Daily Thoughts

In the D&C we read that in the vision that Joseph F. Smith had, he saw many of the great prophets who had lived in ancient days assembled together in a vast congregation of the righteous, awaiting their resurrection and their eternal reward which is promised to all those who love the Lord.  D&C 138:38-52 "Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all,  And our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God. Abel, the first martyr, was there, and his brother Seth, one of the mighty ones, who was in the express image of his father, Adam. Noah, who gave warning of the flood; Shem, the great high priest; Abraham, the father of the faithful; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, the great law-giver of Israel;  And Isaiah, who declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was anointed to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound, were also there. Moreover, Ezekiel, who was shown in vision the great valley of dry bones, which were to be clothed upon with flesh, to come forth again in the resurrection of the dead, living souls; Daniel, who foresaw and foretold the establishment of the kingdom of God in the latter days, never again to be destroyed nor given to other people;  Elias, who was with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration;  And Malachi, the prophet who testified of the coming of Elijah—of whom also Moroni spake to the Prophet Joseph Smith, declaring that he should come before the ushering in of the great and dreadful day of the Lord—were also there.  The Prophet Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers,  Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the dispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.  All these and many more, even the prophets who dwelt among the Nephites and testified of the coming of the Son of God, mingled in the vast assembly and waited for their deliverance, For the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. These the Lord taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life,  And continue thenceforth their labor as had been promised by the Lord, and be partakers of all blessings which were held in reserve for them that love him."

In the New Testament we read that Jesus prayed to the Father that if He be willing, the bitter cup be removed from Him; but nevertheless, the Father's will be done.  An angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Him, but still he suffered agony, with great drops of blood falling down on the ground.  Sometimes we have bitter cups to swallow in life.  They are nothing like what the Savior went through, but they still may seem like more than we can bear.  We may cry out in prayer for these challenges to be removed, and sometimes they are.  But other times, we need to accept "Thy will be done" and allow the Lord to strengthen us to help us get through our trials and tribulations.  We can look to Jesus for the perfect example of this.  Luke 22:41-44 "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

A verse from a thought booklet tells us that the Lord will rescue those who love Him and protect those who trust in His name.  Have you ever seen a parent tossing a child into the air and catching them, while the child giggles in delight.  The child trusts that their parent isn't going to let them drop on the floor.  If we find ourselves falling in our difficult situations in life, do we trust the Lord to catch us? Do we have faith in Him not to allow us to crash to the ground?  Psalms 91:14 "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name."