2.274 Have Mercy, O Lord, Upon the Wicked Mob

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth, a bold reminder that our lives are meant to carry his flavor, his truth, and his love to the world. Join me each day to explore one verse of scripture and one thought, striving to stay full of savor and truly live as savory salt. Hello, my friends.

It's great to have you with me. Today, let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. Can we find it in ourselves to pray for our enemies?

We're reading this week, Doctrine and Covenants, sections 109 through 110, as well as 3 Nephi chapters 1 through 5. In Doctrine and Covenants, section 109, we've talked about how this is the recording of the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio. It has an incredible doctrine inside of here, especially considering it's the first dedication of a temple.

So I'd absolutely encourage you to take this line item by line item, verse by verse, and break it down. We certainly don't have time to do that inside of Savory Salt, but it's absolutely worth seeing how Joseph prays for the attendees of the temple itself, prays and explains a bit of the usage. And then this piece comes into play, and it's so interesting to me.

We have a section here where he also asks that the Lord would be with those Saints that are suffering in Jackson County and have had all those difficulties we've been talking about, several, I guess, maybe a week or two, that we've been talking about with those difficulties. And then he says inside of this prayer, an interesting piece. It's in Doctrine and Covenants, section 109, verse 50.

It is our verse for today. Have mercy, O Lord, upon the wicked mob who have driven thy people, that they may cease to spoil, that they may repent of their sins, if repentance is to be found. What an amazing example from Joseph Smith in his dedication to this first temple on the earth today, to pray for our enemies, those that would despitefully use and persecute us, as the scripture says.

Here we see and have record of that very thing happening. My friends, perhaps part of our own savory salt journey is yes, daily repentance on our part, but perhaps it's also asking the Lord to bless and help those that we see as unworthy of those blessings and help. Those that have scorned us, those that have lied to us or about us.

This one has got me thinking, my friends. There have certainly been times in my life when I have felt lied to, cheated on, beaten up (whatever term you want to use) by those that I would see as the wicked mob. There's certainly been times where I've wanted to fight back, and I have in my past, whether through, you know, verbal accusations or arguments, or whatever it may be.

But I've also been able to find, especially as I've spent time in the temple, a space in my prayers to think into those that I've had conflicts with and to pray for them. I'm going to pray for me, to ask the Lord that I may receive peace, even if that relationship never comes back into fruition in my life. I've prayed for those that I feel have used me.

I pray for those that I feel I've been wronged by, and I ask the Lord to apply the Atonement in my life and find peace. And my friends, I have. Does it mean that I just willingly am fine with anyone trampling over me?

No, that's not the case at all. But I can say that as I have focused and tried to remember my enemies in my prayers, the Lord has filled my heart with love and peace, and I can turn it over to Him and allow Him to do with the rest of that situation. I'm grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the role that it plays in my seeking to forgive my enemies.

That's worth something that you and I could absolutely take some time to think into for our own lives. Where could we pray to mend a relationship? Perhaps there's one even as close as a family member or a good friend.

Where can we pray for someone that has wronged us? And rather than seeking to justify all the reasons why you're in the right and they're in the wrong, perhaps just a moment of reflection and prayer, praying that they may cease to spoil and that they may repent of their sins, if repentance is to be found. I think it's interesting to see, especially the situation and the time period, Joseph Smith praying to the Lord to have mercy on the wicked mob.

Definitely a lesson that you and I could take today and something we could spend a little bit of time on in our own lives to increase our own savory salt going forward. That's all for today, my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice.

Cleave unto the covenants you have made, and together we will be savory salt. For more information, visit us at www.fema.org.