Jehovah Communes with Man

4 days ago6 min read

Written by April T Giauque

Elder McKay General Conference Oct 2024

The words of Elder McKay, a powerful witness of the Truth of Christ. He sets the stage with this opening statement from General Conference:

Testify of Christ:

“My purpose this day and always is to testify of Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the Creator, and Savior of the world, our Deliverer and Redeemer. Because “the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ,” today I share my knowledge and testimony of the Savior as they have been strengthened and deepened by the life and teachings of one key apostle and prophet.”

Prayerful Question

On the morning of a beautiful clear day early in the spring of 1820, 14-year-old Joseph Smith entered a grove of trees near his family’s home to pray about his sins and to ask which church to join.

His sincere prayer, offered with unwavering faith, received the attention of the most potent forces in the universe, including the Father and the Son. And the devil. Each of these had an intense interest in that prayer and in that boy. Prayers are answered, and God is there listening to your prayers. You will know it in your heart; I will be as strong and powerful as it needs to be so that your soul knows the truth and you feel the desire to follow God.

Now, remember, as soon as you step on the path toward God, Satan wants to knock you off the path and will do all that is possible to distract, pull, and cause doubt, anger, frustration, fear, and lies to wipe away what you know to be true.

Your soul is in the battle for it’s life. It will be forever as you choose God. Be prepared. Satan hates to lose and will do anything to keep you from God, as he tried to do with Joseph, but Jesus and Heavenly Father came to him and banished the darkness. Light will always penetrate the darkness. STAY in the Light!

The Beginning of Wisdom

Elder Mckay teaches that the “First Vision began the Restoration of all things in this last dispensation. But for Joseph, the experience was also personal and preparatory.”

Think about it. A young boy of 14 who sees all the religious excitement and wants to figure out for himself which church to join asks questions of his family of religious leaders, and finally goes to the scriptures and reads in James chapter 1 verse 5, “ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

All Joseph wanted was forgiveness and direction. The Lord gave him both. The instruction to “join none of [the churches]” was directive. The words “Thy sins are forgiven thee” were redemptive.

More Wisdom learned

From the First Vision, we learned the following:

Learned the Nature of God
Prayers are answered
Sins are forgiven
God will redeem you from your sins
God will answer your prayers
*This gives me hope for my teenagers, children, and adults who desire to know the truth for themselves; he will answer them and forgive them.
His experience has also given me the confidence to ask for forgiveness and direction for the rest of my life.

Regular Repentance

On September 21, 1823, Joseph earnestly prayed for forgiveness, confident that heaven would respond again because of his experience in the grove three years earlier. The Lord sent an angel, Moroni, to instruct Joseph and inform him of an ancient record he would later translate by the gift and power of God—the Book of Mormon.

Thirteen years after that, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery knelt in solemn, silent prayer in the newly dedicated Kirtland Temple. Plea for forgiveness, for, as they arose, the Savior appeared and declared, “Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me.” In preparation for the glorious restoration of priesthood keys that was about to happen, Jesus made them sinless.

Regular Repentance extended

Joseph’s life of regular repentance gives me the confidence to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that [I] may obtain mercy.”

Elder Mckay said,

"I have learned that Jesus Christ truly is “of a forgiving disposition.” It is neither His mission nor His nature to condemn. He came to save."

Restoration

Restoring something to its whole nature is vital to have what once was again. The Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a restoration of all things. The Lord called Joseph Smith to be a prophet, just like Moses, Noah, and Elijah.

Jesus Christ, through Joseph Smith, brought forth the Book of Mormon and other revelations that contain the fullness of His gospel. Vital truths were given clarity and completeness as Joseph pled for direction.

Joseph’s Prayer Taught Us this

Let’s follow this pattern. Ask or Inquire of the Lord, and the vital truths that you need to know will be given to you. Here are the Truths that were restored:

The Father and the Son have bodies “as tangible as man’s.”
Jesus took upon Himself our sins and our sicknesses, afflictions, and infirmities.
His Atonement caused Him to bleed from every pore.
We are saved by His grace “after all we can do.”
There are conditions for Christ’s mercy.
Come unto Christ; He will forgive sins and change us so “that we have no more disposition to do evil.”
Christ always commands His people to build temples, manifests Himself unto them, and endows them with power from on high.

When Jesus walked and taught on the Earth, he had all the priesthood keys. He taught all light and love to the people. He helped those lost in deep sin and pain, and the miracles that Christ performed happened because He is the Savior.

When Christ was crucified and was resurrected again, the fullness of the gospel was on the earth until the last apostle was killed. At that point, God’s priesthood power was taken from the world. Believers still believed and acted the best they could, but they did not have the priesthood or a prophet on the earth until young Joseph went into his backyard, a grove of trees, and knelt to pray about two questions: 1) Can I be forgiven of my sins, and 2) which church should I join?

Joseph was called to be the prophet of the Lord’s Gospel from that prayer and answer of the prayer—the Lord’s Restoration.

“The heavenly Priesthood will unite with the earthly, to bring about those great purposes; and whilst we are thus united in the one common cause, to roll forth the kingdom of God, the heavenly Priesthood are not idle spectators.”

From this, we learn that Jesus Christ and His priesthood will

Unite the Earth
God's Kingdom will roll forth.
Heaven is not idle. Our loved ones are on the other side of the veil and can teach us.

Elder Mckay quoted:

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

The testimony stands as Elder Mckay shared it on the Saturday Evening in October:

I believe and am sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I testify that the living God is our loving Father. I know this because the voice of the Lord has spoken it to me. I testify that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, a witness and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This talk at General Conference is not to praise Joseph Smith but to worship the Lord and thank Him for restoring all things through his prophet, Joseph Smith. I’m thankful that Joseph was a prophet.

Elder McKay said, “I raise my voice in ‘praise to the man who communed with Jehovah.’ And above all, praise to Jehovah, who communed with that man! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”