Today is the
anniversary of the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was born on December 23, 1805. As a young man not yet fifteen years old, Joseph
desired to know which of all the churches he should join. He read in James 1:5: “If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
Joseph accepted
the scripture to be true. He explained, “Never did any passage of scripture come with
more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into
every feeling of my heart” (Joseph Smith – History 1:12).
After making plans to ask God
for help, Joseph went into a grove of trees, now known as the Sacred Grove, and
knelt in prayer. God the Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to the boy Joseph. The Father introduced His Son, and the Son
spoke to Joseph. After overcoming his
surprise, Joseph asked the heavenly Beings which church he should join and was
answered that he must not join any of them because they were all wrong.
President Thomas S. Monson
stated, “No description of models for us to follow would be complete without
including Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this dispensation. When but fourteen years of age, this
courageous young man entered a grove of trees, which later would be called
sacred, and received an answer to his sincere prayer. There followed for Joseph unrelenting
persecution as he related to others the account of the glorious vision he
received in that grove. Yet, although he
was ridiculed and scorned, he stood firm.
Said he, `I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it,
and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it’ (Joseph Smith – History 1:25)”
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