Engaged in Such a Cause

To my daughter,

        Today is the 177^th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. They were killed in Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844 by a mob, sealing their testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with their lives. As Joseph was there in the prison the night before he died, he was next to Dan Jones, your fifth-great-grandfather. The Prophet asked Dan Jones, “Are you afraid to die?” To this our ancestor replied, “Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause I do not think that death would have many terrors.” He had incredible courage and was willing to die for the work of the Lord. But Joseph responded, “You will yet see Wales, and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die.” Dan Jones was from Wales, and he did indeed return for many years to Wales and was a great missionary there. I marvel at his willingness to stand by the Prophet in that dangerous hour, and I hope that we will do likewise. Early on in this dispensation the Lord said to Oliver Cowdery, “Therefore be diligent; stand by my servant Joseph, faithfully, in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the word’s sake” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:18). That is His instruction to each of us—we must stay true to our witness, born of the Spirit, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and called to do the Lord’s work in the latter days. I hope that you will gain that witness through prayer and a study of the scriptures and stay true to it even when the world (still) seeks to discredit his life.

               Most of the Christian world believes in the prophets who were called in the past, as recorded in the Bible, but they do not believe or know of the prophets have been called in our day. The message of the restored gospel is that God has spoken and speaks again in our day to prophets who testify of Jesus Christ and give us His teachings and commandments. Elder Hugh B. Brown, an apostle in the last century, explored this idea with an English gentleman who said to his Latter-day Saint friend: “You have told me that you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. You have said to me that you believe that God the Father and Jesus of Nazareth appeared to Joseph Smith. I cannot understand how a barrister and solicitor from Canada, a man trained in logic and evidence, could accept such absurd statements. What you tell me about Joseph Smith seems fantastic, but I think you should take three days at least to prepare a brief and permit me to examine it and question you on it.” Elder Brown recounted some of the subsequent conversation he had with the man. After discussing how God had called prophets in the past such as Abraham, Moses, and Paul, the conversation then went like this:

 

“I am submitting to you in all seriousness that it was standard procedure in Bible times for God to talk to man.”

“I think I will admit that, but it stopped shortly after the first century of the Christian era.”

 “Why do you think it stopped?”

 “I can’t say.”

 “You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?”

 “I am sure He hasn’t.”

 “There must be a reason. Can you give me a reason?”

 “I do not know.”

 “May I suggest some possible reasons? Perhaps God does not speak to man anymore because He cannot. He has lost the power.”

 He said, “Of course that would be blasphemous.”

 “Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps He doesn’t speak to men because He doesn’t love us anymore and He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.”

 “No,” he said, “God loves all men, and He is no respecter of persons.”

 “Well, then, if He could speak, and if He loves us, then the only other possible answer, as I see it, is that we don’t need Him. We have made such rapid strides in science and we are so well educated that we don’t need God anymore.”

And then he said—and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war—“Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why He doesn’t speak.”

My answer was: “He does speak, He has spoken; but men need faith to hear Him.”

 

I want you to know that I know that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God, and that the Lord called him in our day as a sign of his love and concern for all the world. God spoke to prophets anciently in the Bible and He speaks to them in our day as well. I know that as we follow their counsel, striving to keep the commandments of God revealed through them, we have this magnificent promise: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6). The Lord will protect and bless you as you are “engaged in such a cause as this,” just like Dan Jones. Always strive to follow the Lord’s prophet, and the Savior will indeed disperse the powers of darkness from before you all throughout your life.

 

Love,

Dad