Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament I read Solomon's prayer that if the people fell before their enemies or suffered dearth because of their wickedness, but were willing to repent and cry unto the Lord, that He would be merciful and hear them. 2 Chr. 6: 21-31 "Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness. And if thy people Israel be aput to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall breturn and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers."

In the D&C I read that we are to be faithful and stand in the offices we have been called. We need to succor the weak and lift the hands that hang down. We need to strengthen the feeble. If we do these things, in the end we'll be crowned with eternal life. D&C 81: 5-6 "Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees. And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father."

Some verses with a thought booklet talk about people who have alienated themselves from God because of the blindness of their hearts--to the point where they are past feeling. This is a very sad state to find ourselves in. We need to put off the old man with his deceitful lusts and become new creatures in Christ, full of righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4: 18-19, 22-24 "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past bfeeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the bold man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."



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