Contemplate the Word of the Lord

In 1841 the Lord commanded Joseph to have several individuals “build a house unto [His] name,” a place that would later be called the Nauvoo House. The Lord gave this description of the purpose of that house: “And it shall be for a house for boarding, a house that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein; therefore let it be a good house, worthy of all acceptation, that the weary traveler may find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord; and the cornerstone I have appointed for Zion. This house shall be a healthful habitation if it be built unto my name, and if the governor which shall be appointed unto it shall not suffer any pollution to come upon it. It shall be holy, or the Lord your God will not dwell therein” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:23-24). This was the Nauvoo House which was worked on but unfortunately was never finished because all focus had to be put on finishing the temple. But I love the idea that this would be a place where strangers could come to lodge and rest while they pondered the revelations of God. As I thought about this instruction I realized that this is really what the Lord wants for all of our houses—they should be places where there weary can rest physically and spiritually. Where we can as families and friends “contemplate the word of the Lord.”

                This evening my daughter was inspired to tell me to call a family friend whom we had not talked with for a long time. She is 83 and suffers from many challenging health problems. We had had a lot of trouble getting in touch with her, but this time she answered and we had a great visit with her. She is a woman of great faith who indeed had a home where the weary could find rest and contemplate the word of the Lord. We first met her about 12 years ago shortly after she had lost her husband and most of her eyesight, but as a young mother my wife found great comfort and strength in visiting with her in her humble apartment. We could easily discuss the word of the Lord with her and our testimonies were always strengthened by visits with her. It has been many years since we lived close to her, but she had continued to be a faithful friend and encouraged us to stay close to the Lord. One time about seven years ago I spoke with her and told her of a certain decision we had made for our family. She called me back the next day and said something like this, “The Holy Spirit has been working on me all night. I think you need to make sure you are really making the right decision.” So we prayed more about our decision and ultimately reversed it—and this eventually changed the course of our life. She caused us indeed to contemplate the word of the Lord. Later in her life when she was a little less mobile but still living by herself she had people from Meals on Wheels bring her food each day. She would keep a stack of Book of Mormon copies and whenever she could get the person delivering the food to listen to her she would give them one. Her home indeed exemplified the purpose of the Nauvoo House as she taught strangers the word of the Lord.

                I hope that we can pattern our home after hers and the Nauvoo House. Indeed I believe that has been the hope of our prophet for all of us as he emphasized the need for a “home-centered Church” when the Come, Follow Me study was introduced. It should be a place where we study and learn the word of God. At that time Elder Cook commented, “We know the spiritual impact and the deep and lasting conversion that can be achieved in the home setting. Years ago, a study established that for young men and women the influence of the Holy Ghost most often accompanies individual scripture study and prayer in the home. Our purpose is to balance the Church and the home experiences in a way that will greatly increase faith and spirituality and deepen conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” I hope that our children and all who come to our home can find a spirit that will increase faith and spirituality as they study the scriptures and hear the word of the Lord through prayer. Then it will indeed be a “healthful habitation” that is “holy” and edifying to all who come here.