When it was our turn, Arnold gave this talk, and JoAnn read Psalms 27:1. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Arnold's talk must have struck a cord with the other missionaries, because nearly everyone of the missionaries, and most of the trainers, came up to him afterwards and thanked him for the message. After almost 2 weeks of intensive training, we all were wondering how well we could do, and whether we would measure up.
Hymns Can
Carry Important Personal Messages
Back in the early 1970s I enjoyed the blessing of being a member
of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I have
always loved our hymns and the messages they convey and the spirit they bring
to our meetings. Some are prayers to our Heavenly Father. Some are His messages
to us. Some are more appropriately sung in Sacrament Meetings. Some are meant
for special occasions, while others are good and bring special spirit to our
homes in Family Home Evening.
I began losing my hearing a few years ago. As a result, I came
to the realization that singing is closely dependant on hearing to be able to
intonate well and balance and blend with other singers. As much as I love
Music, I realized that it was time to ask to be released from the fine North
Las Vegas Stake Choir to which I had been called. Elder Quentin L. Cook
of the twelve said in the October 2011 General Conference something which
seemed directed to me. He said: “A line from a beloved hymn provides
comfort, solace, and the clear lens:
‘And Jesus listening can hear the songs I cannot sing.’ ”
Stenosis of Vertebrae in my lower back has weakened my legs. I even went through some physical therapy to
strengthen my ability to walk and stand for extended periods of time. I was
concerned that I might not have the ability to walk and stand as might be
required for our mission. We had also paid for a tour of early church
history sites including Independence Missouri , Far West, Liberty ,
Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Nauvoo, Carthage Las
Vegas so when the hot weather hit, we changed our walks to inside
shopping centers. We also enrolled in the YMCA so I could exercise to
strengthen my legs.
We were totally thrilled with the experiences of this tour and
the wonderful spirit we felt. It strengthened our testimony of the Prophet Joseph
Smith and built an appreciation of the sacrifices of our ancestors, the early
saints made to establish Zion .
The greatest disappointment for me personally was how I
physically felt. It should not have been a surprise that I could not stand
for extended periods of time. At the
Independence Temple Lot while listening to a lecture on what will happen some
day at that sacred place, I was unable to stand long enough for the entire
presentation. After that I learned to pace myself, seeking opportunities
to sit and rest.
So one Saturday back in September, as I was thinking about this
and considering our mission, I prayed earnestly that the Lord would bless me
with the strength and stamina to serve Him. As I was waking up the next Sunday morning the
words to a hymn were running through my head. I kept hearing over and
over again: “I’ll strengthen thee, help thee and cause
thee to stand.” In those early hours those words kept
echoing through my head I couldn’t get the rest it nor recall what hymn.
I should have been paying more attention to the message it was
conveying. Then as I was reading the
scriptures that morning I realized: There is a message here especially for me.
The Holy Ghost was speaking to my heart in a way that only I could understand. I am going to be all right serving this
mission. The Lord will help me.
I was beginning to understand that this is the Lord’s message to
me.
Yet, I still couldn’t think of the name of that hymn nor the verse
that was running through my head.
Then at Sacrament meeting, we began to sing the opening hymn “How Firm a Foundation.” When we began singing, I thought this could
be it? Then when we got to the third verse I realized this is it! I knew the Lord was speaking to me in a way
that I would understand.
When we got home from church, I opened the hymn book and looked up
the rest of the words to this glorious hymn. I realized that the many
verses are addressed in the second
person singular such as thee and
thy instead
of the second person plural you
and your. Until I learned
another language, I would not have picked up on that subtle difference but it
is apparent that by using the singular noun it represents the Lord
speaking to us individually.
Imagine my feelings, if
you will, when they announced the opening hymn that following Tuesday
evening at our Stake High Priest Quorum Meeting: “How Firm a Foundation.”
It seems to me this hymn is addressed to Senior Missionaries:
At home or
abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days
may demand so thy succor shall be.
Fear not, I
am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy
God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll
strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my
righteous omnipotent hand. (Then
on to verse 6)
E’en down to old age, all
my people shall prove
My sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when gray hair shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs shall they still in my bosom be borne.
I pray that as we serve this sacred
mission that we will come to rely upon the Lord not only physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually to
strengthen us, help us and cause us to stand, upheld His righteous hand, in the
sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen
-- Arnold A. Miller
Note: For
sake of message clarity, I stripped out sections where the same phrase repeats.
How Firm a Foundation #85
How firm
a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid
for your faith in his excellent word!
What more
can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto
the Savior for refuge have fled?
In ev’ry condition—in
sickness, in health,
In
poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home
or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy
days may demand so thy succor shall be.
Fear not,
I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am
thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll
strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by
my righteous omnipotent hand.
When
through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The
rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,
For I
will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify
to thee thy deepest distress.
When
through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace,
all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame
shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross
to consume and thy gold to refine.
E’en down
to old age, all my people shall prove
My
sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then,
when gray hair shall their temples adorn,
Like
lambs shall they still in my bosom be borne.
The soul
that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will
not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul,
though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll
never, no never, no never forsake!
– Arnold A. Miller
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