Psalm 12:6

Psalm 12:6

The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of Earth, purified seven times.

When I am particularly distressed (and even though I love the Book of Mormon) I like to go back to the four gospels and read "the words of Jesus". Nothing brings me greater peace then reading His words.

When I am angry with someone He reminds me to "Go thy way and first be reconciled to thy brother".

When I am unforgiving He reminds me I must forgive "until seventy times seven", always asking me to grow and to trust that He will help me "for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

When I am sad there is great comfort in knowing He is there. I find peace as I read "I am the light of the world" or "whosoever drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life"

I could go on and on with words of the Savior that I love so much. The Savior's words have great power when I read them. They have guided my life. How grateful I am to have had access to them and the great privilege of reading over and over these beautiful words of scripture.

Psalm 13:1,2,5

Psalm 13:1,2,5 (compare D&C 121)

How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long should I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

If there is a universal prayer, one offered by people of all faiths and times, it is probably this one. There are times in life when we feel broken; the weight of sorrow, pain, and grief beyond what we feel we can endure and it seems as if the heavens have closed and no one is listening. And so our prayer rises up with questions, "How long? Why? Where art thou?"

The answer of course is that He is always there, always aware of our suffering.  In fact, He suffers with us, feeling our pain. 

The real meaning of our prayer is more like this: "Lord, take away my pain, my suffering. I do not want this." We cry out for deliverance.  Unfortunately we want deliverance from the very situations that are the "refiners fires" that mortality was guaranteed to bring.

In the book, The God Who Weeps, the authors point out:

"In the garden story, good and evil are found on the same tree, not in separate orchards. Good and evil give meaning and definition to each other. If God, like us, is susceptible to immense pain, He is, like us, the greater in His capacity for happiness. The presence of pain serves the larger purposes of God's master plan, which is to maximize the human capacity for joy, or in other words "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". 

He can no more foster these ends in the absence of suffering and evil then one could find the traction to run or the breath to sing in the vacuum of space. God does not instigate pain or suffering, but He can weave it into His purposes. God's power rest not on totalizing omnipotence, but on His ability to alchemize suffering, tragedy, and loss into wisdom, understanding and joy."

Grief is such a large part of life.  There are studies that talk about the stages of grief: unbelief, anger, acceptance, understanding. There are so many things that can happen to us that cause us to grieve. It is not just the loss of a loved one. It can be the loss of a job, the loss of health, of dreams, of a friendship. Our response to all loss of any kind is grief and grieving itself takes time. The Lord cannot wave a magic wand that fast forwards this process.

Some of life's challenges are temporary; we endure for a season. We lose a job but eventually find a new one. The time of unemployment is painful but as soon in the past and we move on.

Other situations are permanent. If maybe the loss of eyesight in an accident, a chronic disease, death, divorced, etc. Somehow humans have the ability to adjust, to feel the pain and come through these times. Like Job who lost everything we may at last let go of our anger at God. "Therefore have I uttered that I understand not..." It is after we have completed our grieving that life begins again. "So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning."

A second comment about those words "How long?" is that very often they are a stepping stone to meaningful prayer. In our times of ease we often succumb to a ritual of prayer with little meaning. But when life gets hard and we cry out for the Lord's help, we begin to really express our heart. We talk to Him about the reality of our life and acknowledge our own weaknesses and our need of Him. If we are sincere this can be a life-changing time that leads to a future of meaningful prayer, a deeper communion with deity, a testimony of the divine presence in our lives.

We don't always get answers to our prayers. We won't know why some things happen, why tragedy comes to one and not to another. Much of life will always seem unfair. Life's greatest tragedies like the Holocaust, can only be described as horrific and beyond comprehension. For many things, our only means of dealing with them lies in a testimony of the Gospel plan. God lives and loves us. Our life on Earth has a purpose - to refine us and prepare us for greater blessings in the eternities. Jesus is our Savior who conquered sin and death and will bring both healing and ultimate rescue from our mortal woes. We will live forever and be able to use our mortal experiences to become like Him. Our destiny is a glorious reunions with God, to share in all that He has - worlds without end.

When we truly believe in this, we can then say with the psalmist "But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation."

Psalm 16:7

Psalm 16:7

I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel: migraines also instruct me in the night season.

I am not one of those people who has constant spiritual promptings but at the same time I feel like I am sensitive to spiritual things. Dreams and visions are not my usual forte.  

However, I would like to share a meaningful dream I had the other night. It was a simple dream. I had gone over to the church building to get something. When I walked in, all of my church friends were gathered together enjoying some kind of activity. I was overwhelmed with the realization that I have not been invited. The dream was so powerful that I shared it with my husband that morning.

That very same day I received a letter in the mail from a church friend inviting me to join a small, private study group. I could not accept. The message of the dream was too real to me. I could not be a part of an exclusive group. 

Exclusive groups do not stay hidden. At some point in a Relief Society class or Sunday School class someone will say ," My study group was talking about this the other day". 

I just wish if somebody wanted to do a group of any kind they would open it to the whole Relief Society and invite all.

I am so touched by 2nd Nephi chapter 26 vs 24 to 33. The open invitation of the Lord to all.

"Wherefore he commanded none that they shall not partake of his salvation." 

"Come unto me, all ye ends of the Earth..."

 " Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Nay, but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden."

". . .he invited us all to come unto him and partake of his goodness, and he denied none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. '

Surely that should be our model.

Psalm 16:8 - I Shall Not Be Moved

Psalm 16:8

I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

There is an old gospel hymn that is entitled" I Shall Not Be Moved".

Glory, hallelujah, I shall not be moved

Anchored in the spirit I shall not be moved

Just like a tree planted by the water

I shall not be moved.

Though men assail me, I shall not be moved

Jesus will not fail me, I shall not be moved.

Just like a tree that's planted by the water

I shall not be moved.

That song became a Civil Rights song, We Shall Not Be Moved, that I sang many times during the 1960s.

We shall not, we shall not be

We shall not, we shall not be moved.

Just like a tree that's planted by the water

We shall not be moved.

We're fighting for our rights and we shall not be moved.

We're fighting for our rights and we shall not be moved.

just like a tree that's planted by the water

We shall not be moved.

v.3 We shall all be free...

v.4 God is on our side...

v.5 Black and white together...

The song is a powerful way to express what this verse in Psalms is saying: I have declared my faith and trust in the Lord. I shall not be moved.

The following story is from the series Standing on the Promises by Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray.

Len Hope was a black man from Alabama who had listened to various preachers talk about the Holy Ghost and wondered how you can have the Holy Ghost to guide you always. He made it a matter of prayer. Shortly thereafter a couple of Mormon missionaries left a tract at his home, "The Holy Ghost - who is he? How is the spirit obtained?' All this happened after Len had had a dream where he was baptized and his life changed.

Len immediately sought out the missionaries and requested they bestow him with the Holy Ghost. The missionaries told him they could not baptize him until he understood what the gospel was and fully understood the commitment he would be making. They gave him a Book of Mormon, a Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price to read. He replied, "Whatever you give to me, I will read it through. Then I will come back here and I will ask you to baptize me and give me the gift."

World war 1 interrupted Len's plans but as soon as he returned home he found the missionaries and was baptized. It was 1919.

The persecution began immediately. The KKK went to his home to let him know he didn't belong in a white man's church. He told them, "I've been looking into the saints church from way back before I went overseas. Done decided it was God's church, so I come back and joined. That's the whole of it."

They let him know he needed to remove his name off the church rolls or else.

Len went to church the following Sunday and told everyone what had happened. They told him that if he felt the need to remove his name, it was still written in heaven. If he felt the need to distance himself it was okay. Len had to make a decision. What he knew in his heart drove that decision. "If you folks can endure persecution, why can't I? Maybe I get hung from a limb and shot full of holes, and Jesus take me if that happened."

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED

While all this was happening in Alabama, the KKK was parading in Salt Lake City even though President Heber J. Grant was speaking boldly against it. White America was not ready to change. Crosses burned on Ensign Peak.

Len left Alabama and moved to Cincinnati, hoping to escape the Jim Crow problems of the South. He had married, his wife was baptized in 1925. The two of them moved to that new city and looked for the church. There was no welcome for them there - only glares and whispers. When the sacrament was passed it was not offered to them.

"The next Sunday, the Hopes went to church again, after a long prayer. But you can't pray someone out of their life - held ideas any more than you can pray a window out of its built up dust."  

This second time they went to church was a repeat of the week before and soon after the branch president came to tell them they would not be able to attend the Latter Day Saints Church.

I know what I would have done it that point but for Len and Mary Hope - well, their testimonies burn deep in them.

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

They offered that branch president a compromise. They would come once every 3 months to a district conference, sit in the back row, invisible, pay their tithing and leave.

This faithful couple did just that. They studied the gospel at home, taught it to their children, attended district meetings where they greeted every missionary and their investigators. The missionaries responded to them and began visiting them every fast Sunday to hold a meeting in their home and offered them the sacrament. There they had their own testimony meeting.

Later an LDS newspaperman visiting Cincinnati heard about the Hope family and joined them for their home services. Mark Peterson took note of their worn scriptures and hymn book and asked his wife to send new ones. And then a young missionary visiting the Hope home for one of their Sunday meetings took ill - sore throat, burning fever, head so dizzy he could not stand. Mary Hope insisted she would care for this young man and he was too sick to refuse. That young missionary was Marion Duff Hanks. A friendship was formed between Duff Hanks and the Hopes. And they talked about the realities of being black in the Mormon Church. Elder Hanks, with all the caring and love he could have for the Hopes, expressed his regrets that Len could not have the priesthood. "There are some things I don't understand. I guess we both go on faith."

Of course Len wanted the priesthood, but what concerned him most was how he was living  the life God had given him.

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED

I need to finish Book 3 of Standing on the Promises (The Last Mile of the Way) before I know how Len and Mary Hope's story ends but I know this. They exemplify a deeper faith and trust in the Lord then I have ever had.

"I may not have the priesthood but I have the Restored Gospel, and that is rich bounty. Elder Hanks, priesthood will come. I don't know when but I believe it will come in God's time."  

"There's many people needs healing - not just in their bodies but in their hearts and in their souls. I believe they need to understand some things before the Lord going to change what is."

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED

Psalm 17

I shall not write out this whole psalm but quote parts of it. It reminds me of the story from Mark 9:17-23 of the father who brought his ailing son to Jesus to be healed. Jesus said to the man, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to them that believeth."

In tears the man replied, 'Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.".  

In this psalm, we see David doing a similar thing.

Psalm 17:3

Thou has proved my heart. Thou has visited me in the night, thou has tried me, and shalt find nothing. I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

This is David's "Lord, I believe" statement.

He continues with several more positive statements then switches quickly.

Psalm 17:5

Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. (Lord, help thou my unbelief!)

That balance of faith and doubt is so real in our lives. We do have periods where our faith seems strong and we feel as if we have a sense of confidence in our own spiritual growth. I have found it true that "Pride goeth before the fall".  whenever I begin to feel so good about myself, I end up doing something that reminds me once again that I am human and humans are imperfect. I am back on my knees seeking forgiveness and seeking strength.

In the first story The Lord healed the man's child. I love how this story demonstrates that our faith does not have to be perfect to get the Lord's help. I must be honest and sincere but not perfect. In Psalm 17 the psalmist ends with "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall not be satisfied, when I awake with a likeness."

We have every right to have that confidence.  When we are living the gospel and growing in understanding and commitment, when we are trying our best, that is all that is required. We will be welcomed home!

Psalm 17:8 says it well. 

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.

We are the apple of His eye and He keeps us in the shadow of His wing. God's love is bounteous. He knows us. He watches over us. He cheers us on. He laughs with us, cries with us, is aware of all we experience. We can rest, assured of His love.

Psalm 18:1-6

Psalm 18:1-6

I will love to thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The sorrows of death compassed me and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about, The snares of death prevented me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

This scripture reminds me how important it is to have a sure foundation in our lives. That simple parable of the man who built his house on the rock and the floods could not harm him is actually quite profound.

When my husband and I were working with our church's welfare initiative, we created a box that represented a person's life. We chose "Faith and Hope" as one shelf in that box which was used to assess a person's resources. Faith assumes the belief in God but hope assumes trust in the future - something to live for. Hope is a confidence in ultimate, happy outcomes.

This last year has been a difficult year. It seems the world has gone crazy. The election in the United States was unbelievable. We ended up with a president that I just do not like as a person. He is vulgar, coarse, rude, undignified, an embarrassment. He eggs others to act the same. 

The language of modern political discourse is so divisive. The political parties in America refuse to work together. There is no compromise - no consideration for the common good, no desire to understand each other. I find it absolutely frightening.

Add to that a summer of fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes. We watched devastation after devastation.

ISIS continues to terrorize wherever it can. North Korea is threatening to test nuclear warheads in the atmosphere - a small man's show of power.

Racial divide is raising its ugly head again.

I find it easy to identify with this psalm - sorrows of death, floods of ungodly men, hell compassed me about.

Like the psalmist, I declare the Lord is my rock and fortress. The Gospel of Jesus Christ keeps me sane! "I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow him in faith." 

Hymn # 128 When Faith Endures

I will not doubt, I will not fear

God's love and strength are always near.

His promised gift helps me to find

An inner strength and peace of mind.

I give the Father willingly

My trust, my prayers, humility.

His Spirit guides, his love assures

That fear departs when faith endures.

When life gets depressing I take a retreat. I spend more time with the Lord - reading His word, talking with Him, quieting my mind so that I can hear Him, visiting His house, serving His children. I ponder who He is and my relationship to Him. I think about His characteristics: love, kindness, justice, mercy, long-suffering, patience, and think about what the world would be like if we all followed Him. I recommit to living His law in my own life, to making one small piece of this planet a little kinder. I place my faith and trust in the Lord.

Psalm 19:7-8

Psalm 19:7-8

• The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.
• The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
• The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
• The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

This whole psalm is very beautiful - both in content and the poetic way it is written. I chose these two versus because I have learned their importance over the course of my life.

We cannot be forced, bribed, coerced, or in any other way manipulated into doing what is right. We learn to live God's law by "experimenting upon the word" and discovering that it "beginneth to be delicious". (Alma 32)

Joseph Smith said that he taught correct principles and his people governed themselves.

In the Doctrine and Covenants section 84 verse 46 it says, "And the spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world..."  That says to be that when we were created, we had built into our being a mechanism for judging what is right and wrong.  We can be trusted to learn from our experiences.

If we believe that - then our job is to invite others to live gospel principles and discover themselves that these principles are true. We have to find joy in living the gospel and testify of that joy!

Really now, are you impressed by someone who says "I pay my tithing because it's a true principle - it's hard to live but I keep doing it because it's true." Or are you more impressed when someone says, "It was hard at first to live the law of tithing but I felt such peace inside when I decided to do it."

True principles should bring peace and joy into our lives.  It is that peace and joy that people are seeking. 

Another reason I like these two verses in Psalm 19 is because the promises there are beautiful!

Converting the soul

Making wise the simple

Rejoicing the heart

Enlightening the eyes

The Apostle James extorted the members in James 1:22-23 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only... but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed."

How are we blessed? It's those four promises above. We'll be converted to the principle, it will make future choices simple, we'll be filled with joy as we live true principles, and we'll have gained in knowledge of the principle (our eyes will be enlightened). We grow in truth and light.

Hymn #239 Choose the Right

Choose the right

There is peace in righteous doing.

Choose the right

There's safety for the soul.

Choose the right, choose the right

Let wisdom mark the way before.

In its light, choose the right 

and God will bless you ever more.

I love reading the weekly letters from our missionary grandchildren. Their letters are testimony of finding joy in living the gospel. They are having that experience themselves and also as they watch others change their lives. They see the "light" turned on in the lives of their converts while they themselves radiate that light because for this period of their lives they are choosing to fully live the Gospel.

Kaden, "I love the Gospel. It brings me joy doing the work.".

Tanner, "It was such an amazing week. I loved every minute of it. Everything that happens strengthens my testimony so much more."

Alyssa, "The Book of Mormon is true and it has enlightened my understanding."

Cameron "I know that happiness is a choice and that through the commandments we can receive all the blessings of the Lord. I love covenants and being able to be bound with the Father. I will never forget these two years and the changes that occurred in me and being able to see that same change in others."

Isn't it such a great blessing to have the Gospel in our lives and to feel the joy of living a life based on true principles, knowing who we are, and knowing God's love!!

Psalm 20 - A Mother's Prayer

Psalm 20

The Lord to hear the end the day of trouble; the name of the god of Jacob defend thee.Send thee help from the sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion. Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfill all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners; the Lord fulfill all thy petitions.

I love this psalm, it's voice of prayer. I'm glad we still use the King James version of the Bible. It's poetic words are so beautiful.  I feel like I pray these words every night.

My husband and I just this last year decided to devote our evening prayers to people for whom we should be praying. We kneel by the bed and take a couple of minutes to think of all those we know who need the Lord's blessing. Most of the time those prayers are for our family. Often they are for friends and all too often of late it is for those affected by hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes.

But most often the prayers are for our family and usually for our children.

 How hard it is to watch your children face their own problems. We give birth and spend those early years rocking the baby, pacing the floor hoping he or she will fall asleep. The warmth and comfort of our arms soothes our little ones. As they grow we change our tactics but we are still their protectors to whom they run when they are hurt and need comfort.

Then all too soon they are teens and the problems become more difficult. Band-Aids and hugs no longer solve these problems. They are moving into the adult world that is not so kind as to childhood world.

As a parent you find yourself on your knees often, seeking guidance, wanting to help your kids but not knowing how. Hugs still help but principles need to be taught and unconditional love needs to be expressed and our children must find their own way.

We start asking questions of ourselves. Did I teach them enough?  Do they know the gospel is true? Are they praying - did I instill that in them? What more could I have done?

And then they are off - off on missions, off to college, married, having children. They have become adults with lives of their own. We are no longer there to help and guide. It's time for them to find their own way.

But we are still the parents. We love them more than anyone and always will. We watch them, we know their struggles. Often we are hearing their heartaches. Life is so full of challenges. We find ourselves so often on our knees. We know how the Lord has helped us over the years and we trust He will now help them.

This psalm of prayer in plain words says: 

"Lord, hear my children's prayers and help them. They are so good. They deserve thy help. Please grant their desires and let us rejoice together as we recognize Thy hand."

That is a mother's prayer, said over and over, in so many ways, by so many mothers all over the world.

Psalm 22:1, 7-8

Psalm 22:1, 7-8

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?  

All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 

He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him; let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him.

I think back to the months and years before my divorce when I prayed so hard for the Lord to change my husband's heart, to help him see and feel the truth of the Gospel, to put in his path people with whom he could identify who would be the ones who "made a difference". I would hear people bear testimonies how the Lord place people on their path who helped them. Surely the Lord could do that now for my family. I had faith. Surely if I had faith enough I could move this mountain.

But the heavens were silent. My prayers remained unanswered. I was forsaken and in a spiritual crisis as I tried to understand why.

Now switch gears here. It is a typical afternoon at a high school. A group of friends are gathered in the hall by their lockers. One has a copy of the upcoming test and is inviting the others to join him at his house that evening "study". But one young man stands up and says "No thanks. That's wrong. I'll study on my own." The others laugh at him, "Do whatever, Mister Good Guy, but we'll be laughing when the grades come out and we all pass and you fail!"

It is guaranteed that we will all have times when we feel forsaken by God. We will all have times when our friends will not support our values. These times can be traumatic. They don't happen over insignificant events. They are the "times which try the souls of men". 

Why?

I believe the key to understanding lies in a scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants.

D&C 100:15-16

Therefore let your hearts be; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church. For I will raise up unto myself a pure people.

The Lord wants a pure people, a people of integrity. The Lord can not follow us around telling us what to do all the time.  He expects us to grow "in light and truth" and begin to follow the light within.  

A person of integrity lives a life based on his or her own inner sense of what is right or wrong. Their inner and outer lives are in perfect sync. They do not need spiritual confirmations of every action and they don't need the approval of their friends. Even when others don't approve or understand  - the person of integrity acts out of principle guided by the light within.

There is a great little song that was part of a play called "My Turn on Earth". It goes like this:

When it's hard to tell what's wrong and what's right

When it's hard to tell what to do,

When the way looks dark and you're stumbling around

Here's a word for you.

Look - for - that - 

Bright, little, right, little, light inside

Helping you to see your way.

Look - for - that - 

Bright, little, right, little, light inside

Growing brighter day by day.

It'll show you the road that you should take

And it will never grow dim.

Just keep in touch with your Father above

'Cause it was lit by him.

Well, other lights might flicker and fade

And your best friend could lead you wrong.

So when darkness sneaks into your life

Sing this simple song.

There are days when you can't find the sun

And the whole world looks awful dark,

But the shadows can be chased far away

With the smallest spark.

**********************

The Man in the Mirror by Dale Wimbrow,1934

When you get what you want in your struggle for self

And the world makes you King for a day

Just go to a mirror and look at yourself

And see what the man has to say.

For instance your father, your mother or wife

Whose judgment upon you must pass,

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,

Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you are a straight-shooting Chum

And call you a wonderful guy.

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest

For he's with you clear up to the end.

And you have passed your most difficult test

It's the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down your pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass,

What's your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you cheated the man in the glass.

The Young Women's Personal Progress program uses this scripture: Job 27:5
Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

The value statement for integrity says, "I will have the moral courage to make my actions consistent with my knowledge of right and wrong."

I have found (and learned from error all too often) that I can only like myself when I am true to my conscience, that voice that is within me. One of the very best things that comes from journaling is that you start having conversations with yourself about what you do believe. It's a wonderful place to work out the kinks and align your inner and outer selves.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; 

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: 

he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness 

for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley 

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: 

for thou art with me; 

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me 

in the presence of mine enemies: 

thou anointest my head with oil; 

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy 

shall follow me all the days of my life: 

and I will dwell in the 

house of the Lord for ever.

This is the most faith affirming piece of literature that has ever been written. It is a beautiful and powerful affirmation.

It doesn't pretend that life will be easy if you have faith. It acknowledges that we are often called to walk through the valley of the shadow of death or to be in the presence of our enemies, be they other people or our own weaknesses. No matter what life may bring, we will not be alone.

Just listen to the words that describe what the Lord will be there doing for us:

Maketh me to lie down

Leadeth me

Restoreth

Thou art with me

Preparest

Anointest

Comfortest

During the course of a lifetime we may experience all of those blessings. You've heard me say this before probably but this is the most important lesson I have learned in life. I spend so much of my time praying that the circumstances of my life be changed. But God does not manipulate our lives that way. It was not until I finally reached the point where I could accept my circumstances (grudgingly as it was) and I just prayed for strength to endure and for belief in myself that I would be okay - then and only then did I begin to feel the Lord's peace in my life. I told him, "If I could just know that you are there and that you are aware of me, that will be enough." He is there, He knows me and loves me just as He knows and loves you.

I have always  been fascinated by a phrase that is repeated throughout a book series that I read - Jan Karon's Mitford books. Father Tim, the main character talks about "the prayer that never fails".

I found a prayer that never fails for me - I pray for the Lord to be my shepherd. I need to know He is there.

I have always loved the 23rd psalm. I was about 10 years old when I first memorized it. Back then it was a beautiful poem. Today it is my testimony.

Hymn # 109 The Lord My Pasture Will Prepare

The Lord my pasture will prepare

And feed me with a shepherd's care.

His presence will my wants supply

And guard me with a watchful eye.

My noonday walks he will attend

And all my silent midnight hours defend.

When in the sultry glebe I faint

Or on the thirsty mountain pant,

To fertile vales and dewy meads

My weary, wandering steps he leads.

Where peaceful rivers soft and slow

Amid the cooling verdant landscape flow.

Psalm 24

Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
This psalm triggers a vision of a choir singing beautiful anthems. I have sung these words many times or heard them sung but if you are not my age, you probably have not. Music has changed over the years and what I heard and sang in my youth is now outdated. Even I would not like these old style of anthems.

But I love this particular psalm because I learned it through music and beautiful music carries with it the majesty of the message.

The psalm starts out with "the Earth is the Lord's". Everything on this earth, including man, is the creation of God. He in His majesty brought forth all that we see and know.

It's good to stop every once in awhile and just ponder creation. We need time to enjoy sunrises; to marvel that our solar system runs so perfectly that we can say exactly what moment that sunrise will take place at any day in any given spot on planet Earth. It's good to walk out under the stars at night and remember we are part of something immense - far beyond comprehension. It's good to sit and listen to the sound of waves breaking on the beach. . .

I see trees of green, red roses, too.

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself, 

What a wonderful World.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself 

What a wonderful World.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

are also on the faces of people passing by.

I see friends shaking hands, 

saying how do you do

But they're really saying, 

I love you. 

Babies cry and I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself 

What a wonderful World.

That is the first message of Psalm 24. We live in an amazing place - created by God - for us. 

Message 2 is about standing in the presence of God (ascending to the hill of the Lord). I like the way it is expressed in this psalm because the visual image is so vivid.  The psalm says simply, "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully"  - that is who stands in God's presence.

We recognize that we all make mistakes but when you think about this verse - well, I see goodness described here that fits many people I know.

Clean hands - people who go about doing good every day. They are working to support their families, they are kind to those around them, they help their neighbors in little ways all the time; and when they do something wrong, they apologize and make things right. The world is filled with such people.

Pure hearts - I know we don't sense this as we watch the news so we have to look elsewhere. I think of my kids - I believe their hearts, their desires and motives, are pure. Then there is my neighbor next door and my teacher friends at the school where I teach. My life is filled with those who are pure in heart.

Hath not lifted up his soul to vanity -  How many people do you know who are "filled with" vanity? I don't believe I know any.  My friends and family are in no way vain.

Nor sworn deceitfully - deceit is a deliberate act.  I have been blessed to have a life filled with friends and acquaintances that are totally free of deceit.  

In my opinion most of those we meet in life are the very people this song is describing.

My life is filled with them. They are they who stand in "holy places" because they create those places where ever they are.

When I think of the elementary school where I was privileged to teach, I see in my mind's eye a place that was loving and supportive of every child. It was the place where principles govern actions therefore it was emotionally safe. Everyone was of equal value: kids, custodians, teachers, parents, etc. We created a wonderful place for children to learn and develop their talents. It qualified as a holy place - a bit of heaven on Earth.

Our homes can be like that too. When we talk of heaven we often think "life after death". But I like to think of heaven as a state of being, a way of life that is "Heavenly".

Since we are eternal beings, we don't have to wait for heaven. We can have it now - here - eternity is now. We are not mortals who will be some day granted eternal life. We are eternal beings having a mortal experience. Eternity is now! ( Carolyn Lynn Pearson, My Turn on Earth)

Hymn # 298 Home Can be a Heaven on Earth

Home can be a heaven on Earth

When we are filled with love.

Bringing happiness and joy,

Rich blessings from above.

Warmth and kindness,

Safety and security,

Making home a part of heaven

Where we want to be.

Message 3 of this psalm - Who is the King of Glory - lift up your heads. Handel used those words in his Messiah. Once again the psalmist remind us of the Majesty of God. President Gordon B. Hinckley used to do that when he referred to God as "The Almighty".

Latter-day Saints need to stop every now and then and remember that He who we so lovingly refer to as Father is the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and Earth, filled with Glory and Power, Strong and Mighty.  Can we even imagine being in His presence?

Psalm 24 masterfully brings all of those things together.