O God, where art thou?

1. O God, where art thou? Khinckley1@yahoo.com

2. Big Lou as a child

3. Pioneer Day 1887

4. Liberty Jail

5. Emma SmithMarch 6th, 1839 "I shall not attempt to write my feelings altogether, for the situation in which you are, the walls, bars, and bolts, rolling rivers, running streams, rising hills, sinking vallies and spreading prairies that separate us, and the cruel injustice that first cast you into prison and still holds you there, with many other considerations, places my feelings far beyond description… No one but God, knows the reflections of my mind and the feelings of my heart when I left our house and home, and allmost all of every thing that we possessed excepting our little children, and took my journey out of the State of Missouri, leaving you shut up in that lonesome prison. But the recollection is more than human nature ought to bear. . . . The daily sufferings of our brethren in travelling and camping out nights, and those on the other side of the river would beggar the most lively description. The people in this state (Quincy, Illinois) are very kind indeed, they are doing much more than we ever anticipated they would; I have many more things I could like to write but have not time and you may be astonished at my bad writing and incoherent manner, but you will pardon all when you reflect how hard it would be for you to write, when your hands were stiffened with hard work, and your heart convulsed with intense anxiety. But I hope there is better days to come to us yet.

6. March 20th, 1839Joseph’s Response … but oh! the unrelenting hand the inhumanity and murderous disposition of this people it shocks all nature it beggers and defies all discription. it is a tail of wo, a lamentable tail, yea a sorrifull tail too much to tell, too much for contemplation, too much to think of for a moment, to much for human beings it cannot be found among the hethans, it cannot be found among the nations where Kings and tyrants are inthroned it cannot be found among the savages of the wilderness yea and I think it cannot be found among the wild and ferocious beasts of the forist that a man should be mangled for sport women be violated of all that they have their last morsel for subsistance, and then be violated to gratify the hell[i]sh desires of the mob and finally left to perish with their helpless ofspring clinging around their necks … They practise <these> things upon the saints who have done them no rong who are inocent and virtuous who loved the Lord their god and were willing to forsaik all things for his <Christ> sake these things are awfull to relait but they are verily true it must needs bee that offences come, but WO! to them by whom they come. O God where art thou and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place…

7. The Answer: "The floodgates of our hearts were lifted and our eyes were a fountain of tears, but those who have not been enclosed in the walls of prison without cause or provocation, can have but little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is; one token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling; it brings up in an instant everything that is passed; it seizes the present with the avidity of lightning; it grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger; it moves the mind backward and forward, from one thing to another, until finally all enmity, malice and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagements are slain victorious at the feet of hope; and when the heart is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers, 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; thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again, with warm hearts and friendly hands

8. Question: Do we have our own “prison experiences”? How critical are friends during our own “prison experiences”? Is there anything we shouldn’t expect from friends?

9. Alma 23:5 [Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s] And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, … 6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, … as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away. Alma 27:11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him: 12 Get this people out of this land, that they perish not… 14 And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land Alma 53:21 Yea, [the stripling warriors] were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him Mosiah 4:1 People of King Benjamin And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient… that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God. 2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant … Mosiah 26:1 Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation … and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. 2 They did not believe what had been said … and their hearts were hardened. Tale of two Cities

10. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary From the Latin vir The radical sense is strength, from straining, stretching, extending. Section 121 45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. 46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever

11. Prophet’s commentary on verse 45 Virtue is one of the most prominent principles that enables us to have confidence in approaching our Father who is in heaven in order to ask wisdom at his hand Therefore if thou wilt cherish this principle in thine heart thou mayest ask with all Confidence before him and it shall be poured out upon thine head and thou shalt not lack any thing that thy soul desires in truth. (Cottle and Cottle, Liberty Jail, p. 81)

13. President Hinckley President Joseph F. Smith had the following dream while serving as missionary in Hawaii: “ …I dreamed [one night] that I was on a journey, and I was impressed that I ought to hurry—hurry with all my might, for fear I might be too late. I rushed on my way as fast as I possibly could, and I was only conscious of having just a little bundle, a handkerchief with a small bundle wrapped in it. I did not realize just what it was, when I was hurrying as fast as I could; but finally I came to a wonderful mansion. … I thought I knew that was my destination. As I passed towards it, as fast as I could, I saw a notice, ‘Bath.’ I turned aside quickly and went into the bath and washed myself clean. I opened up this little bundle that I had, and there was a pair of white, clean garments, a thing I had not seen for a long time, because the people I was with did not think very much of making things exceedingly clean. But my garments were clean, and I put them on. Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first words he said: ‘Joseph, you are late.’ Yet I took confidence and replied: ‘Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!’

14. President Hinckley Continues… The Lord has given a commandment in our time that applies to each of us. He has said, “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.” And with this He has given a promise, “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45). I believe He is saying that if we are clean in mind and body, the time will come when we can stand confidently before the Lord just as Joseph F. Smith stood before the Prophet Joseph and said, “I am clean.” There will be a feeling of confidence and there will also be smiles of approval