Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 115:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 115:6
"And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth."

As of April 2024 there were 3,500 stakes and districts, and some 30,000 wards and branches of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world. When we lived back East it took us almost an hour to get to our stake center. Where we live now it's two blocks away. I do feel it's a place of refuge every Sunday when I go there and take the sacrament. How grateful I am that political discussions don't pierce my ears there. Even when I was young I knew we didn't talk politics at church. We don't speak bad about other religions either. I feel like this long standing counsel has been a defense and a protection to me. The spirit hasn't been compelled to leave. Especially, now when people are so divided. The focus is on Jesus Christ and becoming saints.

“A defense” implies help in resisting or protection from attack, “a refuge” refers to a place of safety or shelter, and “the storm” can refer to tumultuous or frightening surroundings, attacks from enemies of the Church, or Satan’s temptations. The Lord also promised that those who gather to the stakes of Zion would be protected “from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ"
(Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, "Chapter 45: Doctrine and Covenants 115-120")

Day 3704