PROMISES

 

The most endearing story of Father Abraham is the one, according to Jewish tradition, of his death. He was 175 years old. It was the Feast of Weeks celebration and both Isaac and Ishmael had come to Hebron with their families to celebrate the Feast with their father. During the feast, Abraham praised his creator in thanksgiving and among other things asked that God’s mercy and peace be upon the posterity of his sons ‘that they may be a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth’. This was no doubt in reference to the covenant which God had made with him (Genesis 13).

During the feast, Abraham called Jacob, ‘the chosen patriarch heir with the authority to establish Zion over all the earth’ and invoked the blessings of heaven upon him and his seed forever. And this is the tender part of Abraham’s death. Jacob and Abraham laid down together on one bed and ‘Jacob slept in the bosom of Abraham, who kissed him seven times and his heart rejoiced over him and he pronounced another blessing upon his head. He then ‘blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face, and stretched out his feet and slept the sleep of eternity, and was gathered to his fathers’ (Jubilees 22:26-30, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, 2:47; as quoted in The Blessings of Abraham by E. Douglas Clerk, p 232, 233).

It touches me to tears that Abraham died with Jacob in his arms because Jacob would be the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that through him the blessings of the priesthood would be given to all the nations of the earth. Abraham waited 37 years for the promise of Isaac and he didn’t live to see his posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth, as promised (Abraham 2:8-14; Genesis 13:16), but he trusted that through his grandson Jacob this promise would be fulfilled. It’s an incredibly touching story of patience and faithfulness.

Abraham stands as an example of everything we stand to gain if we remain faithful at all odds. From his youth in the land of Chaldeans to his valiant death in Hebron, Abraham held fast to the promise the Lord gave him that through him will all the nations of the earth be blessed (Abraham 2:9-11). I cannot think of anyone that deserved more to be called The Father of The Faithful (D&C 139:41) and the Friend of God (James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8). What kind of a man would you have to be for God to make such a covenant with you? An exceedingly faithful one.

In his great discourse on faith, apostle Paul spoke of valiant saints, such as Abraham, who wandered the earth as strangers and pilgrims and died ‘not having received the promises’ (Hebrews 11:13, 38,39). Very often we want fulfilment of all our dreams and all the Lord has promised us, here and now, and we forget that this life is not a life for fulfilment. May we for now, do the works of Abraham (D&C 132:32) and be patient enough to abide this world of sorrow, disillusionment and imperfection that we, being the posterity of the Father of the Faithful, might one day ‘enter into our exaltation and sit upon our throne’, even as Abraham (D&C 132:29, 32).

The Saviour ALWAYS fulfils His promises. Mormon testified of this throughout the Book of Mormon with phrases such as 'all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled' and 'God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words' (Mosiah 21:4; Alma 37:16; 50:19; Mormon 1:19; Helaman 4:21; Ether 15:3; Words of Mormon 1:4; 3 Nephi 1:13,20; Mosiah 21:4; Alma). If a promise is not forthcoming, we need to reflect on our role in its’ fulfilment more than on a God who cannot lie. Sometimes it’s a matter of our worthiness or our fears (D&C 67:1-3), sometimes not in the way we expect, and oftentimes it is simply God’s timing and our necessary growth.

May we be faithful and believe in the God who fulfils all His promises……the Saviour Jesus Christ, the Rock of Our Salvation……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Rock of Our Salvation by Jay Bryant Ward)

ABSENCE OF FEAR

"Legend has it that one day a man was walking in the desert when he met Fear and Plague. They said they were on their way to a city to kill 10,000 people. The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work. Plague smiled and said, 'No, I'll take care of only a few hundred. I'll let my friend Fear do the rest'."   -  Author unknown


During some of the toughest persecutions experienced by the saints in the meridian of times Apostle Paul wrote tirelessly to the Church exhorting the members to faithfulness and endurance. During his second imprisonment in Rome and just prior to his martyrdom, Paul wrote his second epistle to Timothy which stands as 'one of the great monuments to faith and hope in the face of loneliness and adversity' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 375). One of the most profound things he said in this letter had reference to fear: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). This statement should become the creed by which we, the saints of this dispensation, live by because we live in a world filled with turmoil, uncertainty, calamities and strife. We who are living during the winding up scenes of this earth's 6,000 years of time are living during the best and the worst of times. Before the Saviour comes again to personally reign for a thousand years we will experience some of the most intense trials of all dispensations that will drive fear into the hearts of all who will stand as witnesses of such times. Discoursing on the signs that will precede the Second Coming, the Saviour described the condition of our day: "And they shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars....for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (JSM 1:28,29).

This scripture is a very accurate description of our world today for "nations and kingdoms and peoples are at war all over the globe. The D&C 45 version of this discourse says that men "will take up the sword (or its modern equivalent) one against another" (vs 23). We see this as people fight among their own without regard to any living person; and this, according to Christ, is due to the hardening of their hearts. There will be commotions and desolations as we just read that will come in the form of famines, pestilences, disasters and earthquakes. Such events have increased dramatically in just our lifetime. The D&C version also indicates that these wars and catastrophes will increase until "the whole earth shall be in commotion" which will cause "men's hearts to fail them" (vs 26). We already see the beginning of a general feeling of hopelessness, despondency, depression and despair among many in the world today. This, for instance, is one of the primary purposes of terrorists - to strike a feeling of fear and hopelessness in others - and this will only increase" (Larry D. Keeler, If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear (Now Is the Time to Prepare), p.3). Like the civilizations of old we allow and even foster 'secret combinations' within our societies which drive fear into the inhabitants of the whole earth. These are our modern day 'Gadianton Robbers' who seek power by inducing fear for the purpose of controlling countries and nations in upholding Satan's plan of destruction of the plan of salvation.

Perilous times equal fear. For this reason the Saviour chose to make the signs of the times known to us who follow His teachings. He said He did so for the 'elect's sake' (JSM 1:29), 'elect' meaning those who have taken upon themselves His name through the covenant of baptism. In His infinite mercy, the Saviour wanted us to have hope of the promises He has made so that we would not be troubled and fearful of the present: "Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled" (D&C 45:35). In other words, instead of fearing the calamities, rejoice that the end is fast approaching and the promises of something better are about to be fulfilled. Here are a few priceless promises made to the faithful who watch for the signs of His coming:

1. We can have peace in the midst of turmoil of the world and live without fear.
2. We can be assured that in the coming destruction of the world, we will be caught up to escape the baptism of fire for it is written 'that in the last days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left' (Matt 24:40-41).
3. We can be assured a place in His Kingdom after this life, which He promised when He said to His disciples: "In my Father's house are many mansions: I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2)

An absence of fear equals a brighteness of hope. Hope and fear cannot co-exist for one will always dispel the other. If we choose not to fear, should we not hope for something better? Considering the bleakness of today's world, can we not rejoice when contemplating the promise of eternal life in Christ's Kingdom of which John the Beloved said: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice of of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev 21:1-4). Can we not in the absence of fear, have an abundance of hope in the Prince of Peace who can indeed dry all tears from our eyes and give us splendour and glory after the valley of shadow and death?

The greatest promise of all that we have been given is to receive the Second Comforter while still in mortality. The Prophet Joseph Smith has said that this is a reality for every faithful and worthy Latter-Day Saint who continues to humble himself before God; who hungers and thirsts after righteousness; and who lives by every word of God. Once a person has proven through his faithfulness that he will serve God at all cost, the Saviour Himself will come to Him and even manifest the Father to him, "and the Lord will teach him face to face" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150-151, 298). Can we not be lifted up above fear when we hear the Saviour's divine promise such as this: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you....I will love [you], and will manifest myself to [you]....and my Father will love [you] and we will come unto [you] and make our abode with [you] (John 14:18, 21, 23). This promise is, firstly, that the Son and the Father will visit us in person; and secondly, that we can receive from Him an assurance while still in mortality that we will be exalted. This divine promise is given even though we are not yet perfect. This promise means that the Lord knows the innermost desires of our hearts and will assure us divine tutoring beyond the grave that will qualify us for exaltation. Joseph Smith himself received this promise: "For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father" (D&C 132:49)

What could we possibly fear if we had an assurance of exaltation and if we knew the Saviour was bringing with Him at His appearing the fulfillment of all His wondrous promises? No earthquake, no flood, no act of terrorism could possibly consume us with fear. We are children of the promise, the elect of the covenant, who have everything to hope for. We are here but for a moment; a moment of learning, a moment of faith, a moment of preparation. As we witness the fulfillment of the signs of the times may we be propelled to urgent preparation to meet our Maker and may we be like John the Beloved,to whom the Saviour gave a glorious vision of the Second Coming and following which He said: "Surely, I come quickly", meaning quickly after all has been fulfilled and to which John simply replied: 

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus"

(Rev 22:20)

A special thanks to my good friend Larry D. Keeler from whom I learnt most of what I posted here and his insightful talk entitled "If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear" on which this post was based.

HE WHO HAS PAVED THE WAY

The Inspired Version of the Bible records that at the onset of His mortal ministry and following His baptism, Jesus was 'led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God': "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered and was left to be tempted of the devil" (Matthew 4:1,2, Inspired Version, italics added). In the King James Version of the Bible, it is recorded that he was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Bruce R. McConkie makes it clear that this was not the case: "Jesus did not go into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil; righteous men do not seek out temptation. He went 'to be with God'. Probably he was visited by the Father, without question he received transcendent spiritual manifestations. The temptations came after he 'had communed with God', 'after forty days.' (McConkie, DNTC, 1:128; see also Mosiah 3:7). The King James Version in Matthew 4 continues to record that Jesus was taken by the devil here and there to be tempted of him. The Inspired Version constantly corrects this in the footnotes stating that the Spirit took Jesus and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and an exceedingly high mountain to show him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. This is an extremely important point we need to take notice of. If we did not have the Inspired Version we would be convinced by the erroneous account of the King James Version that the devil had the upper hand with Jesus and that he has the upper hand with us. This is simply not true. The devil has no upper hand in anything. He is simply an upstart and an outcast. He has no power over the children of men except what they give him. He cannot take away anyone's agency or make anyone do his bidding and he most certainly cannot take us anywhere. His only dominion lies in temptation. That is the extent of his power.

I heard an evangelist say on TV recently that the adversary has no power on his best day to take us out on our worst day. This is a sobering thought considering he is so well practiced and considering how well he knows us from pre-existence and from observation. Unknowingly we have taught him where our worst weaknesses lay by our repeated misuse of agency. He knows the traps, the pitfalls, human foibles and all weaknesses. So how can we be more powerful than him? Because of two things:

1. We have a body. This is our biggest advantage. We have kept our first estate and now we are on the second leg of our eternal journey. We stand to gain eternal life. He has already lost that chance. He stands to gain nothing for when all this is over he will be nothing. Isaiah said this of him: "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?" (Isaiah 14:15,16). In the end Satan will be stripped of the limited power he now has and his reign of horror on this earth will be over. For now he is considered 'the god of this world' but he will once again be just an outcast. 
2. We have once before chosen the God of Glory over Lucifer. We have the power to continue to choose Him who delivers us from the sting of sin and death and offers us ultimate freedom. When God revealed Himself to Moses, Moses beheld His glory and was taught of his divine origin as God repeatedly called him, 'Moses, my son'. When God withdrew, the devil appeared on the scene and wanted to be worshipped also. True to his character, he sought to make Moses believe he was lesser than he was by calling him 'son of man' (Moses 1:12). Satan knew that if Moses believed he was the son of God, he would also believe that he had God's power at his fingertips and could therefore resist him. Moses was not to be confused, however, and he pointed out to Satan that he had no glory, only darkness, and therefore he had no power over him (1 Moses:15) and by his conviction he was able to cast him out of his presence. When Jesus resisted the three temptations of the devil He proved to those who follow Him that all power to overcome lay within Him. We as his followers and disciples, through our faith on Him and by the virtue of our agency, have access to this power to overcome and conquer the enemy of all righteousness.

It was after the Saviour had made his covenants with the Father through baptism that Satan came to tempt Him. So it is with us. Often when we are baptised into the Church, we think we are safe and have 'arrived'. Nothing could be further from the truth. The adversary will work on us, the covenant people, more than he will work on those who have not made sacred promises to God. More often than not his temptations will come in three ways that he tempted the Saviour with: 1. a temptation of the appetite; 2. a yielding to the pride and fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; 3. a gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world or power among men (David O. McKay in CR, Oct 1911, p. 59). We who are his targets need to be vigilant at all times to recognise the subtle slide into sin that he constantly lays before us. Why? Because by it we stand to lose a lot. Here is a clear explanation of this fact:

"Repentance is, frankly, just plain smart, because sin makes you stupid. Stupid because you are deaf, dumb and blind to the ways of the Lord. Stupid because habitual sin drives the Spirit away, leaving you outside the protective influence of the Holy Ghost. Stupid because it makes you incapable of drawing upon the powers of heaven. Being stupid costs a lot. Sin costs a lot too. It can cost time, money, peace of mind, progress, self-respect, your integrity and virtue, your family, the trust of those you love, and even your Church membership. Sin is just plain stupid. And the cost is off the charts. So repent now. Repent daily. If you want to be sanctified, repentance is not optional" (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003)

We are powerful beyond our capacity to understand. This power is shown in the moments of our choices. The power within us comes from God. It is His gift to all those who commit to follow Him. We cannot afford to give this power away for it has the potential to crown us with eternal life and endless glory. We want this, we have always wanted this. We are His children who are destined to wear the crowns of godhood. He has paved the way and by it made us powerful enough to conquer and overcome through His sinless sacrifice. The path is straight, the road smooth, the journey easy if we walk it following the footsteps before us. The Atonement is the key and it can make us brilliant and holy and glorious beyond anything we can ever imagine (Cathryne Allen, How to Use the Power of the Atonement, November Blog 2013). Use it, call upon it and trust in it. The reward is yours and it is waiting.

"And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."  (Moroni 7:33)

THE WAITING ROOM

It would seem there is no end to lessons we can learn from Abraham's life.  He who sought to worship the one, true, living God all the days of his life has inadvertently become a blessing to all his posterity after him. The admonition to 'look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you...." (Isaiah 51:2) should be heeded by all true followers of Christ who love and desire to honour Him through the life that they live.

One of the greatest examples of Abraham is his enduring faithfulness in expectation of his promised blessings. Abraham waited on the Lord until it seemed there was little chance that the Lord would keep his promise but Abraham knew that God cannot lie and that somehow the desire of his heart would one day be fulfilled. Abraham desired the blessings of the 'fathers',  meaning the priesthood which was passed down from father Adam to the rightful heirs or first born male children who were righteous enough to receive it.  These blessings of the priesthood he did not only desire for himself but for his posterity also which meant he would have to have an heir to pass the rights of the priesthood to.

The Lord entered into a covenant with Abraham sealed with a binding oath that his heir would 'come out of his own bowels' (Genesis 15:4).  In reference to this event, Paul states to the Hebrews, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself" (Hebrews 6:13). To better understand Abraham's ability to never give up on the Lord's promise it is important for us to have a basic understanding of ancient and extremely serious process of oath swearing:

"According to the ancient pattern, the subject bound himself to the master by passing between the separated parts of a dead animal.  As he passed between the parts, he swore an oath, while pointing at the dead animal, that he would fulfill the terms of the contract.  Failure to do so would invoke the same consequence that befell the animal.  This type of simile cursing was common among the Hebrews in both the Old World and the New World."  (Dave Hadlock, Lesson 2 God Will Provide Himself a Lamb, Meridian Magazine)

Genesis 15 describes the same process of oath swearing between Jehovah and Abraham. Abraham was instructed to divide into pieces 'an heifer of three years old, and a she goat...and a ram...and a turtledove' (Genesis 15:9-10).  When the sun went down that night, Jehovah, symbolised by the burning lamp, passed between the pieces of the carcass of the dead animals promising Abraham that he would fulfill his part of the covenant or incur the curse of the dead animals.  From this Abraham knew that the Lord would not go back on his promise.

So the Lord had promised Abraham a rightful heir to the blessings of the 'fathers' and then promptly placed him in the waiting room, for 37 years.  Why such a long wait?  Why not give Sarah a son when she could have conceived normally, without divine intervention?  Church Father Ambrose offered a plausible explanation:  "An aged woman who was sterile brought (Isaac) to birth according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth". (Didymus the Blind, On Genesis 2:41, in Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary, 2:45).

"Sarah's miraculous conception, intentionally arranged by the Almighty as a miracle that had never been seen since the Creation, is surely one of the clearest similitudes of the birth of Him who would fulfill the promise to Abraham and Isaac that in their seed all nations of the earth would be blessed". (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People, p. 192)

So Abraham had to wait in order for the power of God to be made manifest.  A painful sacrifice for the sake of a higher purpose.  And so it is with us, his descendants. Sometime in our lives we will be placed in the waiting room so we can come to believe in a God of miracles. In the meantime, we have to trust that the timing of his miracles is always right.  Often we hear that we receive blessings in the 'Lord's time' and not ours.  It is important to understand that the 'Lord's time' is really our time.  The Lord will not give us anything that we are not ready to receive because then it would be to our detriment.  What good would it have been to give the young Joseph the plates of gold immediately following the first vision, when he was just 14 years old? How unprepared would Joseph have been for such a stewardship and responsibility.  Preparation and growth is crucial in mortality where our wisdom and foresight is so finite.  The receipt of our promised blessings is therefore largely determined by us.

There are two recurring themes throughout the Book of Mormon.  One is that the Saviour is merciful and the other is that He always fulfills his promises. If you are in the waiting room at this moment for whatever reason, be comforted and  "cast not away therefore your confidence, which had great recompense of reward.  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise". (Hebrews 10:35,36)  He who has promised, will deliver. The promise is this:

"Verily, I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Saboath, and are recorded with this seal and testament - the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord".  (D&C 98:1-3)

The children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years before they came into the promised land.  Lehi was commanded to flee Jerusalem with his family in 600 BC but they did not see their promised land until nearly 11 years later. Joseph Smith had the first vision in 1820 and did not obtain the plates until 1827. There are many others who had to experience the waiting room, like Abraham of old, because of significant events in their lives.  A significant event very often necessitates spending time in the waiting room.  The tricky part is not to get discouraged, fearful, doubtful or impatient to the point of retreat.  When we receive a promise through personal revelation that something is right for us, we need to develop tenacity beyond our ordinary capacity until the promise is fulfilled.  Following every worth while and life changing revelation comes the adversary's attempt to discredit the promise you have received.  Do not be dismayed.  If something is true for you, hold fast onto the witness you have received and dispel the powers of darkness by your willingness to believe. Remember how you felt when the spirit of revelation was upon you and do not distrust the experience you had.

"...once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing.  If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.  Don't give up when the pressure mounts.  Certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness.  Face your doubts.  Master your fears.

.....mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land' (D&C 103:20)

What goodly land? Well, your goodly land. Your promised land.  Your new Jerusalem.  Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey.  Your future.  Your dreams.  Your destiny.  I believe that in our own individual ways, God takes us to the grove or the mountain or the temple and there shows us the wonder of what His plan is for us."  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, Ensign March 2000, p. 9)

It is easy to fall prey to fear and doubt whilst waiting for fulfillment of your promises.  Fear is destructive and paralyzing to your faith.  You stand to lose your heart's desire if you allow fear to abort the process of deliverance.  "After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel His love and hear the word of the Lord, go forward.  Don't fear, don't vacillate, don't quibble, don't whine.  You may, like Alma going to Ammoniahah, have to find a route that leads an unusual way, but that is exactly what the Lord (did) for the children of Israel.  Nobody had ever crossed the Red Sea this way, but so what?  There's always a first time.  With the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet.  In the words of Joseph Smith, "Brethren (and sisters), shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward and not backward.  Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, Ensign March 2000, p.10)

Who are you that the Lord would pay such attention to and honour his promises to you?

 "For ye are children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched-out arm.
"Therefore let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers: Mine angels shall go before you, but not my presence.
"But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land." (D&C 103:17,19-20)

You have not been forgotten.  In the words of the famous hymn:

"Unanswered yet?  The prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years.
Does faith begin to fail, is hope departing
And think you all in vain those falling tears?
Say not the Father hath not heard your prayer;
You shall have your desire, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Though when you first presented
This one petition at the Father's throne,
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking,
So urgent was your heart to make it known.
Though years have passed since then, do not despair;
The Lord will answer you, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet?  But you are not unheeded;
The promises of God forever stand;
To Him our days and years alike are equal;
"Have faith in God"; it is your Lord's command.
Hold onto Jacob's angel and your prayer
Shall bring a blessing down sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say ungranted;
Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done;
The work began when first your prayer was uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the incense burning there,
His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet?  Faith cannot be unanswered;
Her feet were firmly planted on the Rock;
Amid the wildest storm prayer stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries,  "It shall be done" sometime, somewhere.
(Charles D. Tillman, pub. 1883)

HOPES AND PROMISES

The other day I had an opportunity to spend a day with my 3 year old granddaughter.  Just she and I, together for the day, playing with abandon.  It always touches my heart that she wants to be with me and that we can have such a good relationship, that she trusts me to take care of her.  Before she was born I had decided that I wanted to be called Grandmummy.  My granddaughter though decided otherwise.  When she was 2 she declared that my name would be Damma.  I am convinced she brought this name with her from pre-existence.  This is the name her mother used to call her paternal grandmother when she started to speak. She could not pronounce Grandma so Damma it was for awhile but the name remained a special reminder in the family of my daughter's early life.

My daughter and her grandmother had a very special bond.  Her grandmother, my mother-in-law, was a wonderful person and a unique grandmother.  When I started to look forward to being a grandmother myself I hoped ardently that I would be a grandmother like her.  This special woman passed away while my daughter was still pregnant with her first child, my granddaughter Addy.  Before Addy was born her paternal grandfather had a dream about his mother who had passed away and in that dream saw her instructing a little girl about earth life.  We all knew Addy was going to be Addy before she even appeared.  I could not be more sure that my mother-in-law told Addy about the name 'Damma' and that Addy remembered it when the time came in her life to put a name to me.  I sometimes feel that this is a special message to me from beyond the grave.  Addy had never heard anybody else use this name and she can pronounce Grandma perfectly so I feel that this name could not have come from anywhere else. Such a simple thing but such a strong cord binding us together in this great adventure of mortality made possible by the plan of salvation.

When Abraham had a vision of the intelligences that were organized before the world was created he found himself standing among the 'noble and great' ones and was told by the Saviour that he was chosen before he was born. (Abraham 3:23)  Among these noble and great spirits Joseph Fielding Smith identified prophets of our dispensation whom he saw in his vision of the dead who he declared 'were reserved to come forth in the fulness of time to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work....I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God". (D&C 138:53-55)  These great spirits were 'prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labour in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men' (D&C 138:56).  Joseph Smith taught:

"Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabits of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was.  I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council" (TPJS, p 365)

How would you feel being one of the great spirits chosen to come to earth to do a specific job and one of great importance and magnitude?  Would you feel important?  Would you understand the gravity of your responsibility and live up to it every day?  How would you feel if you knew you were responsible for salvation of the souls of men?  What Joseph Smith said is true.  It is true of every one of us.  We have all been called to minister to the inhabitants of the world in one way or another.  Looking into my granddaughter's sweet face, I am convinced that I could not have a more important calling in life than that of being her grandmother.

As I considered our relationship the other day, I wondered what promises I had made to her in pre-existence.  I have always believed that we choose our parents but I never gave it much thought to grandparents and beyond.  Did we know each other as such back then?  My patriarchal blessing tells me that my time of coming to earth was set that I may fulfill the promise I made in my pre-existence and that I had fulfilled that promise by entering the waters of baptism.  It goes on to say that many of those spirits who were with me had rejoiced when that promise was fulfilled.  Could it be that those spirits were my ancestors and my posterity who depended on me to assist them in working out their salvation whilst in the flesh?  Were they watching me beyond the veil as I progressed through my life hoping against all hope that my promise will one day bear fruit?  I am a convert to the Church and by my conversion and acceptance of the truth, I have not only been instrumental in redeeming the dead in my family, I have also paved the path for my granddaughter to be born a child of the covenant.  This has given her a great start in life. If I continue faithful, my love, my example and what I can teach her will be the priceless legacy I will leave her when I am gone. Is this my work of any less importance than the one of 'the great and noble ones'?

We are not here just for ourselves.  I am certain we covenanted with one another through the bonds of love before the plan of salvation unfolded that we would contribute to the salvation of each other's souls.  I am certain our hearts were turned to one another and bonded through the promises that knitted our souls together.  It is not by chance that we have a responsibility whilst here to love and serve one another and to become 'saviours on mount Zion'.  When fulfilled, this responsibility in turn makes us like the Saviour, possessors of the pure love of Christ without which we cannot be saved.  (Moroni 7:46-48)

Contrast this pure love of Christ that binds us together to the self-serving objective of the adversary's plan which had no capacity to bring us together in love and unity.  Satan had only one goal, to exalt himself above everyone else.  He had no regard or love for any of us and even his dysfunctional plan to save us was for his own benefit and not ours.  His goal to draw away after him as many as he can is purely to make us as miserable as he is, his promise of eternal life based on a lie, a plan that could never work.  Why did so many in our pre-existent state fall prey to his empty promises?  Consider the following:

"When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption, we must begin with the pre-mortal life.  I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the War in Heaven.  We talk about it as though Lucifer was going to force everybody to obey.  Most people don't want to be forced.  As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation.  He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility.  That's the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils.  That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits.  They wanted something for nothing.  We have certain aspects in our life today where things are awkward.  Something for nothing - a free lunch, we sometimes call it - with certain kinds of subsidies which promise to guarantee the reward without the effort.  On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits."
(Robert J. Matthews, "The Price of Redemption", The 11th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium - New Testament, January 29, 1983)

Redemption is not for the faint hearted and we know that we are not of such disposition because we chose Christ's plan which comes with a price.  Some of us can afford to pay more than others, some of us are stronger, more capable and some of us need help but none of us can make it alone.  Even the strongest of us need help to hold onto the iron rod at some point in our lives.  We all need succor, guidance, positive influence, inspiration, motivation, a righteous example, a kind word, to be loved, to be cherished. None of us can do without any of these and yet all of these are given and provided by another.  You would not be you without the people you have had in your life.  Both of my granddaughters have the same birthmark as I do on the back of their heads.  It makes me feel like this is evidence that they are mine but more than this physical proof of our kinship I hope that their spirits will bear resemblance to mine as I strive to be an example of faithfulness to God and show them the path to righteousness.  I feel as responsible for their spiritual welfare as I did for my children's.  I cannot afford to let go of the iron rod, small eyes are watching and small hearts hoping that I will not fail in my promises.

Whilst attending our new ward yesterday, my daughter was introduced in Relief Society with significant reference to her grandparents who are well known far and wide for their faithfulness and Church service. Her grandmother who I believe passed onto Addy the famous name of 'Damma', is highly regarded in the Church in Sydney by many saints who knew her.  My daughter whispered to me: "Gram and Grandpa are famous in the Church" and I whispered back: "Wherever you go, you will be associated with their good name. This is the legacy they have left for you".  I hope that one day Addy will be introduced somewhere as my granddaughter and that she will be proud of that fact.