“I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice:
“Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter.
“I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face.”
These are from Joseph’s own words, as recorded in D&C 130:14-16.
Joseph keeps praying and asking the Lord when the Second Coming will happen.
The Lord finally says, listen, if you live until you are 85, you’ll see Jesus Christ. Please don’t ask again.
And my absolute favorite part is how Joseph responds!
He knows how the Lord teaches and reveals.
And so Joseph knew better than to think that the Lord just told him the Second Coming would happen when he was 85 years old.
I mean, it COULD mean that.
Or it could be referring to another appearance of Jesus Christ, since the “Second Coming” wasn’t specified.
Or it could mean that he is going to die before he reaches 85, so he’ll see the face of Jesus in the next life.
The Lord doesn’t give us the answers in specifics and literal details.
I can see that while reading the scriptures.
And I’ve seen it in my life in much smaller ways when I get a strong prompting to “apply for that job because it will change your life.”
Only to not get the job… and then be led in a completely different, better direction.
When I’ve felt, “yes, this is the time to serve a mission, so start preparing”.
Only to have my life go in a different direction, one where I am blessed by my preparation to serve a mission every day.
The Lord isn’t always literal and obvious…
And I love that.
It’s like this giant, exciting, God-led mystery that’s about to unfold and I get to see how all the clues fit together as I act in faith and move forward.
How has acting in faith led you to beautiful, unexpected blessings?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
