The Lord Protects His Covenant People

2 Nephi 14:5 - "And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence."

Joseph Smith - "I do not feel disposed to cast any reflections, but I feel to cry mightily unto the Lord that all things which have happened may work together for good; yea, I feel to say, O Lord, let Zion be comforted, let her waste places be built up and established an hundred fold; let Thy Saints come unto Zion out of every nation; let her be exalted to the third heavens, and let Thy judgment be sent forth unto victory; and after this great tribulation, let Thy blessing fall upon Thy people, and let Thy handmaid live till her soul shall be satisfied in beholding the glory of Zion; for notwithstanding her present affliction, she shall yet arise and put on her beautiful garments, and be the joy and glory of the whole earth."

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Transcript

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Welcome to Speak this People. A daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps.

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We all experience seasons when life feels uncertain, difficult, or spiritually exhausting. There are pressures in our homes, worries about our families, concerns about the future, and moments when we wonder where safety and peace can really be found. The Lord has never promised that we will avoid all hardship, but he has promised that he will be with us. He has promised protection, guidance, and refuge for those who turn to him and keep their covenants. Isaiah often describes Zion not only as a place but as a people. He taught that the Lord would bless homes, congregations, and sacred places with his presence. The language of clouds, smoke, and fire would have reminded Isaiah's leaders of Moses and the children of Israel, who were guided and protected by the Lord in the wilderness. Just as the Lord led Israel through danger and uncertainty, he still leads his people today. He can make our homes places of peace, our wards and branches places of strength, and his temples places of refuge. Second Ephi fourteen five. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon our semblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defense. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from Joseph Smith, we will consider what it means to find protection in Zion. This verse teaches that the Lord is not only concerned with protecting nations or large groups of people, he is concerned with protecting individual homes, families, and places of worship. Isaiah says that the Lord will bless every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assemblies. A dwelling place can refer to a home. Assemblies can refer to the places where covenant people gathered, such as branches, wards, stakes, and temples. That is important because it reminds us that Zion is built in very ordinary places. Zion is built in homes where scriptures are read, where prayers are offered, and where forgiveness is practiced, and where the Savior is remembered. Zion is built in chapels where we worship together and do our covenants. Zion is built in temples, where sacred ordinances bind us to our Heavenly Father. The Lord's protection is often connected to covenant living. We do not earn his love, but we do place ourselves in a position to receive his promised blessings when we follow him. A home does not need to be perfect to become a dwelling place of Zion. Families do not need to have everything figured out, but when we invite the Lord into our homes through prayer, scripture study, kindness, repentance, and obedience, we invite his spirit and his protection. There are many dangers in the world today that are not always physical. There are dangers that attack our faith, our peace, our unity, and our families. There are distractions that slowly pull us away from what matters most. There are influences that weaken our confidence in God and in our covenants. Because of that we need homes that are spiritually strong. We need places where the Spirit can dwell. The Lord's promise is not that there will be no storms, his promise is that he can give us refuge in the middle of them. Isaiah describes a cloud and smoke by day and a shining of a flaming fire by night. This points back to the experience of Moses and the children of Israel's children of Israel in the wilderness. The Lord led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Those signs represented both guidance and protection. The Lord was showing his people where to go, when to move, and how to stay safe. We still need that kind of guidance today. We may not have a literal pillar of cloud or fire, but we do have the Holy Ghost, living prophets, the scriptures and sacred covenants. The Lord still leads his people, he still warns, directs, comforts, and protects. Sometimes we want the Lord to remove every difficult circumstance immediately. But often he protects us by helping us endure, by giving us clarity, by strengthening our faith, or by placing good people in our path. Sometimes his protection comes through a prompting to avoid something harmful. Sometimes it comes through peace during a difficult season. Sometimes it comes through the strength to keep going when life is hard. Joseph Smith spoke of Zion with hope even during times of affliction. I do not feel disposed to cast any reflections, but I feel to cry mightily unto the Lord that all things which have happened may work together for good. Yea I feel to say, O Lord, let Zion be comforted, let her waste places be built up and established a hundredfold. Let thy saints come unto Zion out of every nation, let her be exalted to the third heavens, and let thy judgment be sent forth unto victory. And after this great tribulation, let thy blessings fall upon thy people, and let thy handmaid live till her soul shall be satisfied in beholding the glory of Zion. For notwithstanding her present affliction she shall yet arise and put on her beautiful garments, and be the joy and glory of the whole earth. Joseph Smith understood that Zion would face tribulation, but he also knew that Zion would rise. The Lord's people may go through hard times, but the Lord will not abandon them. This verse invites us to think carefully about the spiritual condition of our homes and the places where we gather. Are our homes places where the spirit feels welcome? Are they places where we speak kindly, pray regularly, and make room for the Savior? Are we helping create homes where family members feel safe, loved, and strengthened? It also invites us to think about how we approach our wards, branches, and stakes. We can help make our congregations places of refuge by being more welcoming, more encouraging, and more willing to lift others. Many people come to church carrying burdens that no one else can see. They need kindness, they need friendship, they need reminders that they are not alone. We can also think about our relationship with the temple. Temples are part of Zion. They are places where the Lord teaches, protects, and strengthens his covenant people. The more connected we are to the temple, the more we remember who we are and what promises God has made to us. When life feels overwhelming, it is easy to focus only on the storm. But Isaiah reminds us to focus on the refuge the Lord provides. He can give us peace in our homes, strength in our congregations, and the confidence in our covenants. We do not have to face the heat of the day or the storms of the night alone. So here is today's challenge. Choose one way to strengthen Zion in your life this week. It may be offering a family prayer with more purpose, reading the scriptures together, attending the temple, reaching out to someone in your ward or making your home feel more peaceful and centered on Christ. As we do that, we will be building places where the Lord's Spirit can dwell and where his protection can be felt. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.