O God, where art thou?

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O God, where art thou?

• Khinckley1_at_yahoo.com

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Big Lou as a child
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Pioneer Day 1887
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Liberty Jail
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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.

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March 20th, 1839Josephs 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 hellish desires of the
  mob and finally left to perish with their
  helpless ofspring clinging around their necks
• They practise ltthesegt 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 ltChristgt
  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

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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

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Question

• Do we have our own prison experiences?
• How critical are friends during our own prison
  experiences?
• Is there anything we shouldnt expect from
  friends?

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Tale of two Cities

• Alma 235 Anti-Nephi-Lehis
• 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 2711 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 5321 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 41 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 261 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.

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Section 121
Websters 1828 Dictionary From the Latin vir The
radical sense is strength, from straining,
stretching, extending.

• 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

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Prophets 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)

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(No Transcript)
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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
  hurryhurry 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 cleanI am clean!

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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 (
   DC 12145).
• 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