Seeking Help From God

Heavenly Father has promised divine assistance so we can endure all mortal challenges. He has promised many ways His help will come. If we do not see His help in one way, it is always important to not give up. Keep seeking. He is there.

• What do you know about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that gives you confidence They can help with sadness and depression?

Read Jacob 2:8; Alma 26:27–28; Doctrine and Covenants 6:36; 136:29. Look for ways we can seek the Lord’s help when we are sad or depressed.

• What do these verses teach us to do when we are sad or depressed?
• What are some other ways we can seek help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Seek Help From Others

God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 82)

When we feel sad or depressed, we may feel tempted to withdraw or isolate ourselves from others. Doing this may limit our ability to see the help Heavenly Father is sending us. Reaching out to others could include talking to parents, trusted family members, or Church leaders.

List two or three things someone who is struggling could do to reach out to others or let others help them.

Seek Help From Professionals

One important source of help we can seek is the wisdom of trusted medical and mental health providers. Think about the earlier comparison of sadness and depression to ocean waves. When we are sad (dealing with smaller waves), we should follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost to know when to seek professional help. However, if we feel depressed or suicidal (facing large waves), seeking professional help is critical.

Read this statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for what Heavenly Father has provided to help us when we struggle:

“Seek the advice of reputable people with certified training, professional skills, and good values. Be honest with them about your history and your struggles. Prayerfully and responsibly consider the counsel they give and the solutions they prescribe. If you had appendicitis, God would expect you to seek a priesthood blessing and get the best medical care available. So too with emotional disorders. Our Father in Heaven expects us to use all of the marvelous gifts He has provided in this glorious dispensation.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 41)

In your Learning Journal, write down a part of Elder Holland’s statement that was meaningful to you.

• Why do you think it is important for someone to seek professional help for depression?

Emma Smith:  Character and Interests

Both Joseph and Emma liked being outdoors. Since childhood, Emma had enjoyed riding horses and canoeing in the river near her home. Joseph was not a skilled horseman, but he excelled in wrestling and ball games. He was at ease around others and quick to smile, often telling jokes or humorous stories. Emma was more reserved, but she loved a good joke and could talk with anyone. She also liked to read and sing.

Emma Smith: Courtship and Marriage

Joseph had been drawn to Emma as soon as he met her. Like Alvin, she was someone who could help him become the man the Lord needed to carry out His work. But there was more to Emma than that. Joseph loved her and wanted to marry her.

In December, Joseph turned twenty-one years old. In the past, he had let himself be pulled this way and that by the expectations of those who wanted to take advantage of his gift. But after his last visit to the hill, he knew he had to do more to prepare himself to receive the plates.

Before returning to Harmony, Joseph spoke with his parents. “I have concluded to get married,” he told them, “and, if you have no objections, Miss Emma Hale would be my choice.” His parents were pleased with his decision, and Lucy urged him to come live with them after they married.

Joseph spent as much time as he could with Emma that winter, sometimes borrowing the Knights’ sleigh when snow made it hard to travel to the Hales’ house. But her parents still did not like him, and his efforts to win over the family failed.

In January 1827, Emma visited the Stowells’ home, where she and Joseph could spend time together without her family’s disapproving looks. Joseph proposed to Emma there, and at first, Emma seemed surprised. She knew her parents would oppose the marriage. But Joseph urged her to think about it. They could elope right away.

Emma considered the proposal. Marrying Joseph would disappoint her parents, but it was her choice, and she loved him.

A short time later, on January 18, 1827, Joseph and Emma were married in the home of the local justice of the peace. They then went to Manchester and began life together in the new home of Joseph’s parents. The house was comfortable, but Joseph Sr. and Lucy had overspent on it, fallen behind on their payments, and lost the property. They were now renting it from the new owners.

Emma Smith: Influence on Joseph when he was in danger

When Joseph and Erastus landed their [small boat] on the island, Emma, Hyrum, and some of Joseph’s close friends greeted them. Taking Emma’s hand, Joseph listened as the group sat in the boat and spoke quietly about the situation in Nauvoo.

The danger was greater than Joseph had expected. His friends had heard that the governor of Iowa had issued an arrest warrant for him and Porter as well, meaning it was no longer safe for Joseph to hide at his uncle’s house. They now expected sheriffs on both sides of the river to be searching for him.

Still, Joseph’s friends believed the arrest attempts were illegal, a shameless scheme by his enemies in Missouri to capture the prophet. For now, the best thing for Joseph to do was to hide out at a friend’s farm back on the Illinois side of the river and wait until things calmed down.

As Joseph left the island, his heart overflowed with gratitude. Others had abandoned and betrayed him time and time again in the face of adversity. But these friends had come to help him in the dark of night, choosing to stand beside him and the truths he cherished.

“They are my brethren,” he thought, “and I shall live.”

Yet he felt the most gratitude for Emma. “Again she is here,” he thought, “even in the seventh trouble, undaunted, firm and unwavering, unchangeable, affectionate Emma!”

Emma Smith: On trusting the Lord

Shortly after Joseph’s sudden disappearance, Emma received a letter from him, assuring her he was safe. He and Sidney had fled Kirtland, putting distance between themselves and those who wished to harm them. Their location was secret, but Newel Whitney and Hyrum knew how to contact them and were advising them from afar.

Emma understood the dangers Joseph faced. When his letter arrived, some men—probably friends of Grandison Newell—examined its postmark, trying to learn where he was. Others were spying on his struggling store.

Although she remained optimistic, Emma worried about the children. Their one-year-old son, Frederick, was too young to understand what was happening, but six-year-old Julia and four-year-old Joseph became anxious when they learned their father would not be coming home soon.

Emma knew she had to trust in the Lord, especially now that so many people in Kirtland were turning to doubt and disbelief. “If I had no more confidence in God than some I could name, I should be a sad case indeed,” Emma wrote Joseph at the end of April. “But I still believe that if we humble ourselves and are as faithful as we can be, we shall be delivered from every snare that may be laid at our feet.”

Even so, she worried that Joseph’s creditors would take advantage of his absence and seize whatever property or money they could. “It is impossible for me to do anything,” she lamented, “as long as everybody has so much better right to all that is called yours than I have.”

Emma was ready for him to come home. There were few people she trusted now, and she was reluctant to give anyone anything that did not help to pay off Joseph’s debts. And to make matters worse, she feared their children had been exposed to measles.

“I wish it could be possible for you to be at home when they are sick,” she wrote. “You must remember them, for they all remember you.”

Saints Volume 1, Chapter 9

The Sunday after the church was organized, Oliver preached to the Whitmer family and their friends in Fayette. Many of them had supported the Book of Mormon translation but had not yet joined the church. After Oliver finished speaking, six people asked him to baptize them in a nearby lake.

After the baptisms in Fayette, Joseph began the hundred-mile trip back to his farm in Harmony. As busy as he was with the new church, he had to plant his fields soon if he wanted a successful fall harvest. His payments to Emma’s father on the farm were already late, and if his crops failed, he would have to find another way to pay off his debt.

On his way home, Joseph stopped at Joseph and Polly Knight’s farm in Colesville, New York. The Knights had long supported him, but they still had not joined the church. Joseph Knight in particular wanted to read the Book of Mormon before he embraced the new faith.⁴

Joseph stayed a few days in Colesville, preaching to the Knights and their friends. Newel Knight, one of Joseph and Polly’s sons, often talked with the prophet about the gospel. One day, Joseph invited him to pray at a meeting, but Newel said he would rather pray alone in the woods.

The next morning, Newel went to the woods and tried to pray. An uneasy feeling came over him, and it grew worse as he started for home. By the time he reached his house, the feeling was so oppressive that he begged his wife, Sally, to get the prophet.

Joseph hurried to Newel’s side and found family members and neighbors watching fearfully as the young man’s face, arms, and legs contorted wildly. When Newel saw Joseph, he cried, “Cast the devil out!”

Joseph had never tried to rebuke the devil or heal someone before, but he knew Jesus had promised His disciples the power to do so. Acting quickly, he caught Newel by the hand. “In the name of Jesus Christ,” he said, “depart from him.”

As soon as Joseph spoke, the contortions stopped. Newel slumped to the floor, exhausted but unharmed, muttering that he had seen the devil leave his body.

The Knights and their neighbors were astonished by what Joseph had done. Helping them carry Newel to a bed, Joseph told them it was the first miracle performed in the church.

“It was done by God,” he testified, “and by the power of godliness.”⁵

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In late June 1830, Emma traveled with Joseph and Oliver to Colesville. Word of Joseph’s miracle that spring had spread throughout the area, and now the Knights and several other families wanted to join the church.

Emma was also ready to be baptized. Like the Knights, she believed in the restored gospel and in her husband’s prophetic call, but she had not yet joined the church.⁹

After arriving in Colesville, Joseph worked with others to dam a nearby stream so they could hold a baptismal meeting the following day. When morning came, however, they discovered that someone had wrecked the dam overnight to prevent the baptisms from taking place.

Disappointed, they held a Sabbath-day meeting instead, and Oliver preached on baptism and the Holy Ghost. After the sermon, a local minister and some members of his congregation broke up the meeting and tried to drag one of the believers away.

Emma was all too familiar with opposition to Joseph and his message. Some people called him a fraud and accused him of trying to profit off his followers. Others mocked believers, calling them “Mormonites.”¹⁰ Wary of trouble, Emma and the others returned to the stream early the next day and repaired the dam. Once the water was deep enough, Oliver waded into the middle of the pool and baptized Emma, Joseph and Polly Knight, and ten others.

During the baptisms, some men stood along the bank, a short distance back, and heckled the believers. Emma and the others tried to ignore them, but when the group headed back to the Knight farm, the men followed, shouting threats at the prophet along the way. At the Knights’ house, Joseph and Oliver wanted to confirm the newly baptized women and men, but the group of hecklers outside swelled to a noisy mob of fifty.

Worried they might be attacked, the believers fled to a neighboring house, hoping to finish the confirmations in peace. But before they could perform the ordinances, a constable arrested Joseph and carried him off to jail for causing an uproar in the community by preaching the Book of Mormon.

Joseph spent the night in custody, unsure if the mob would capture him and carry out their threats. Emma, meanwhile, waited anxiously at her sister’s house while she and their Colesville friends prayed for Joseph’s safe release.¹¹

Over the next two days, Joseph was tried in court and acquitted, only to be arrested and tried again on similar charges. After his second hearing he was set free, and he and Emma returned to their farm in Harmony before she and the Colesville Saints could be confirmed as members of the church.¹²

Back home, Joseph tried again to work on his farm, but the Lord gave him a new revelation on how he should spend his time. “Thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion,” the Lord declared. “In temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.” Joseph was told to plant his fields and then set off to confirm the new members in New York.¹³

The revelation left much uncertainty in Emma’s life. How would they earn a living if Joseph devoted all his time to the Saints? And what would she do while he was away serving the church? Was she supposed to stay at home, or did the Lord want her to go with him? And if He did, what would be her role in the church?

Knowing Emma’s desire for guidance, the Lord spoke to her in a revelation given through Joseph. He forgave her sins and called her an “elect lady.” He directed her to go with Joseph in his travels and promised, “Thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church.”

He also calmed her fears about their finances. “Thou needest not fear,” He assured her, “for thy husband shall support thee.”

The Lord then instructed her to make a selection of sacred hymns for the church. “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart,” He said.¹⁴

Soon after the revelation, Newel and Sally Knight visited from Colesville, and Sally and Emma were confirmed. As the two women received the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of the Lord filled the room. Everyone rejoiced and praised God.¹⁵

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Fill out the form below. Be as descriptive as possible. When you are finished, start reading D&C section 20 or the following talk: “Joy and Spiritual Survival“

Group Leader: Assign some group members to answer question 1 and 2 and answer the questions in their Learning Journals. Make sure everyone is preparing to share what they learn with the rest of the group.

Question 1: Read D&C 14:1-11. Look for the type of qualities for which the Lord is looking in those who work for Him. When you find a quality, record the verse in which you found it and the quality in your Learning Journal.

Answer the following question in your Learning Journal and be prepared to discuss this in your group:

• From your list, which qualities do you think would be MOST important when we serve the Lord or “work for Him?” Why do you feel this way?

Create some “statements of power” regarding serving the Lord, using the following prompts:

• ______________ is important because ______________________
• To serve the way the Lord wants, we must…
• If we…then…

Question 2: Every job uses tools to help get the job done. Read D&C 14:1-11, looking for the different tools we must learn to use as we serve the Lord. Make a list of these tools in your Learning Journal and make sure to record the verse where you find the tools in your Journal.

Answer the following question in your Learning Journal and be prepared to discuss this in your group:

From your list, which tool do you think is most important in doing the Lord’s work. Why?

Create some “statements of power” regarding serving the Lord, using the following prompts:

• _____________ is an important tool in the Lord’s work because….
• If we…then…

Group Leader: When your group comes back together, allow time for members to share how they answered the questions and to share a “statement of power.”

1st Reading: Overview/Airplane Mode

While working on the Book of Mormon translation, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery learned that Jesus Christ gave the Nephites authority to baptize. As they prayerfully sought to know more, Joseph and Oliver were visited by John the Baptist and later Peter, James, and John, who were sent to restore priesthood authority to the earth.

Read the “Section Heading” for D&C 13.  Look for the “who, what, where, when and how and why?

Find “Harmony, Pennsylvania” in the maps section of the Gospel Library/Study Helps/Church History Maps section.

This event took place near the Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania.  You can see a picture of this place here.

Why was it important that the Lord send John the Baptist specifically to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery?  Look in the “Guide to the Scriptures” section of the “Study Helps” in the Gospel Library App.  Before moving on, write your answer to this question on a piece of paper and give it to Brother Crockett, who will ensure your answer is correct.

Read D&C 13:1 individually, looking as an overview.  Look for any words or phrases that may be difficult to understand, or to which you do not know the meaning. When done reading, share as a group any questions or concerns and answer them.

2nd Reading:  Looking for spiritual truths, messages, and doctrines

Remember:  A doctrine is a principle which is founded on truth.  Doctrines do not change over time, can be applied to a wide variety of circumstances and help us make decisions and guide our lives.

Read D&C 13:1.  Give your group members time to individual read verse 1. What are some truths found in this verse?  Discuss what you’ve found as a group, and invite group members to make a collective list of truths in their individual learning journals.

As a group, chose one truth upon which to focus.  Then, ask some questions about the verse that will help apply the truth to our lives today. For example:

Truth:  Those who hold the priesthood are fellow servants.  Why would the Lord want priesthood holders to know they are serving with angels?  John uses the word “servant.”  What does the use of this word teach us about the priesthood? 

Invite group members to individually write the chosen truth and question in their own Learning Journal.  Then, give the group time to ponder and then write a response to that question.  When done, invite members to share what they wrote.  Compare each response to the definition of a doctrine.  If what they wrote is (1) true, (2) won’t change over time (3) can be applied to a wide variety of circumstances and (4) help make decisions or guide their lives, then CONGRATULATIONS!  They found a DOCTRINE! 🙂 

Have each group member fill out the questionnaire below and submit it so Brother Crockett can see your work.

President Russell M. Nelson

The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults. …

I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands. (Russell M. Nelson, “Embrace the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 75–76)

We have been promised that “if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear” [Doctrine and Covenants 38:30]. This assurance has profound implications today. The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 94)

President Dallin H. Oaks

We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 9)

Elder Quentin L. Cook

The storms and temptations of this life are often unpredictable. But this we know: they will come! In order to overcome the challenges and temptations that each of us inevitably faces, it will require righteous preparation and the use of divinely provided protections. We must determine to be temple worthy regardless of what befalls us. If we are prepared, we shall not fear. (Quentin L. Cook, “Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 39)

Parables of the Lost

 

Here is the link for Tuesday’s Assignment: Luke 15

Work through the assignment, and then fill out the form below. Submitting the form will give you credit for Tuesday.

Recognizing my individual worth

On a page in your study journal, consider making a simple drawing of a shepherd holding a sheep or a father hugging his son. Use the space surrounding this drawing to record the following:

• Words or phrases (including those from Luke 15) that remind you of how beloved you and all others are to Heavenly Father, even when you and others need to repent.
• Ways you can treat those who need to repent with compassion, including yourself.
• As you think about how you treat yourself and those around you, how do you want to apply what you learned today?

Fill out the form below so that Brother Crockett can get to know you a little better.