Doctrine and Covenants 121-123
“O God Where Art Thou”
October 20 - October 26
scripture
quotes
Finding those Who Need the Gospel
<p>In modern revelation, the Lord has told us that “there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded … and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (D&C 123:12). When we are standing as “witnesses of God at all times and in all things” (Mosiah 18:9). the Lord will open ways for us to find and have appropriate communications with those who are seeking. This will come when we seek direction and when we act out of a sincere and Christlike love for others.</p> <p>The Lord loves all of His children. He desires that all have the fulness of His truth and the abundance of His blessings. He knows when they are ready, and He wants us to hear and heed His directions on sharing His gospel. When we do so, those who are prepared will respond to the message of Him who said, “My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me” (John 10:27).</p>
Dallin H. Oaks, “Sharing the Gospel”, October 2001 General Conference
Hold Up The Light
<p>“Brothers and sisters, ‘there are many … among all … parties, [sects,] and denominations … who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.’ The need to hold up our light has never been greater in all human history. And the truth has never been more accessible. Jimmy Ton, who grew up Buddhist, was impressed by a family who shared their life on YouTube. When he learned that they were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he studied the gospel online by himself, read the Book of Mormon using the app, and was baptized after meeting with the missionaries in college. Elder Ton is now a full-time missionary himself. ... The gathering of Israel—the greatest cause on this earth—is our covenant responsibility. And this is our time! My invitation today is simple: share the gospel. Be you and hold up the light. Pray for heaven’s help and follow spiritual promptings. Share your life normally and naturally; invite another person to come and see, to come and help, and to come and belong. And then rejoice as you and those you love receive the promised blessings.”</p>
Marcus B. Nash, “Hold Up Your Light,” October 2021 General Conference
When Blessings Come
<p>“When you receive any blessing from God, you can conclude that you have complied with an eternal law governing reception of that blessing. But remember that the ‘irrevocably decreed’ law is time insensitive, meaning blessings come on God’s timetable. Even ancient prophets in search of their heavenly home ‘died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off … [and] were persuaded … and embraced them.’ If a desired blessing from God has not been received—yet—you do not need to go crazy, wondering what more you need to do. Instead, heed Joseph Smith’s counsel to ‘cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power; and then … stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the … arm [of God] … revealed.’ Some blessings are reserved for later, even for the most valiant of God’s children.”</p>
Dale G. Renlund, “Abound with Blessings,” April 2019 General Conference
Your Efforts Will Be Magnified
<p>“You can have the utmost assurance that your power will be multiplied many times by the Lord. All He asks is that you give your best effort and your whole heart. Do it cheerfully and with the prayer of faith. The Father and His Beloved Son will send the Holy Ghost as your companion to guide you. Your efforts will be magnified in the lives of the people you serve. And when you look back on what may now seem trying times of service and sacrifice, the sacrifice will have become a blessing, and you will know that you have seen the arm of God lifting those you served for Him, and lifting you.”</p>
Henry B. Eyring, “Rise to Your Call,” October 2002 General Conference
commentary
Section 123 Context
<p>Section 123 is in Joseph’s voice, not the Lord’s. It comes from a long letter composed in jail at Liberty, Missouri. It does not claim to be revelation, but it was nevertheless valuable counsel from the Prophet for the Saints to document the injustices and atrocities they endured in Missouri in order to assert their First Amendment rights to petition the government to redress grievances. </p> <p>In section 123 Joseph repeatedly says that documenting what happened to the Saints in Missouri is “an imperative duty” they owed to God, angels, each other, those who were murdered, the rising generation, “and to all the pure in heart” (D&C 123:7, 9, 11). In powerful, metaphor-rich language, Joseph and his brethren urge the Saints to attend to this important matter. Joseph was not certain that the government would respond to the petitions, but he knew the Lord required the Saints to do all in their power, including this “last effort” to obtain justice, before He would “send forth the power of his mighty arm” (v. 6). </p> <p>In response to Joseph’s suggestion, 678 Latter-day Saints wrote or dictated sworn statements documenting the abuses they suffered and property they lost in Missouri. In the fall of 1839, having escaped from Missouri, Joseph took the documents to the president of the United States. He literally knocked on the door of the White House and asked to see Martin Van Buren, whom Joseph had supported. Joseph presented the petitions and Van Buren, facing an election year, responded, “What can I do? I can do nothing for you! If I do anything, I shall come in contact with the whole state of Missouri.” Joseph turned to the Illinois congressional delegation for help in appealing to Congress. President Martin Van Buren pled impotence on the federalist doctrine of limited powers. He could not constitutionally intervene in a state matter, he said. The Senate referred the case to the Judiciary Committee, which, with pressure from Missouri, arrived at the same conclusion, knowing that the Saints had been driven for their religion. There would be no justice, no redress of grievances or guarantees of the free exercise of religious conscience. </p> <p>The documentation of abuses “did have a long term effect on Mormonism’s public image. … The accounts of the persecutions turned the expulsion from Missouri into an asset in the battle for popular support.” The redress petitions were turned over to the Library of Congress, where they remain to this day as a testimony of “diabolical rascality and nefarious and murderous impositions that have been practiced upon this people” (D&C 123:5).<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Clark V. Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833–1838 Missouri Conflict (Provo: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1992).</p> </div>
D&C Contexts by Steven C. Harper
