PERSONAL PEACE: THE REWARD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Summary

183rd Annual General Conference of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Saturday afternoon, 6 April 2013

Key Doctrines and Principles: 

“Events often occur that rob us of peace and heighten our sense of vulnerability. . . . Such events remind us how quickly our feelings of peace and safety can be destroyed. . . . [There is a] . . .  doctrinal difference between universal or world peace and personal peace. (. . . Peace is also a ‘state of existence that comes to man only upon the terms and conditions set by God’ (Howard W. Hunter, in Conference Report, Oct. 1966, 14–17).”

“Peace has indeed been taken from the earth.¹ Lucifer has not yet been bound and exercises power in this dominion.² . . . Emma Lou Thayne’s beloved hymn asks the appropriate questions: “Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace when other sources cease to make me whole? (“Where Can I Turn for Peace?” Hymns, no. 129). The answer is the Savior, who is the source and author of peace. He is the “Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).” [Emphasis mine.]

Favorite Quotes:

“Modern revelation teaches that the stakes of Zion are a defense and “a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth (Doctrine and Covenants 115:6).”

“Agency is essential to the plan of happiness. It allows for the love, sacrifice, personal growth, and experience necessary for our eternal progression. This agency also allows for all the pain and suffering we experience in mortality, even when caused by things we do not understand and the devastating evil choices of others.”

“President John Taylor taught that peace is not only desirable, but “it is the gift of God.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor (2001), 151 The peace to which I am referring is not just a temporary tranquility. It is an abiding deep happiness and spiritual contentment.” ³

President Heber J. Grant described the Savior’s peace this way: “His peace will ease our suffering, bind up our broken hearts, blot out our hates, engender in our breasts a love of fellow men that will suffuse our souls with calm and happiness.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant (2002), 226. 

“Ugo Betti: ‘To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair, and that there will be wonderful surprises’ (In Marion D. Hanks, “A Loving, Communicating God,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 63).”

So what?

“We earnestly hope and pray for universal peace, but it is as individuals and families that we achieve the kind of peace that is the promised reward of righteousness. This peace is a promised gift of the Savior’s mission and atoning sacrifice (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).”

“Peace is not just safety or lack of war, violence, conflict, and contention. Peace comes from knowing that the Savior knows who we are and knows that we have faith in Him, love Him, and keep His commandments, even and especially amid life’s devastating trials and tragedies (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).” ⁴

“God is not the author of confusion, but [the author] of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33).” For those who reject God, there is no peace. We all participated in the councils of heaven that provided for moral agency, knowing that there would be mortal pain and even unspeakable tragedy because of the abuse of agency. . . . But we also knew that the Savior’s Atonement would overcome and compensate for all of the unfairness of mortal life and bring us peace.”

Repentance and living righteously allow for peace of conscience, which is essential for contentment. ⁵  When there has been a major transgression, confession is required to bring peace.” ⁶  [Emphasis mine.]

“The Savior is the source of true peace. Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace (John 14:26–27). . . . In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).”

Elder Cook refers to the sustaining messages and strength of 3 of my favorite hymns, “Where Can I Turn for Peace?” Hymns, no. 129; “How Gentle God’s Commands,” Hymns, no. 125; and “Though Deepening Trials,” Hymns, no. 122; as sources of comfort and peace. I have long ago memorized these hymns so I have access to the peace they can bring any time and in any circumstances.

1. President Woodruff declared this in 1894 and again in 1896. SeeThe Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, ed. G. Homer Durham (1946), 251–52; see also Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1967, 79–82.

2. See Joseph Fielding Smith, The Predicted Judgments, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year (Mar. 21, 1967), 5–6. However, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated, “We can have inner peace even though peace has been taken from the earth … [and] ‘all things [are] in commotion’” (“Behold, the Enemy Is Combined,” Ensign, May 1993, 79).

3. From the ancient Greeks to our own day, these words—happiness and contentment—have been parsed, dissected, and grappled with not only as to their meaning but also the guidance they give to our lives. See David Malouf, The Happy Life: The Search for Contentment in the Modern World (2011). See also a review of Mr. Malouf’s book, in R. Jay Magill Jr., “How to Live Well,” Wall Street Journal, Jan. 26–27, 2013, C6.

4. President Harold B. Lee taught, “So, we must be refined; we must be tested in order to prove the strength and power that are in us” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 208).

5. Conscience is a moral compass pointing us toward peace. It is activated by at least two sources: the Light of Christ, a glorious birthright from our Heavenly Father (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:6–13; 93:2), and the gift of the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 39:6).

6. “Two sets of forgiveness are required to bring peace to the transgressor—one from the proper authorities of the Lord’s Church, and one from the Lord himself. [See Mosiah 26:29.]” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 41).