Thoughts that came about as a result of the storm Helene

 And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness, until all shall know me who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing . . . .

T&C 88:7 - D&C 84:97

The earth surely seems to be in commotion. All sorts of things happening that are not good. I've been seeing a lot in regards to the decimation and loss of life in the southeastern United States. And I'm seeing some things I haven't seen before.

First: I have not seen such devastation in my lifetime as has happened there.

Second: I am seeing lots of calls for prayers from the victims and those who care about them. "If you can help with supplies, please do so, and if you can't, please pray for us."

Third: As seems typical, a certain alphabet agency is hindering people from helping - but, this time, people are finding ways around them. I mean physically getting around them. I think it's a combination of compassion, determination, and God's help.

Fourth: The downplaying in the media (I don't blame them; they are only as good as the info they're fed) is offset by the fact that individuals own cell phones. Power may have been out (and is still out in many places), but some people have generators. Some people have some electricity. Some people can connect to satellite internet (think Starlink), which made it possible for others to contact people outside the devastated area. And, people in the areas are reporting a whole lot more death than we have been told.

I can give nothing physically to help these people, but I can pray. And I have been praying most sincerely, fervently, with single-mindedness. I have been praying for the people who are suffering, that they get the relief they so desperately need, and that they are comforted by God and angels and that their hearts are turned to rely on God. I have been praying that God bless the people who are determined to get needed supplies in, that God fight their battles like he did so many times with the Nephites against the Lamanites. And, this morning, I felt such incredible power in my prayers, sobbing in sorrow for the suffering and also sobbing in joy and gratitude for those stepping up to give concrete help in spite of the obstacles. And I believe that the power I felt came and comes from the thousands (perhaps even millions) of other people praying the same prayers.

I have also prayed that God give this country (and Canada, if I'm being honest) another chance. That he put in whatever candidate that he sees can be humble and teachable, and that God will protect (or continue to protect, if it is Trump, as many seem to think he's God's man) and help that person to live in God instead of his own ego or blindness and fears, so that he can be a factor in giving us more time to truly repent.

 I have begged God to make the Covenant of Christ (modern-day translation of the Book of Mormon, for those who don't know) flood this country, then flood Canada and the rest of the world, so that another honest chance at repentance can be given

 There is no scripture, anywhere, that says only a tiny amount righteous people are going to be alive when the Lord comes again. In fact, reading Jacob's retelling of the parable of the olive tree leads me to believe that there will (or could be) a great many people who are good fruit (the wicked/bad fruit are destroyed by degrees, so that the good fruit can become strong). I'm talking about the whole planet here. Also, Nephi (son of Lehi, in the Book of Mormon/Covenant of Christ) saw many places all over the planet where the people were armed with righteousness and God's glory.

So, let's take heart. Let's join together in faith, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever faith you might or might not espouse. Let's join together in God. Let's let this ground roots movement of loving and caring for others take root in our own hearts and minds. Let us repent in sackcloth and ashes so that the whole of America can become Zion, so that the whole of Earth can become united in compassion and caring and love.

And let us be faithful to God while the cleansing is taking place, even while we mourn for those innocents who may be taken in the process. Surely, those who are not worthy of destruction will be claimed by angels and taken to God's bosom if they die in what has happened and what will happen.

Let us pray for the Power of God to be with us, as well as with those who are presently doing their best to provide relief. Let us pray with deepest humility and sincerity that we are no longer blinded by pride or devils or darkness. Let us cast aside all we think makes us more enlightened or better than others. Compared to God, all of us are idiot fools who know zilch.

Please! I pray for our (this earth's) collective repentance and mighty change of heart, that we face toward God and be filled with God's power, that God protect us with his power as we struggle to overcome the vast wickedness that is determined to bring this country (USA) to its knees to drown in the mire, and as we struggle to overcome the vast wickedness that has infested every country on this planet, as if the planet were a garbage dump and those controlling it were rats, spreading disease and death with everything they touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts

 You cannot learn to forgive if you have never been wronged.

What if . . .?

What if, when a baby is staring at her hands, she isn't trying to figure out what those things are? What if she's learning to focus on objects and is practicing on her hands?

What if we can improve our own vision by practicing how to focus - even if it looks weird or our brain screams that we can't see that thing clearly, even though we obviously can?

What if we can take that a step further and look at spiritual things with new eyes, learning how to focus clearly on what really matters?

What if we had a vision from God, very clear and loaded with meaning, but believed it was not a real vision from God because it was only a few seconds long, and neither angels nor God was in it, let alone them speaking words to us?

What if we are sorely in need of learning how to focus on all the messages and abundance God is giving directly to us, but we don't recognize it because our focus is off?

To those who are suffering

 - especially at the hands or words of others.

May I offer up the words to this hymn. (It is found on #285 in the 1985 green LDS hymn book.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful Saints fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his works in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain

 Some background:

One of the ways I receive things is through pieces of songs playing in my mind. Most of the time, they prove prophetic. Sometimes, they're more on a comforting level. So, I was going through a week that felt like hell, with so many things pressing down on me. I reached my breaking point over and over again. I was at the point where I was wondering if God was even real - and if God is real, do they really have any actual power to help alleviate the hell this place is?

And after a week, I broke down yet again and told God that I wanted to believe. (I mean, there's no other direction or being for me to focus on, so it's them or no one.) "I want to believe . . . but I can't." And pieces of the above hymn started playing in my head, and all that day pieces from that hymn played. It was "louder" than I've ever "heard" the songs in my mind - and more constant. I would like to believe, and I do think, it was God/heaven communicating with me, to let me know there is a purpose for this suffering. Some day, at some point, it will be made plain.

And so, to you who are reading this blog post, I offer up the song in the hopes that it will likewise give you comfort in the trials, unjust suffering, and even hell you are going through when you read this.