So if the Savior faced such injustices and discouragements, such persecutions, unrighteousness, and suffering, we cannot expect that we are not going to face some of that if we still intend to call ourselves His true disciples and faithful followers. Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:290. Yea, O Lord, how long shall [thy people] suffer … before … thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?” (D&C 121:1–3). That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple. Some of the men, including the Prophet Joseph, when standing had to stoop constantly. As did the Prophet Joseph, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences—even in the most miserable times of your life. Our prayers are heard. Letter to Emma Smith, Mar. Whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. 5 years ago | 163 views. Some are … So do thousands of others who spend their days wandering the streets glassy-eyed and dirty. In the meantime, know that God hears your cries and knows your distress. 9. So in what sense could Liberty Jail be called a “temple”—or at least a kind of temple—in the development of Joseph Smith personally and in his role as a prophet? Furthermore, we note that not only has the Savior suffered, in His case entirely innocently, but so have most of the prophets and other great men and women recorded in the scriptures. I guess we’re not supposed to have favorite scriptures, and I have enough of them that you won’t be able to pin me down to one or two, but certainly any list of my favorite scriptures would have to include those written from the darkness of Liberty Jail. In fact, the restricting brutality and injustice of this experience at Liberty would make it seem the very antithesis of the liberating, merciful spirit of our temples and the ordinances that are performed in them. Well, without trying to determine which of these kinds of experiences in our life are “mandatory” and which are “optional” but still good for us, may I suggest just a very few of the lessons learned at Liberty—those experiences that were “school teachers” to Joseph and can be to us, experiences that contribute so much to our education in mortality and our exaltation in eternity. Of course sinfulness does bring suffering, and the only answer to that behavior is repentance. Playing next. When we … want to cry “Where art Thou?” it is imperative that we remember He is right there with us – where He has always been! The speech and behavior of the guards and criminals who came there was anything but templelike. In fact, the restricting brutality and injustice of this experience at Liberty would make it seem the very antithesis of the liberating, merciful spirit of our temples and the ordinances performed in them. This item: Breaking the Chains of Worry and Anxiety: Lessons from Liberty Jail and Mindfulness Therapies by Mr. Steven Jay Davis Paperback $8.99 Available to ship in 1-2 days. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:8). Surely the classic example of this is that in the most painful hours of the Crucifixion the Savior could say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Inset left: Liberty Jail by C. C. A. Christensen. To make the points that I am now going to try to make in my message to you, I have drawn directly upon the revelatory words that came from the lips of Joseph Smith during this heartbreaking time, words that we now have canonized as sacred scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants. 2. 2008: Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passes away in Salt Lake City. "In this final canonized statement of the Liberty Jail experience, the Lord says to us through His prophet, Joseph Smith: 'Therefore, dearly beloved brethren [and sisters, when we are in even the most troubling of times], let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. He does see us. I testify that heaven’s kindness will never depart from you, regardless of what happens (see Isa. To use more share options on your device, please scan the same QR code and open the link in the latest version of Chrome or Safari. As did the Prophet Joseph, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences—even in the most miserable times of your life. 26 LETTER WRITTEN BY JOSEPH SMITH WHILE IN LIBERTY JAIL. Yet in these cold, lonely hours, Joseph says let us do all we can and do it cheerfully. Those are all antithetical to the Spirit of the Lord. They remembered their covenants, they disciplined themselves, and they knew that we must live the gospel at all times, not just when it is convenient and not just when things are going well. When he wrote those lines, Joseph did not know when he would be released or if he would ever be released. When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we’ve ever been in our entire lives. And then we can justifiably turn to the Lord, wait upon His mercy, and see His arm revealed in our behalf. The best company that has ever lived. I testify that the Father and the Son live and that They are close, perhaps even closest via the Holy Spirit, when we are experiencing difficult times. Into this dismal dungeon the voice of God came, saying: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8). This Day in Church History. Teaching Thoughts. Yet in these cold, lonely hours, Joseph says let us do all we can and do it cheerfully. These two walls were separated by a 12-inch space filled with loose rock. 4, 1839, in Personal Writings, 463, 464; spelling and capitalization standardized. . What a tremendously optimistic and faithful concluding declaration to be issued from a prison-temple! The height of the dungeon in Liberty Jail was barely six feet. Our prayers are heard. Time does not permit a detailed discussion of the experiences that led up to this moment in Church history, but suffice it to say that problems of various kinds had been building and by October of 1838, all-out war seemed inevitable between Mormon and non-Mormon forces in Missouri. A brief audio presentation tells the story of the jail. So in what sense could Liberty Jail be called a “temple,” and what does such a title tell us about God’s love and teachings, including where and when that love and those teachings are made manifest? Courtesy Church History Library. There was every indication that his enemies were still planning to take his life. Secondly, we need to realize that just because difficult things happen—sometimes unfair and seemingly unjustified things—it does not mean that we are unrighteous or that we are unworthy of blessings or that God is disappointed in us. The point is this: if you are having a bad day, you’ve got a lot of company—very, very good company. People also love these ideas . Todd A. Knowles, “Lessons from Liberty Jail,” in Religious Educator 3, no. Furthermore, we note that not only has the Savior suffered, in His case entirely innocently, but so have most of the prophets and other great men and women recorded in the scriptures. Similar lessons are coming. . It has always been a wonderful testimony to me of the Prophet Joseph’s greatness and the greatness of all of our prophets, including and especially the Savior of the world in His magnificence, that in the midst of such distress and difficulty they could remain calm and patient, charitable and forgiving—that they could even talk that way, let alone live that way. No, Joseph was not greater than the Savior, and neither are we. In the most painful hours of the Crucifixion the Savior could say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Every one of us, in one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking. BYU Magazine is a powerful tool for reaching a targeted market of BYU alumni, donors, students, and friends. But whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. How can our trials be both a prison and a temple? President Joseph Fielding Smith, grandnephew of the Prophet Joseph and grandson of the incarcerated Hyrum, said something even stronger than that when he dedicated the Liberty Jail Visitors’ Center in 1963. But when it is obvious that a little time in Liberty Jail waits before you (spiritually speaking), remember these first two truths taught to Joseph in that prison-temple. Follow. Letter to Emma Smith, Apr. Liberty Jail, located in Liberty, Missouri, is a reconstruction of a jail that once stood in the city. 21, 1839, in Personal Writings, 449. Article by BYU Speeches. In the cold, lonely hours, Joseph says let us do all we can and do it cheerfully. 2008: Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passes away in Salt Lake City. They are truly the holiest, most sacred structures in the kingdom of God, to which we all ought to go as worthily and as often as possible. But when it is obvious that a little time in Liberty Jail waits before you (spiritually speaking), remember these first two truths taught to Joseph in that prison-temple. What a magnificent attitude to maintain in good times or bad, in sorrow or in joy! They helped to make [them] strong.”10. Introduction. . 21:14–16.) Name an Old Testament or Book of Mormon prophet, name a New Testament Apostle, name virtually any of the leaders in any dispensation, including our own, and you name someone who has had trouble. By Jeffrey R. Holland (BS ’65) in the Winter 2009 Issue. On the other hand, the Spirit finds instant access to a heart striving to be charitable and forgiving, long-suffering and kind—principles of true discipleship. Dean C. Jessee (2002), 456. Liberty Jail is a historical jail in Liberty, Missouri, United States, which served as the county jail of Clay County, Missouri between 1823 and 1853. lessons from liberty Jail iberty Jail 5 Here is a cross section of the Church’s reconstruction of the prison, which can now be seen at our visitors’ center there. But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through it. As Joseph was taught in his prison-temple, even in distress and sorrow we must “let [our] bowels … be full of charity towards all men … ; then [and only then] shall [our] confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and … the Holy Ghost shall be [our] constant companion” (D&C 121:45–46). This was a terribly difficult time in our history for the Church generally and certainly for the Prophet Joseph himself, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period. Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a “jail” or a “prison”—and certainly it was that. We don’t have to look for sorrow. I would highly recommend watching the talk first, though. the Holy Ghost shall be [our] constant companion” (D&C 121:45–46). He is there. In the dungeon the floor-to-ceiling height was barely 6 feet, and inasmuch as some of the men, including the Prophet Joseph, were over 6 feet tall, this meant that when standing they were constantly in a stooped position, and when lying it was mostly upon the rough, bare stones of the prison floor covered here and there by a bit of loose, dirty straw or an occasional dirty straw mat. Their execution averted, these seven Church leaders were marched on foot from Far West to Independence, then from Independence to Richmond. The truths Joseph received while in Liberty Jail reveal that God was not only teaching Joseph Smith in that prison circumstance, but He was also teaching all of us, for generations yet to come. When they lay down, it was mostly upon the rough, bare stones of the prison floor covered here and there by a bit of loose, dirty straw or an occasional dirty straw mat. Donors who contribute at least $25 to BYU Annual Giving receive the magazine for one year. Let me push this just a little further. . However heavy our load might be, it would be a lot heavier if the Savior had not gone that way before us and carried that burden with us and for us. . That is a hard thing to ask when we’re hurting or have been offended, are tired or stressed out or suffering innocently. Very early in the Prophet Joseph’s ministry, the Savior taught him this doctrine. In a daring stand that could have brought him his own court-martial, he cried out against the commanding officer: “It is cold-blooded murder. In our moments of pain and trial, I guess we would shudder to think it could be worse, but without the Atonement it not only could be worse, it would be worse. He does hear us. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple. I testify that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, our prophet for this hour and this day. Lessons from Liberty Jail. As did the Prophet Joseph, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences—even in the most miserable times of your life. Alluding to the kind of history we’ve reviewed tonight and looking on the scene where his grandfather and granduncle were so unjustly held, he said perhaps such things have to happen—not only can they happen, perhaps they have to. When what has to be has been and when what lessons to be learned have been learned, it will be for us as it was for the Prophet Joseph. 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