Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 107:2-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 107:2-4

"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in."

I found this story from Orson Pratt using these verses as fulfillment of prophecy. The thing is with prophecy, it can happen more than once in history.

"I wish you had all been with the pioneers in the year 1847. When we started out, in the dead of the winter of 1846, upon the prairies of Iowa, after leaving the great Mississippi, and getting out about fifty miles from that river, we did not as much as find a foot track, and no signs of a human habitation. We wandered over that uninhabited territory some four hundred miles, until we reached the Pottawattamie and Omaha tribes of Indians, then located on the Missouri River. Then, early the next spring, we started forth (one hundred and forty-three pioneers), with our faces still westward, and went up on the north side of the Platte River several hundred miles. Did we find a road most of that distance? No road at all. We found tens of thousands of buffalo and their paths; we found a great many hostile tribes of Indians, who sought very diligently to take away our horses and mules, and to cripple us in this manner. But we continued our journey, and at length came through these mountains, after having crossed at the South Pass, and come forth to a little fort called Fort Bridger. We then started into an unknown country, still bending our course southwesterly, for there was a rumor, and not only a rumor, but it had been testified, that there was a great inland sea, called the Salt Lake, in the midst of the great American desert. We had heard this rumor, and had read some of Fremont’s travels in the midst of hostile Indian tribes. We came forth into this desert, wandering in the wilderness in a solitary way. Who were they that thus wandered? People that had been gathered but from the east and the west, from the north and the south, redeemed from the hand of those who sought to destroy them. “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way, and they found no city to dwell in.”

(Orson Pratt, "Fulfillment of Prophecy", JD 18:144)

Day 2744

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 105:1-3

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 105:1-3

"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD."

Well this chapter fits with what I spent my day doing, listening to General Conference. So many wonderful talks and hymns. It is a time to rejoice. The remainder of this chapter speaks of the covenants God made with Abraham and His dealings with Israel. It speaks of Moses, the plagues and parting of the Red Sea. I had to smile on that last part because once again in conference we heard talks about our pioneer heritage and them crossing the plains. Exactly what was foretold.

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."

(Jeremiah 16:14-15)

Day 2742

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 72:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 72:18

"Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things."

This made me think of my favorite quote of President Nelson.

"Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives", April 2018, General Conference)

The other day I was reflecting on one of the Lord's mightiest works in the past, the parting of the Red Sea and read this.

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."

(Jeremiah 16:14-15)

I realized that when we mentions our fathers we don't speak of the children of Israel being brought out of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. What we speak of is our pioneer ancestors that crossed the plains. We even celebrate a holiday called Pioneer Day to commemorate that event. When I reflected on this and how I've always thought of the lost ten tribes returning on a highway built up as a future event, has probably already happened and is still happening. So many verses I visited began to show me the highway that was to be built up may just mean the covenant path we are now on. Searching the footnotes on Doctrine and Covenants 133:26-27 had some choice verses linked to it.

"And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

(Isaiah 35:8-10)

One of the greatest works today is the Lord's missionary force gathering God's elect from the four corners of the earth. Those that were lost are now finding their true identities as God's covenant people.

Day 2709