“Remember . . . Thy Church, O Lord”
Doctrine and Covenants 109:72–74
72 Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth; that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;
73 That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;
74 And be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy glory may fill the earth . . .
President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“In the prayer of dedication at the Kirtland Temple, which prayer was received by revelation according to the Prophet [Joseph Smith], he petitioned the Lord in these words:
“‘Remember all thy church, O Lord . . . that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;
“‘That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners’ (D&C 109:72–73).
“We are witnessing the answer to that remarkable pleading. Increasingly the Church is being recognized at home and abroad for what it truly is. There are still those, not a few, who criticize and rebel, who apostatize and lift their voices against this work. We have always had them. They speak their piece as they walk across the stage of life, and then they are soon forgotten. I suppose we always will have them as long as we are trying to do the work of the Lord. The honest in heart will detect that which is true and that which is false. We go forward, marching as an army with banners emblazoned with the everlasting truth. We are a cause that is militant for truth and goodness. We are a body of Christian soldiers ‘marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before’ (“Onward, Christian Soldiers,” Hymns, no. 246).
“Everywhere we go we see great vitality in this work. There is enthusiasm wherever it is organized. It is the work of the Redeemer. It is the gospel of good news. It is something to be happy and excited about.”
(“Remember . . . Thy Church, O Lord,” Ensign, May 1996, 83.)
