Mountains and Temples



Heaven's Peak, Glacier National Park

I love beautiful landscapes. I'm sappy and sentimental, maybe, but I love it. Serving a mission in Montana has provided me with many opportunities to see incredible scenery. This picture above was taken in the Summer of 2010 in Glacier National Park. Notice the "angel staircase" shaft of light coming down through the clouds. That was a great day.
I love the closeness to God that I find  in Nature. His fingerprints are everywhere.
In ancient times, prophets would go into the mountains to feel the presence of God, and to communicate with Him. Moses went into the mountains to recieve the commandments from the Lord. There are several accounts of prophets in the Book of Mormon who also went in the mountains to pray and communicate with God. There is something sacred and special about praying out in nature.

There is only one place where I have felt the Spirit more strongly than in the mountains, and that is in the Lord's House.

Isaiah prophesied,
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isa. 2: 2-3) 

The "Mountain of the Lord's House" is the Temple of the Lord. A temple is a sacred structure built and dedicated to the Lord. It is a place where we can feel close to Him, and make covenants, or promises with Him. We learn more about who we are, who God is, and His plan for us. Like the mountains, it is a place away from the world. The feelings of peace and holiness are strong in the temple.

The temples of today are much the same as the temples in ancient times, such as the Tabernacle that Moses built.

When I prepared to leave on a mission to Montana, I had the opportunity to attend the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. I can hardly describe the feelings of peace and joy that I experienced there.

I know that God has a plan for each one of us, and for our families. In the temple, our families can be bound together; we can be together even after we die.

To learn more about temples, visit Mormon.org, or talk to me on facebook.

(The background picture of this blog is a picture of the Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.)