a pillar of light

Our Heavenly Father loves us so much.  Ever since I was a little child I knew God loved me.  I know that isn't the case for everyone, but I'm so grateful that I could feel the love of God in my life.  One truth I didn't know as a child and have since learned, is the great light that a living Prophet can bring to our lives.  Having a Prophet on the earth is like having a light in a dark room. 

God has always called a Prophet, since the beginning of time.  Adam, Noah, Abraham were all great Prophets called by God to lead the people in His ways.  But through out history we know that the people became wicked and rejected the Lord and His teachings.  But God is the same today, yesterday, and forever so He always has and always will call a Prophet.  This is one of the major ways He shows his love for us.  This pattern of a Prophet being called then rejected continued until Christ came to the earth. 

When Christ was on the earth He preformed many miracles, He walked on water, healed the sick, loved the sinner, and taught His doctrine.  Another key thing that he did while He was on the earth was establish a church.  He called another Prophet, Peter, and He organized His church.  Then He being the chosen spirit to come to earth and atone for our sins, or take upon himself our sins and weaknesses, died for us.  After the Crucifixion of the Savior, Peter and his apostles were killed.   Then the church Christ establish was shattered.  I guess you could say the light had been turned off.  And people remember Christ teachings but it was hard for them to understand it all without the Light of the Gospel on the earth. Then came the time in the earths history that we call the dark ages. There was a lot of misconstrued concepts of God, and different views of the Bibles teachings.  But we know God loves us and won't leave us alone without the light of the Gospel. So once again he called a Prophet to restore what had been lost. 

Joseph Smith.  Maybe a familiar name to some of you native new yorkers... He was just a young boy of 14 and he wanted to know which church to join.  For those of you who are aware of the History of Western New York, know that in about  the 1820's there was a large religious revival here and many ministers and pastors had come preaching and teaching.  Joseph grew up reading the bible and didn't understand how there could be so many chruchs if the bible said 'One Lord, one faith, one baptism.' So he continued on His search for light and truth.  When one day he stubbled upon a passage of scripture that touched his heart.  In James chapter one verse five, it reads 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and apbraideth not; and it shalll be given him.' He knew right then that he needed to ask God. 

In is words he writes about the experience:

"It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eitghteen hundred and twenty. It was teh firt time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made teh attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun,

which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon my I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in teh air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other- This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (JSH 1:14-17)

This experience really touches me hearts for more than one reason.... But above all, because of the Love of God.  He knew Joseph.  He called him by name.  That day Joseph was called to restore Christs Church to its fullness.  To bring back the Light of the Gospel that had been lost from the earth! I know this is true because just like Joseph I have prayed about it.  Now I'm not saying that I saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.  But I did feel the Holy Ghost whisper to my heart that it is true.  I have felt the Light of the Gospel shine brightly in this dark world we live in.  I invite all of you to pray too.  Even if you've had an answer if you pray you will recieve a confirmation that it is true.