Tribulation and Adversity: A Part of Mortality
Each one of us will experience hardship, heartache, trial, and tribulation throughout our
lives.
Elder Jeffery R. Holland- “Everyone, including the
righteous, will be called upon to face trying times. When
that happens we can sometimes fear God has abandoned us,
and we might be left, at least for a time, to wonder when
our troubles will ever end.”
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “When you have to, you can have
sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with
the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that
even a little stronger: You can have sacred, revelatory,
profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the
most miserable experiences of your life- in the worst
settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when
facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you
have ever faced.”
While our trials may be sore, the blessings we receive for persevering and enduring are
the greatest we can imagine.
The Trial of Abraham
Abraham was righteous, and he sought after the blessings of the priesthood. Abraham’s
father worshipped idols, and he sought to sacrifice Abraham to the gods. Abraham was
saved by the Lord.
Because of his faithfulness Abraham was promised that from his seed would arise a great
nation, and that all followers of the Gospel would be numbered among his seed.
Abraham and Sarah did not have children until she was very old- Isaac was the only child
born to them. The Lord promised that the covenant would be fulfilled through Isaac.
Abraham was then commanded to take this promised son, and offer him as a sacrifice
unto the Lord- the very thing that he ran away from with his own father. Abraham passed
the trial and in his heart had already offered up Isaac in sacrifice before they went on
their journey. The Lord intervened through an angel only at the point of no return- as
Abraham held the knife over his son. Because of his faithfulness Abraham was promised
great things.
Genesis 22:16-18- “By myself have I sworn, saith the
LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not
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withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea
shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
Job the Faithful
Job 1:8- “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is
none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God and escheweth evil?”
Job is a blessed man- one with a large family and great riches. But he loses it all.
1. His oxen, mules, and camels are taken, and his servants are killed.
2. His children were all killed when the house fell down on them.
Even with all these trials, Job still had faith in God and His plan.
Job 1:21- “And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord.”
3. Job is cursed with boils
4. His friends come and accuse him of being wicked.
Because of his faith Job was blessed so that he saw the Lord- there is no greater blessing
than this.
Job 42: 2, 5-6- “I know that thou canst do every thing, and
that no thought can be withholden from thee… I have heard
thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
Joseph Smith: The Prison-Temple of Liberty Jail
Joseph Smith believed in sacrifice. He said:
Joseph Smith: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice
of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the
faith necessary unto life and salvation.”
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Joseph was tried and tested throughout his life, but no trial may have been as difficult as
the months spent in Liberty Jail. Joseph’s time in Liberty jail has been likened to a
temple experience- for therein he received great personal strength and revelation.
Joseph and several others were taken just after Governor Boggs issued the extermination
order, forcing all of the saints to leave Missouri. This in and of itself must have been
trying to Joseph, he was taken at a time when the saints needed him most.
Liberty jail
1. Ceiling was 6ft, and many prisoners were taller than it, so they could never stand
up straight.
2. There were no sleeping quarters and only a few piles of straw on plank boards or
stone floor.
3. No blankets, when a fire was lit, the smoke from it choked them.
4. Their food was poor and often not fit to eat. At least 4 times it was poisoned.
5. The guards used coarse language and treatment of the prisoners.
D&C 121:1-2- “O God, where are thou? And where is the
pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy
hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold
from the eternal heavens the wrongs of they people and of
the servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?”
In response to the cry, the Lord replied:
D&C 121:7-8- “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine
adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on
high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
Through this terrible ordeal, the Prophet Joseph Smith received comfort, guidance, and
revelation for not just himself, but for the entire church and all of us today. Sections 121,
122, and 123 of the Doctrine and Covenants are a result of the revelation that Joseph
Smith received while in Liberty Jail.
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “These difficult lessons teach us
that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and if we will
be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not
curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and
inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples-
or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort and
revelation, diving companionship and peace… We are not
alone in our little prisons here. When suffering, we may in
fact be nearer to God than we’ve ever been in our entire
lives. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a
would-be temple.”
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Personal stories of trial
“Alone” as a missionary…
Jesus the Christ
We are never alone in our trial. The Lord reminded this to Joseph during his trying time.
D&C 122:7-8- “And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or
into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death
passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the
billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds
become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and
all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above
all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide
after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall
give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of
Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than
he?”
Christ alone suffered more than all, he alone has a perfect empathy for us in our trials.
Alma 7:11-13- “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and
afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the
word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him
the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take
upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which
bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities,
that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the
flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to
succor his people according to their infirmities.”
Christ suffered for all of us, and through His perfect suffering, He can perfectly comfort
us, guide us, and lift us up.
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “Because Jesus walked such a
long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His
solitary journey brought great company for our little
version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in
Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son,
the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven,
family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and
apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more
have been given as companions for our mortal journey
because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the
Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of
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Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor
unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly
the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you
comfortless.”
With the Lord at our side we have nothing to fear, we can overcome all things through
Him, and we can receive our greatest blessings by seeking Him out in our time of trial.
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “Whenever these moments of our
extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God
has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. He
does hear us. He does see us. He does love us. When we
are in dire circumstances and want to cry “Where are
Thou?” it is imperative that we remember He is right there
with us- where He has always been! We must continue to
believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray and plead
with heaven, even if we feel for a time our prayers are not
heard and that God has somehow gone away. He is there.
Our prayers are heard. And when we weep He and the
angels of heaven weep with us.”
Testimony
