Where Can We Find Peace?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Doctrine and Covenants 85-87 in a lesson titled “Stand Ye in Holy Places.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

Christmas Day is usually a time to ponder messages like “peace on earth” (see Luke 2:14). But on December 25, 1832, Joseph Smith’s mind was occupied with the threat of war. The state of South Carolina in the United States had just defied the government and was preparing for battle. And the Lord revealed that this was only the beginning: “War,” He declared, “will be poured out upon all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:2). It seemed like this prophecy would be fulfilled very soon.

But then it wasn’t. Within a few weeks, South Carolina and the United States government reached a compromise, and war was averted. Prophecy, however, is not always fulfilled at the time or in the way we expect. Nearly 30 years later, long after Joseph Smith was martyred, South Carolina rebelled and civil war followed. Today, war throughout the world continues to cause “the earth [to] mourn” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:6). The value of this revelation is less in predicting when calamity will come and more in teaching what to do when it comes. The counsel is the same in 1831, 1861, and 2025: “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved” (verse 8).

This scripture block contains the following principles: (1) The Lord wants me “to keep a history” (Doctrine and Covenants 85:1-2), (2) The Spirit speaks with a “still small voice” (Doctrine and Covenants 85:6), (3) The righteous are gathered to Christ in the last days (Doctrine and Covenants 86), and (4) Peace is found in “holy places” (Doctrine and Covenants 87). I feel prompted to discuss principle #4 about peace being found in “holy places.” First, we will look at the opening verses of Doctrine and Covenants 87.

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

Today, we can see clearly that this prophecy was fulfilled in the Civil War, which began with the secession of South Carolina. We can also recognize that there have been many wars since the beginning of the Civil War, including World War I and World War II.

Peace has been taken from the earth, and there are factions warring with each other in numerous places throughout the world. Most people know about the war between Russia and Ukraine that has been ongoing for about 1,000 days since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Also, most people know about the current Israel-Hamas War that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel by land, sea, and air from the Gaza Strip. However, most people do not know of the many other places where fighting is taking place.

President Donald Trump is actively working to bring peace to the world. Besides the Russian Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, he has also negotiated deals between India and Pakistan (May), Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo (June), Israel and Iran (June), Thailand and Cambodia (July), and Armenia and Azerbaijan (August). It is good to have peace or a cessation of fighting in those areas, but we know that wars will continue to break out until the Prince of Peace returns to earth.

It is good to have Doctrine and Covenants 87 because it gives counsel as to what we should do when faced with both physical and spiritual dangers: “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen” (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8).

You may wonder what constitutes a “holy place” where peace and safety can be found. There are physical places that are considered as holy, such as our homes, meetinghouses, and temples. There are also holy times (sacrament meetings), holy practices (prayer, scripture study, and singing hymns), and holy thoughts that can bring peace. President Russell M. Nelson gave the following counsel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Often when the Lord warns us about the perils of the last days, He counsels thus: ‘Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.’ These ‘holy places’ certainly include the Lord’s temples and meetinghouses. But as our ability to gather in these places has been restricted in varying degrees, we have learned that one of the holiest of places on earth is the home – yes, even your home” (“What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget,” Liahona, May 2021, 79).