Extraordinary Measures

The message from President Nelson that stuck out the most to me in this recent general conference is this invitation: “We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasingly vulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium. In like manner, it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.” What does it mean for us to take “extraordinary measures” to strengthen our spiritual foundation? What kinds of things can we do that we have never before done to fortify ourselves spiritually? Surely the answer will be different for each of us, but President Nelson’s message was that the temple should be at least a part of that answer: “The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple.” To strengthen our foundation in the Savior we need to get to the temple where He can fill us with His power.

                I think the story of the Nauvoo Temple in the final months of the Saints’ experience in that great city helps us to understand the urgency and power of the temple. After the death of Joseph and Hyrum, the temple was not yet finished and the Twelve sent word to the Saints: “The temple necessarily claims our first and most strict attention.” The Saints book recounts, “They encouraged the Saints to send money, supplies, and laborers to speed the work along. An endowment of power awaited them. All they needed was a place to receive it.”  As tensions rose and the Saints realized they would have to flee Nauvoo eventually, the urgency grew stronger to get the temple finished and to receive their blessings there. Towards the end of 1845 the building was finally completed enough for the apostles to start sealing families and giving Saints their endowments. Thousands received their blessings there as the temple was open day and night. The book continues, “On February 2, after thousands of Saints had received temple ordinances, the apostles announced that they would halt the work in the temple and instead prepare boats to ferry wagons across the icy Mississippi River. Brigham sent messengers to the captains of wagon companies, instructing them to be ready to leave within four hours. He then continued to administer the endowment to the Saints until late in the evening, keeping the temple recorders there until every ordinance had been properly recorded. When Brigham arose the next day, a crowd of Saints met him outside the temple, eager for their endowment. Brigham told them it was unwise to delay their departure. If they stayed to do more endowments, their way out of the city could be impeded or cut off. He promised they would build more temples and have more opportunities to receive their blessings out west. Then Brigham walked away, expecting the Saints to disperse, but instead they climbed the steps to the temple and filled its halls. Turning around, Brigham followed them inside. He saw their anxious faces, and he changed his mind. They knew they needed the endowment of power to endure the hardships ahead, overcome the sting of death, and return to the presence of God. For the rest of that day, temple workers administered the ordinances to hundreds of Saints. The next day, February 4, 1846, an additional five hundred Saints received their endowment as the first wagons rolled out of Nauvoo.” I love that story and the urgency the Saints showed as they pled with Brigham by their actions to give them their endowment. Despite the dangers around them, they were desperate to receive the power of the covenants in the house of the Lord. That is surely the kind of urgency we should feel to be in the Lord’s house and which will help us build the foundation President Nelson wants us to build. They surely went to extraordinary measures to fortify themselves against the coming tribulations.

                President Ballard once spoke in general conference about what happened shortly after the Saints left the temple and fled across the river and towards what would become Winter Quarters. He described, “Remember when Nauvoo fell in September of 1846 and the unbearable conditions of the Saints in the poor camps. When word reached Winter Quarters, Brigham Young immediately called the brethren together. After explaining the situation and reminding them of the covenant made in the Nauvoo Temple that no one who wanted to come, no matter how poor, would be left behind, he gave them this remarkable challenge: ‘Now is the time for labor,’ he said. ‘Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable.’” He was referring specifically to the covenant they had made to help all of the poor to leave Nauvoo—they would leave no one behind who wanted to go west—but surely his statement is applicable to all of the covenants they made in the house of the Lord. President Ballard commented, “We often hear of the suffering and the sacrifice those early Saints endured, and we ask ourselves, How did they do it? What was it that gave them such strength? Part of the answer lies in President Young’s powerful words. Those early Latter-day Saints had made covenants with God, and those covenants burned like unquenchable fire in their hearts.”

                My favorite scripture about the blessings of the temple is this earnest supplication from the Prophet Joseph in his inspired prayer dedicating the first temple of this dispensation: “And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22). That is what we earnestly desire as we go to the temple, to have the power and  name of the Lord upon us, to have His glory with us, and to call down the angels to have charge over us. This is what President Nelson promised, “Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power. And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.” Surely as we take extraordinary measures to be in the Lord’s house as often as we can, we will receive that power like the Saints of old to successfully face all the trials that await us.