Hill Cumorah Monument |
Was not this the fulfillment of what Daniel saw in vision -
that the gospel shall be as a stone cut out of the mountain without hands to
roll forth and fill the whole earth? Did not Isaiah, Nephi, and even the Savior
himself, all foretell of this "marvelous work and a wonder" - which
is an apt description for the appearance of God the Father and the Son,
ministering angels, gold plates, restoration of priesthood authority, and many
other marvelous revelations and manifestations?
So if all of this was prefigured and heralded hundreds of
years before hand, why did it appear to come about under conditions which seem to
deny divine intervention or any allusion that heaven was smiling down on the
principle actors? Joseph and Emma lost
their first born son shortly after the translation of the first 116 pages of
the Plates of Mormon. The Smith family
lost their farm during this time, prior to the Book of Mormon being published. Joseph and Emma had a falling out with Emma's
family and had to take shelter with the Whitmers whom they had never met. It was with great difficulty that a publisher
was finally found to publish the Book of Mormon, and Martin Harris lost his
farm in the deal.
While the hand of the Lord can be seen, it would be a vast
understatement to say that divine providence was definitely not manifest in a
manner that removed all obstacles, worries, and inconveniences. The much heralded restoration came about
while those involved struggled economically and in most other areas of their
lives. It is strikingly reminiscent of
the difficulties and inconveniences spoken of in the New Testament of a taxing
journey while in the final stages of pregnancy, being required to give birth in
a stable, and then having to flee for refuge to a foreign land. To Mary and Joseph it seemed like everything that could go wrong, went wrong. They had no one - no family, no friends, no one to assist them. Yet the star appeared the very night the Christ child was born. Think about that - how many centuries before had that star been placed in orbit to appear precisely the very night as prophesied!
This is all to say that the most anticipated and divine
events to ever transpire on earth appear to happen amid great turmoil; and
particularly so for those involved. It
must have been very confusing to be part of something so marvelous and of
divine importance, while their own lives seemed so unpredictable, frenzied, and even tragic. Nevertheless, it is very evident that the divine
purposes of God are fulfilled among incredible chaos and the thorny vicissitudes
of life.
If this is the case for those most important and well prophesied earthly events, is there a possibility that something similar may occur in our own
insignificant, convoluted, and muddled lives?
Could the turmoil and confusion caused by such things as: the death of a parent in the Spanish
Influenza epidemic, loss of a farm during the great depression, a disabling stroke and related business loss, or even sexual abuse or Alzheimer's (to identify
only a few of the unsettling and upsetting experiences of our family in the
last hundred years); as well as minor inconveniences and unplanned detours,
actually work to accomplish God's purpose in our own lives?
It appears naive to assume or believe if one is righteous that nothing bad will happen, or that the Lord will intervene in every situation so the righteous do not suffer. The divine pre-existence decree, "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" [Abraham 3:25] seems to indicate we will be tested in multifarious ways whether we are obedient and trusting of the Lord or not.
Therefore we should not be surprised or confused in the middle of the confusion. We have ample evidence as indicated above that the Lord's purposes are brought about and accomplished amid what appears to be chaos, even in our own unassuming, topsy-turvey lives.
It appears naive to assume or believe if one is righteous that nothing bad will happen, or that the Lord will intervene in every situation so the righteous do not suffer. The divine pre-existence decree, "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" [Abraham 3:25] seems to indicate we will be tested in multifarious ways whether we are obedient and trusting of the Lord or not.
Therefore we should not be surprised or confused in the middle of the confusion. We have ample evidence as indicated above that the Lord's purposes are brought about and accomplished amid what appears to be chaos, even in our own unassuming, topsy-turvey lives.
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