Continuing from a previous post * Find Refuge from Fear II. . . . Amidst all the conditions of our day, “be not troubled.” I would like to share with you how to do this. I am struck by the emphasis on “stand in holy places.” Temples, homes, and chapels are holy places. The presence of the Spirit and our behavior there make them holy places, sanctuaries from the world. . . .
Let’s consider one of these holy places: the temple, the importance of temple worship, and the power of the priesthood manifest in the ordinances of the temple. Know this: the temple will be both a defense and a place of refuge from the growing storms.
I am sure many of you have faced tragedies or events that have brought sadness into your lives. It is during these times that we look for that comforting word, a reassuring promise that all will be well.
President Boyd K. Packer gave such a promise. He said: “When members of the Church are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily upon their minds, it is a common thing for them to go to the temple. It is a good place to take our cares. In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. There, during the time of the temple service, we are ‘out of the world.’. . .
“The Lord will bless us as we attend to sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs” (“The Holy Temple,” Ensign, Feb. 1995).
We might ask ourselves, “Am I attending often and using our beautiful temples as a refuge from the storms of life, and as a sanctuary of serenity—seeking Heavenly Father’s divine plan for me? Am I building my temple experiences now to help me not only in my life today, but also in the future?”
What temples bring to families and individuals seeking to draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ and to our Father in Heaven, seeking peace in a fractured world, seeking comfort in times of trouble, cannot be calculated.
I have often shared a personal story that happened years ago but brought lasting change to our family. While I served in an Area Presidency, Sister Rasband and I, along with two of our children, lived in England. We knew serving in England would be a sacrifice for our children, particularly our seventeen-year-old son, who was looking forward to his senior year in high school and would miss many athletic competitions. After an assignment to speak in Preston, we enjoyed an especially meaningful, spiritual experience with our children performing baptismal ordinances in the Preston England Temple. While my son and I were still in the font with tears of joy in our eyes, he put his hand on my shoulder and asked, “Dad, why haven’t we ever done this before?”
That day, the power of the temple changed our perspective. As a family, the spirit of the temple sanctified us. We felt peace and joy that no football tournament or basketball game could bring. We stepped awayf romt he world and were spiritually lifted—it was a lasting, precious, and sacred experience for our family.
(see Handbook 2; Administering the Church).~Ronald A. Rasband, Be Not Troubled (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2020), 14-16
