And now, because thou has done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee might in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will” (Helaman 10:4-5).

Ultimately when we know the Lord so well that we can make his will our own and he knows and trusts us that we will do so, we will live our life on a higher, eternal plane.  It will never be easy but it will be filled with the joy of walking side by side with our friend, our companion, our redeemer.  Even Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

"I Know God"

Elizabeth Read

There once existed in London, a small bookshop owned by the Read family in the early 1850's.  They lived in the back of the shop with their five children.  In my minds eye, I  imagine them going to school, reading books in the evening and gathering for meals.  During one of these meals, two young men from America came knocking at their door.  They said they had a message to share about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The family replied that they were not interested but invited them in to share their evening meal.  As they spoke that night, Elizabeth, the mother, became more interested.  There was something about these two young men and she felt a desire to know more.  They returned, eventually teaching the whole family, save the older two teenage children.  As the family listened to the message of the "restored gospel" and read their literature, especially the Book of Mormon, a spiritual account of an ancient American civilization, they felt the spirit of the Lord touch their hearts and desired to join this new church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Life was not easy following their decision.  Many people stopped frequenting their store.  The children were mocked in school.  Elizabeth took to doing laundry to help support the family.  The older two children could not understand the choice their parents had made and became angry.  In time, the Reads made the decision to emigrate to America and join with other "saints" (members of the church) in the Salt Lake Valley.  Heartbroken, they said goodbye to the older children, who refused to come, and set sail for America.  From New York, they mostly traveled by train to Iowa City.  There the church had organized companies of handcarts that would travel the 1000 miles across the plains.  

Assembled Handcarts

They joined the Martin Handcart Company.  The number of saints that had come to America had been greater than anticipated and many of the supplies had been exhausted.  They were the last group to organize that year and were delayed several precious weeks waiting for new carts to be assembled.  The task before them was daunting but they were "filled with the spirit of gathering."  Anxiously, the set off.  Tragedy hit the Read family early on.  Walter, the youngest, turned nine on the trail.  There was a strict rule that children must stay with their family.  However, Walter loved to watch the men drive the cattle and begged and begged to be allowed to go up ahead and do so.  Being his birthday, his parents gave him permission.  After some time, Walter grew tired and found some shade under a bush to wait for his family.  He promptly fell asleep.  The whole company passed by unawares.  That evening when the Reads went to look for Walter he was nowhere to be found.  They counseled with the leaders of the company who decided that given the lateness of the season, they could not afford to wait.  Walter's father, Sam, was given a horse and he returned to look for the child.  Walter was eventually found but it took Sam months to do so.  Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her two daughters, Alicia (11) and Thisbe (9) continued on alone.  

Being Rescued

Mile after foot numbing mile passed.  Their worst fears came to pass as the mountain snows hit early that year. In some places they had to break through the ice to cross treacherous rivers.  It was in one of those that little Thisbe rushed into the frigid water, trying to steady their cart that threatened to turn over in the current.  She became soaked to the bone and nearly died from exposure.  High in the mountain passes of Wyoming the company could go no further.  Many weakened and died.  Through the heroic efforts of men sent from Salt Lake, the company was rescued.  Food was delivered and they were brought to the point where wagons could deliver them the rest of the way to the Salt Lake Valley.  


Safe at last, Elizabeth's thoughts turned to her children in London.  She wrote them a letter and detailed all that had transpired.  Sharing it first with her two girls, Alicia responded, “they’ll say, ‘We knew it was a mistake to gather to Zion.’ They’ll be glad they stayed home. They’ll think that the Lord deserted us.”

Woodcarving depicting Elizabeth, Alicia and Thisbe

“He didn’t” Thisbe said stoutly.


“He didn’t,” Ma agreed. Then she wrote again:


“My dear children, we have suffered beyond anything you can imagine. We have seen our comrades weaken and die and be buried in trenches of snow. But in all this suffering we have come face to face with God. It was God who upheld us when our weary bodies would have given up the ghost. It was God who preserved Thisbe to us when it seemed that she would never live. Yes, my children, for the first time in my life I know God. I know that He hears our prayers, and that in His wisdom all is for the best” (The Tempered Wind, Chapter 7).

Yes, Elizabeth is my great-great-great grandmother, passing then through Thisbe.  The legacy of strong faith and strong women runs deep in my family.  In my next post, I'll explore more what it means to know God in the midst of our trials and afflictions.

Knowing the Master

One of the greatest sermons ever given was by a faithful leader of a nation, King Benjamin.  Knowing his time was short on the earth, he gathered his people around him to impart of that which he considered to be of greatest worth.  He taught and testified of he who was the King of Kings, the only one who could lead them in this life and the next, even Jesus Christ.  In his concluding remarks he said the following:

"I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you" (Mosiah 5:12).

Certainly, participating in the holy ordinance of the sacrament blesses us with the promise that if "we will always remember him, we will have his spirit to be with us" (see Doctrine & Covenants 20:77,79).  As important as the sacrament is to maintaining a spiritual nature and knowing God, it does not tell us how to remember him always, it only tells us that we should.  In the next verse, King Benjamin reveals the key to knowing and remembering.  He says:

"For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13)."

In a previous post entitled, "That They Might Know Thee," I wrote about my desires as a young man to know the Savior. I studied, I pondered, I prayed. All of my efforts felt good but I still felt that I lacked something else.  During this time I decided to serve a full time mission for my church.  I was asked to teach the people of Guatemala.  As I immersed myself in the language, the culture but most importantly the people that I met, I grew to love them more and more.  There were many challenges and days of discouragement but when we could teach of Jesus Christ and see the change that came into their lives, I felt pure joy.  My own personal desires seemed less important.  In a quiet moment after I had completed my missionary service I felt the loving assurance of my savior.  I was reminded of those whom I had taught and realized that Jesus had been with me each and every time.  By losing myself in his service, I had found what I had been looking for all along.  It was only by serving with him that I grew to know him.

The Bridegroom

Even worse than facing the Savior some day and not knowing or recognizing him would be to reach him and have him declare that he never knew us.  The words in Matthew are sobering:

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus is clearly telling us that it takes more than just declaring that he is our Savior.  We must do his Father's will.  He likens those that profess without doing to a man who built his house upon the sand.  We all remember the song from our childhood, "the rains came down and the floods came up...and the house on the sand washed away."  The simple but powerful message that even a child can understand is that we need to build our house on the rock.  The Book of Mormon prophet, Helaman taught his sons this important message, saying:

"And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when then devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12).

More than just professing his name it is by doing his will that he becomes our rock.  After his resurrection he appeared to his apostles, broke bread with them and instructed them.  He also appeared to his disciples on the American Continent and uttered these words,  

"This is my doctrine, ...whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved...and whosoever buildeth upon this, buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them" (3 Nephi 11:32, 39).  His will is that we come unto him, accessing his atonement so that we may be cleansed from all sin through his great sacrifice.  He has asked us to repent in faith and then to publicly seal our devotion to him through the sacred order of baptism.  It is not unlike the promise that a man and woman make when they decide to formalize their love through the marriage ordinance.  Such an act entails a higher level of commitment and teaches us more fully of our relationship with Him, he who is our bridegroom.

Baptism is just the beginning of our relationship with the Lord.  Day by day as we seek to know his will and do it, we walk with him, we talk with him, we know him.

I Will Give Away All My Sins to Know Thee

I love the story in the Book of Mormon regarding the King of the Lamanites.  We are not even told his name but know that he was the father of Lamoni, a lesser king.  He led a blood thirsty people who knew not God nor his dealings. Through the grace of God and the diligence and faith of young missionaries brothers, Lamoni was converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The King was so impressed with the love that these missionaries showed to his son, even in the face of death, that he wanted to know what it was that gave them this great power.  One of the sons, Aaron, began to teach him, starting with the creation of the world and of our first father, Adam.  He taught him of eternal life through the atonement of Jesus Christ.  The king, desiring such a gift, asked him, "What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou has spoken?  Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted our of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?  Behold, said he, I will give up all that I posses, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy" (Alma 22:15).  Aaron taught him that he must call on God and repent of his sins.  What follows is one of the most heartfelt, tender prayers recorded in sacred writ.  "O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day" (vs. 18).

Two parts of this prayer stand out to me. In his question to Aaron, his desire was to have eternal life and he was willing to give up temporal possessions to obtain it.  When he called upon God, his request changed.  He understood through the spirit that eternal life is knowing God (see John 3:17) and that it is not bought with silver and gold but is accessed through the atonement by the repenting of our sins.  For many of us, our sins are as our proudest possessions.  Ones we are quite reluctant to part with.  Indeed they are as deep seated weeds, needing to be "rooted" out of our breasts.  We cannot do this alone.  It is only through the grace of our Lord that it can be done.  Each time we come to him through the atonement, we come to know him.  Step by tiny step, he purifies us and sanctifies us.  The reason why we can come to know him is because he is making us more like him.  This process takes a lifetime and will not be complete in mortality.  It does take all of our effort.  It takes giving up all of our sins.

Did Our Hearts Not Burn Within Us?

I love the story of the Savior walking with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus.  They were obviously distraught over all that had happened in the days following the crucifixtion.  Luke tell us that as they talked and communed over those events, "Jesus himself drew near, and went with them" (Luke 24:15).  Much like the story in my previous post, he essentially asked them what they knew of him, Jesus.  They dutifully recited many of his accomplishments, ending with the wistful, "but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel" (vs. 21).  He then expounded unto them all things pertaining to him from the beginning as written by Moses and all the holy prophets.  What a great Sunday School lesson that must have been!  They asked him to tarry with them that evening.  They sat to eat.  He took bread and brake it and blessed it "and their eyes were open, and they knew him" (vs. 31).  


How was it that these men, his disciples, could not recognize him as they walked with him?  What was it about breaking bread with the him that made the difference?  As in a previous post entitled, "The Bread of Life," when we partake of the Lord's supper as outlined by him we promise that we will always remember him.  In return he promises us that his spirit will be with us always.  By renewing our covenants with the Lord, we participate in his atonement for us.  I believe that it is in this process that we come to know the Lord.  It starts with repentance and continues through the sacrament.  When we feel his spirit with us, we feel him.  "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he open ed to us the scriptures? (vs. 32)," asked his disciples after he left from their presence.  

"That They Might Know Thee"

As a young teenager, one of my Sunday school teachers told us a hypothetical story that had a profound impact on me.  He told of us of a righteous man who died and found himself in a room sitting in front of man who asked him just one question, "What do you know of Jesus Christ?"  He stated that he didn't know much but he could remember from occasionally going to church that he was God's son.  He knew that he died on the cross and was born of Mary.  The man politely thanked him and ask him to go through a door on the other side of the room.  The next man to appear in the room was asked the same question.  He, being a leader in his church, had studied the scriptures extensively.  He talked of Jesus being foreordained by the Father before the foundation of the earth, of him offering to fulfill the Father's will and come to the earth as our Savior.  He described how he was chosen over Lucifer, who would receive all the glory by forcing all men to follow his will.  He described how his birth was proclaimed through the ages by prophets and later angels of glory.  He was able to talk of his life, the miracles that he performed, the parables that he taught, the love he portrayed.  He talked of his betrayal, his crucifixion and then of his glorious resurrection.  He talked of Jesus returning to earth in a glorious resurrected body and appearing to apostles and prophets, both ancient and modern.  He spoke of the prophecies of his return to the earth in great glory at his second coming.  In short, he knew all about Jesus.  The man at the table looked him in the eye, tenderly thanked him and asked him to exit through one of the doors.  Lastly, a humble man who struggled in life came to meet the man.  He had lost his wife and raised his children as best he could.  He struggled to overcome certain habits.  He was not much for public speaking.  He couldn't explain all things the previous man had but the scriptures had been a source of strength and peace.  He had spent many hours on his knees pleading for forgiveness, asking for support.  As he entered the room he saw the man, and being overcome, sank to his knees crying, "My Lord, My God." This man knew Jesus.

My teacher asked us, "Will you recognize Jesus when you meet him?"  The question has burned in my heart and mind for years and for a long time the answer was, "I don't think I could."  I had a longing to feel a closeness to him, to really know him, not just know of him.  I pondered, prayed and searched the scriptures to know him.  Those methods were all good but insufficient.  Through certain experiences in my life that I am not quite ready to share in the forum of a blog, I now know that when I am in the presence of Jesus I will know him.  I will recognize the feeling of being in his presence because though I have not seen him with my physical eyes, I have felt his arms of love wrapped around me, my soul has been filled by his spirit, the scales of darkness over my understanding have been lifted as his spirit have taught me things that I never before knew.  In the weeks to come I hope to share my thoughts and experiences through scriptural verses that talk of knowing the Lord.  I can think of nothing more important, for as he prayed to his Father, "And this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3)."

Touching Lives

My thoughts this week have pondered the response to Osama Bin Laden's death.  I can remember seeing patients in the hospital that fateful morning nearly ten years ago and seeing the first pictures of the towers in flames.  As I drove to my office I thought of the suffering of those poor people who lost their lives.  Tears streamed down my face as I thought, "who could be so evil that they would consider this to be a just cause?"  Just this week, on NPR's story corp, I listened to the account of a woman who recounted spending the last 30 minutes of her husband's life on the phone with him.  There was no way out.  She longed to climb through the phone line to be with him.  As she heard the avalanche of the tower collapse around him and the deafening silence that followed, she weeped, holding the phone to her heart, repeating his name over and over.  She is just one of many thousands of people that were hurt by Bin Laden's actions.  For their sake, I am glad that justice was served.  That said, I find no cause for celebration, only for somber reflection.

Mr. Mark Wade, Teacher
Parkway South High School

There was another life that ended all too soon this week.  This individual also affected the lives of thousands of people but in a far different way.  My son's math teacher died suddenly of a heart attack on nearly the same day of Bin Laden's death.  Mr. Wade taught for thirty years.  He is beloved by his students and members of the golf team for which he was the coach.  My older daughter commented that he recently stopped her in the hall, calling her by name and asked about her upcoming college choices.  She has not had him as a teacher for three years.  He went beyond teaching just math concepts, he lived kindness.  Though Bin Laden's image graced the front page of the papers, I trust that Mr. Wade's influence will have made a more lasting impression on the lives of those he touched.  I choose to celebrate his life and the way in which he lived.  His goodness is a reflection of God's.  It is by following the example of the Savior in forgiving and cleaving unto goodness that we will find inner peace for our soul and world peace for us all.  From the words of the hymn:

In remembrance
Parkway South High School

Each life that touches ours for good

Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;

Thou sendest blessing from above

Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,

What greater goodness can we know

Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways

Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs,

We hold forever in our hearts

A sweet and hallowed memory,

Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

Karen Lynn Davidson,  copyright 1985

Let No Man Put Asunder

I find it interesting that after God placed Adam in the garden of Eden, he immediately knew that our first father was in over his head and needed help.  It was never God's intention that his children go through life alone.  In the beginning as recorded in Genesis, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27).  We were sent to this earth in families, to form families.  "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).  Of that union, sealed by God himself, Jesus admonished, "what therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6).  God's power and authority binds not just on earth but also in heaven (see Matthew 16:19).  He doesn't intend for the union of a couple to be "until death do you part," but "for time and for all eternity."  I attended a ceremony this week where those precious words were uttered for a dear friend.  She now has the promise of spending eternity with her husband.  What a glorious future.  What a divine promise.

The Pure Love of Christ

"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25).  Intended as a question to trap Jesus into a theological argument and debate, this question served as one of the most powerful teaching moments recorded in the bible.  Jesus answered simply, "What is written in the law?" (vs. 26).  The well read lawyer replied astutely, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself" (vs. 27).  Jesus concurred, replying, "this do, and thou shalt live" (vs. 28).  The lawyer was not ready to let this debate fizzle so quickly and prodded Jesus saying, "And who is my neighbor?" (vs. 29).  What follows is the parable of the good Samaritan.  It is so well known that a small child can recite it and know what it teaches.  There is symbolism inherit in the parable that can be understand on many levels (see The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols).  What I would like to focus on is how the love required for eternal life is so much more than a feeling, it is a principle of action.

The lawyer knew what he needed to do, Jesus encouraged him by saying "this do."  The good Samaritan didn't just feel love for the beaten man on the road, he showed his love and compassion.  In ancient america, we read of a group of people who were led by a righteous king that taught them of Christ, many years before his coming.  They were so deeply touched by King Benjamin's teachings that they covenanted to be called by the name of Jesus and live accordingly.  The result of their actions was so profound that it is recorded that "there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years" (Mosiah 6:7).  Recently, my young son and I read that verse together and he commented, "wouldn't that be great if we had that in the United States?"  I answered, "Wouldn't that be great if we had that in our family?"  Later that night, in response to a sibling exchange I asked, "who here is trying to avoid contention?"  My son, remembering the verse, answered, "I am," and the issue instantly passed.  It struck me that the power of God's love through his word is so much more than making us feel good inside, it is the power to act and to change.  It is the force by which true conversion happens.

I have pondered in the past how it is that Jesus could have taken upon himself all of our sins and burdens in the atonement.  I don't know that I can say exactly how this happened but I feel strongly that the driving force that made it possible was God's love for each of us. It was by love that the Father sent his son unto the world for us (see John 3:16).  The Prophet Moroni defines this love as charity, calling it "the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47).  He goes on to implore us to seek this divine gift, saying, "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he has bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ" (vs. 48).  Profoundly he then explains that through this charity, "when He [Jesus] shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (vs. 48).  The gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful not because of who we are but who we can become through the grace of our Lord.  As hearers of the word we turn our hearts to God.  As doers of the word, we change our behavior and beginning the conversion process.  As we incorporate the love of Jesus into every fiber of our being and turn our souls over to him, He completes our transformation, making us joint heirs with him in the kingdom of our Father (see Romans 8:17). This is the life that he offers us, the life more abundant (see John 10:10).  This is the miracle of Easter.

The Holy One of Israel

I have always felt like there was more to the story of the Canaan woman who came to the Savior asking for him to heal her daughter.  At first he wouldn't even answer her.  She apparently was rather persistent because after awhile, his disciples begged him to send her away, "for she crieth after us" (Matthew 15:23).  His response was a rather cool, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (vs. 24).  Imploringly she answered, "Lord, help me" (vs. 25).  His next reply is the one that I've always had a problem with.  He flatly states, "It is not meat to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs" (vs. 26).  I am pretty sure that comparing a woman to a dog was about as disrespectful then as it is now.  To her credit, she is not offended but humbly answers, "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (vs. 27).  Touched by her reply, He answers, "Oh, woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (vs. 28).  Why did Jesus answer the way that he did?  Was he not sent to all the world, not just the house of Israel? Specifically I am thinking of John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoso believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

Let me share with you some of the insights that came to me as I continued to read in Matthew, chapter 15.  The very next story is of Jesus preaching to a great multitude of people.  The men alone numbered 4,000 souls.  Due to the geography it is safe to assume that most of them were not of the house of Israel but were Gentiles.  There is no mention of them being called dogs.  In fact after three days of preaching, he turned to his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude...I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way" (Matthew 15:32).  He then, much as he did with a previous group of 5,000 Israelites, had them sit down while he thanked God for the seven loaves of bread, blessed them, broke them and fed all that were there.  Again, the crumbs were gathered up and were enough to fill seven baskets.  I paused to think on the number of baskets remaining.  In the previous setting of Israelites there were twelve baskets extra.  I could see those baskets symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles who are called as special witnesses of Jesus Christ.  What about seven?  I then thought of the quorum of the seventy.  In Luke, chapter 10 it discusses the formation of this group whom he sent out two by two to preach his word.  In modern revelations we are instructed that there are to be up to seven quorums or groups of seventy, who are "to be traveling ministers, unto the Gentiles first and also unto the Jews" (Doctrine & Covenants 107: 96-97).

At this point, my mind was starting to turn things over.  Going back to the original verses in Matthew I saw that after Jesus had healed those of the 4,000, they "glorified the God of Israel" (Matthew 15:31).  Likewise, the Gentile woman's fortunes changed after she recognized Israel as her master.  Jesus indeed was sent to all the world, but he was not sent to save us in our sins but from our sins.  (see Helaman 5:10).  We must first witness that he is the Christ, the anointed one of Israel.  When we are baptized into his church we receive his covenant or testament that He has made to Israel dating back to Father Abraham and even Adam.  (see Doctrine & Covenants 84:33-35).  As stated in my earlier blog, the miracle of the loaves foreshadows the miracle of partaking of the ordinance of the sacrament, which he declared is the "new testament" (Matthew 26:28).

Going back to the Gentile woman, he could have healed her daughter, but by teaching her that salvation comes through the house of Israel, he showed her the path by which true healing occurs. He is "the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by [him]" (John 14:6).  Indeed, He is the Holy One of Israel (2 Nephi 9:41).