I Will Manifest Myself

In the last general conference President Nelson spoke about the Kirtland Temple and the keys of the priesthood that were restored there. He said, “Joseph Smith’s dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple is a tutorial about how the temple spiritually empowers you and me to meet the challenges of life in these last days. I encourage you to study that prayer, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 109. That dedicatory prayer, which was received by revelation, teaches that the temple is ‘a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.’” That dedicatory prayer is a fervent petition to the Lord which includes an earnest plea for the deliverance of the Saints from their oppressors, for glory and spiritual manifestations to come upon those who come to the temple, for power to be given to those who would go from that house to take the gospel to all the world, and for the gathering of scattered Israel to take place. It includes language from the Old Testament (particularly Isaiah), from the New Testament (such as referring to the Pentecost in verse 36), and from previous revelations given to Joseph Smith (such as in verses 6-9). In the prayer there are some more surprising elements, such as petitions for the Jews to be gathered back to the land of Israel (v64), for the principles of the Constitution to be established forever (v54), and for mercy to be given to the “wicked mob” who drove the Saints from Jackson County if they would repent (v50). Overall, the tone of the prayer is one of earnest supplication to the Lord culminating in the fervent plea, “O hear, O hear, O hear us, O Lord! And answer these petitions, and accept the dedication of this house unto thee, the work of our hands, which we have built unto thy name” (v78). The dedicatory prayer ultimately invites each of us to diligently seek the power and glory of the Lord through the ordinances of His house.

               President Nelson also highlighted the Lord’s response to this dedicatory prayer given one week later when He appeared in person to the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery. The Lord declared, “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:7). President Nelson added, “This significant promise applies to every dedicated temple today. I invite you to ponder what the Lord’s promise means for you personally.” That is a powerful promise for all Saints who worship in any of the Lord’s temples dedicated today. The promise reminds me of the story President Eyring told about His first time attending the temple. He recounted, “I was greeted by a little white-haired lady in a beautiful white temple dress. She looked up at me and smiled and then said very softly, ‘Welcome to the temple, Brother Eyring.’ I thought for a moment she was an angel because she knew my name. I had not realized that a small card with my name on it had been placed on the lapel of my suit coat. I stepped past her and stopped. I looked up at a high white ceiling that made the room so light it seemed almost as if it were open to the sky. And in that moment, the thought came into my mind in these clear words: ‘I have been in this lighted place before.’ But then immediately there came into my mind, not in my own voice, these words: ‘No, you have never been here before. You are remembering a moment before you were born. You were in a sacred place like this.’… Later that first day I again felt the same Spirit. The temple ceremony includes some words that brought a feeling of burning in my heart, confirming that what was being portrayed was true. What I felt was personal to me regarding my future, and it became a reality 40 years later through a call to serve from the Lord.” Clearly the Lord was manifesting Himself to President Eyring in that experience. One of the main reasons we go to the temple is indeed to hear the voice of the Lord to us personally and to feel the Savior manifested to us in His own way. The Lord promised in another revelation, “And ye shall not suffer any unclean thing to come in unto it; and my glory shall be there, and my presence shall be there” (Doctrine and Covenants 94:8). Though these words were originally describing a different sacred building, I believe they apply to each of the Lord’s temples today. As we seek to cleanse ourselves spiritually, His promise is that His glory and presence will be there as we worship in the house of the Lord.