I will give it to you in the very moment what you should say

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 24 which was given to Joseph and Oliver when they were in hiding from the persecution they were receiving. Lots of missionaries will remember this section as the section where they are promised to have the Spirit help them and tell them in the very moment the things that they should say.

I actually found something very interesting in this chapter though. It states that Joseph would not be blessed to temporal labors as that was not his calling. It is probably just hindsight since I have the advantage of reading all of this over 170 years later, but it seems to me that the Lord was trying to warn Joseph Smith here against going into enterprise which Joseph later tries a couple of times with disastrous results. Like I said it is most likely the fact that I have hindsight but it sure does spark of having a forewarning for Joseph Smith.

I have often wondered about Joseph's business blunders though. I have often wondered if he did not ask the Lord if it was a good idea or if the Lord wanted Joseph to make the mistakes and learn from them himself or why they happened, because I know many Latter-day Saints in this day and age when making such a huge decision would seek the Lord's approval before going into business or doing something of that nature. We probably won't know and truly in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter.

As I mentioned earlier, the part most people remember from this section is the verse where he Lord promises to give them even in the moment the things they should say. I think most people who have served a mission can tell you moments where they were at a loss of what to say when suddenly they knew exactly what they needed to say. I know I had one. I remember I was speaking to an investigator and he had a concern that the Book of Mormon said Christ was born in Jerusalem when of course he was actually born in Bethlehem. At first I was totally lost in what to say and then it just came to me. I remember telling the man that if he told his friends back in China that he lived in Hacienda Heights, CA would they know where that was? He of course said no. But if he told his friends he lived in Los Angles, CA they would know that right? They certainly would. Well telling his friends he lived in Los Angles would not be a lie because Hacienda Heights is a suburb of Los Angles. Similarly Bethlehem is a suburb of sorts to Jerusalem and the people in the Book of Mormon had no clue where Bethlehem was but they knew Jerusalem. I remember the investigator looked at me and said it all made sense to him now.

That was an answer that I know for a fact did not come from me and my experience was not unique. The Lord cares about His missionaries and the work they do. He does not abandon them. Just as He will not abandon us in our righteous efforts. What is important to us is important to Him as long as it is not against His commandments. He loves us just as our earthly parents love us except even more. He is always there for us and wants us to be successful. Just involve Him in your life and you will never go wrong. Until tomorrow.