4/5/2018 - Section 88:70-91

April 5, 2018

Section 88:70-91

Zion’s Camp My Personal, Callings, Draw Near Unto Me, Missionary Work Is Work,

 I started reading today, with the prayer that I might be a better senior missionary here. I am doing many things right, but I feel frustration with some of my reactions. This is a missionary situation where I am available 24/7—and that is how it should be. But there are times when I find myself, after several 24/7 days, beginning to shut down. I am noticing my lapses in memory more—in fact, everyone is noticing them more which is actually good – for when the missionaries realize my memory is not good, then they are so kind about providing what I can’t find in my brain right then. I love their help and thank them for it. I’m reasonably okay about this, as this is an aging process—and probably a stress problem—and I do accept this as normal aging patterns and sweet care from the young missionaries. But then there are the times when fatigue hits hard and I only want to stop and sink into restful pursuits. That, too, is a normal reaction. But then I find myself turning inward—thinking I am the only one who is on overload, and I alone deserve a rest and a break. This period of time just may be my ‘Zion’s Camp’ when things didn’t turn out how anyone expected and there were delays and more sacrifices than expected, and times of difficult daily living. That turned out to be a training period for all.

And so today as I read v 71 “Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send them unto you.” Isn’t it interesting that yesterday was Transfer Day? But yesterday was also busy and crazy and I was exhausted. I looked back at the beginning of this long section to remind myself of the things that prompted this revelation. It was given when 10 high priest, including JS, met together because of their great desire to know what the Church should do “in view of the critical times that had been predicted.” And so today I look back and try to see the other senior missionaries—the office couple, the Giffords, who were carrying a much heavier load than I on this transfer day. I need to remind myself that all missions are different. This particular mission of ours is quite demanding, but that means we are truly needed. We have been doing a good job, but I want to do a good job with a good heart, and there are lots of helps in this section:

V 74: “assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves, yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean”, and v 76 “I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting….that ye shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom…teach ye diligently [continuingly]…and my grace [outpouring of the Lord’s spirit] shall attend you that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand.” V 80 “That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.”

We HAVE been called. We happily accepted that calling. Now I need to appreciate, and to recognize, our learning progress and our growing closer to the Father.

V 83-84: “He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken. Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry....” And that is exactly my intention!

8/12/2021 – D&C 88:74-95

This revelation came at a time when there was a lot of harsh feelings in many of the saints who had already moved to Missouri. And at the same time the saints in Kirtland were also experiencing difficulties. The Lord’s efforts in this section seem to be to help us all understand how to lift our lives to a bit higher level. It is also interesting to me that this section was revealed in segments: v’s 1-126 were given December 27-28, 1832, and the final 10 verses were given January 3, 1933. The Lord often helps us a little at a time. 

V’s 74-80 teach us to sanctify ourselves and work to understand, and to live, the doctrines of the gospel. The Lord doesn’t suggest here, He commands—and I think it is because His commands will truly help to raise our level of living, and thinking, and helping. He tells us to “assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves [it’s not every man for himself…it’s all of us helping to lift the community of saints], and sanctify yourselves [I can do all I can to help others, but I can only CHANGE my own actions and thoughts]; yea, purify your hearts before me, that I may make you clean.” (v 74)

V 76 takes us another step forward: “Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth.” He understands the power of sincere prayer and fasting.

In v 78 He tells us to “teach ye diligently [another word for diligently is continual] and my grace shall attend you”. The Lord knows our capacity to learn and to grow, and to help others to do the same. And in v 79 He tells us to not restrict our learning to gospel learning, but to learning of all kinds. He always stands ready to help us, and it’s up to us to request that help in our efforts to follow His commandments, and in v 83 He promises “He that seeketh me early shall find me and shall not be forsaken.” And in v 86 He wants us to “abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin” for sin will destroy our liberty in multiple ways.

Elder Henry b Eyring: “It is clear that our first priority should go to spiritual learning. For us, reading the scriptures would come for us before reading history books. Prayer would come before memorizing those Spanish verbs. A temple recommend would be worth more to us than standing first in our graduating class. But it is also clear that spiritual learning would not replace our drive for secular learning. The Lord clearly values what you will find in that history book and in a text on political theory. Remember His words. He wants you to know ‘things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations’ (D&C 88:79). And He favors not only Spanish verbs but the study of geography and demography. You remember that His educational charter requires that we have ‘a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms’ (v. 79). There is also an endorsement for questions we study in the sciences. It is clear that putting spiritual learning first does not relieve us from learning secular things. On the contrary, it gives our secular learning purpose and motivates us to work harder at it.” 

And then in v’s 87-95 He tells us of the signs of the second coming of Christ. The earth will tremble and groan and real to and fro, the stars will cast themselves down, tempests will come, the sea will come over the land, commotion will be everywhere, and all will be fearful. There shall then “appear a great sign in heaven and all people shall see it together”. And finally, “there shall be silence in the heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;”