The Song of the Righteous

To my son,

                One of the talents that the Lord has given you is the ability to create music. You have worked hard at the piano for the past several years and I know that the Lord has blessed you with this gift to play and enjoy music. Today I want to encourage you to continue to develop this talent and to always use good music to inspire and uplift you in your life. The Lord has shown repeatedly in the scriptures that music is very important to Him. Shortly after the Church was organized in 1830, He gave this command to Emma Smith: “And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:11-12). She was to put together the first hymn book of the Church, and the Lord declared that He delights in the songs the righteous offer up to Him. Did you ever think that your singing or piano playing could be like a prayer to God? He wants us to grow close to Him through music. He said this to the pioneers who were headed west to the Salt Lake Valley: “If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving” (Doctrine and Covenants 136:28). This invitation to praise the Lord with singing was something that the Saints sought to do even as they were on the dirty trail—they would often gather the wagons around at night and play music and dance! Even though the place was anything but convenient, they felt that music was so important and uplifting that they still took the time to do it there.

                One of the hymns that we sang in Church today was Come, Come Ye Saints, and this is one of my favorites. The words were written by William Clayton who was the captain of the brass band on the trail. In April 1846, about two months after the Saints left Nauvoo, they had made little progress and the going was very rough. The Saints book describes their conditions in Iowa at that time this way: “Day after day, they battled the elements as unrelenting snow and rain turned the Iowa prairie soft and muddy. Rivers and streams ran high and swift. Dirt roads dissolved into mire. The Saints had intended to cross most of the territory in a month, but in that time they had covered only a third of the distance.” For example, on one night, “Freezing rain and hail bombarded the camp, coating it in ice. In the morning, William Clayton… found the camp in disarray. Many tents lay flat on the frozen ground. A fallen tree had crushed a wagon. Some men in the band were also out of provisions.” A little later “William was out all night rounding up horses and cattle that had broken loose in camp”—that must have been an exhausting night and surely he must have wondered why the Lord didn’t just make it easier for the Saints who were trying to do what was right. But that next day William got word that his wife Diantha, who was sick and still back in Nauvoo, had given birth to their baby. The next morning “William saw better days ahead for the Camp of Israel. Sitting down with ink and paper, he wrote a hymn of encouragement for the Saint.” You will recognize the first verse:

 

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear;

But with joy wend your way.

Though hard to you this journey may appear,

Grace shall be as your day.

’Tis better far for us to strive

Our useless cares from us to drive;

Do this, and joy your hearts will swell—

All is well! All is well!

 

These words have motivated countless Saints, then and in our day now, encouraging them to keep on the gospel path and not get discouraged even when the going is hard. Combined with the music this song has touched many lives and inspired them to wend their way with joy and know that, as we trust in the Lord, all will indeed be well! Like William Clayton, I hope that you will share your musical talents and use them to both grow closer to the Lord and bless the lives of others. 

Love,

Dad

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