Yesterday, in Elder's Quorum we had a lesson on a talk given by Elder Alexander Dushku called, "Pillars and Rays." He talked about receiving light continually by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and how that light comes to us, among other ways, through rays of light or by a larger pillar of light. We shouldn't be discouraged, though, if we haven't received giant pillar of light, like Joseph Smith did in the Sacred Grove, because "we too can have our own pillar of light—one ray at a time." As in, a cumulative effect.
The prophet Alma, in the Book of Mormon, book of Alma chapter 36 is recounting his testimony to his son, Helaman, in verse 18:
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
Recounting the experience when he had been knocked-out for three days and three nights:
23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;
Which reminded me of a short phrase used by Joseph Smith, recounting his "First Vision" (or as Truman Madsen prefers to call it, his first "Visitation"), where Joseph says, "and my soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great Joy and the Lord was with me." Joseph was able to feel the joy in his soul for many days because the Lord was with him.
Seems to me that, even though we can receive a continual stream of light, though they seem to almost be fleeting, when once we receive that pillar of light, we can enjoy it and feel that the Lord is with us for days!
So, those pillars con't come in continual streams, like the rays can, but the rays can add-up to a pillar and so, we can have those continual rays add-up to a pillar and thus be able to rejoice with great joy because the Lord is with us! It seems to me that, besides continual prayer, which we are all commanded to do by Jesus Christ and His apostles (1 Thesalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."), we can be buoyed-up by the Spirit of the Lord at all times and in all places that we may be in. Joseph Smith told George Albert Smith, his cousin, that, "I should never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround me. If I was sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia and all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I ought not to be discouraged but hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage and I should come out on the top of the heap at last.”
JPS
