Praise To The Man

As I ponder what I am grateful for, I know of one thing that always comes to my mind. I am always grateful for the Gospel that I am a part of. It is my foundation, my structure. I am who I am today because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have just returned from a very spiritual Church History tour. Although I learned a lot on this tour, I have had one thing that has really stuck with me, and that is my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Before I embarked on this journey in which I took, I had no real testimony of the Prophet that brought this Latter Day work forward. That has changed. I have had the spirit speak to me, confirming that Joseph Smith was and still is a true Prophet and that he does still have a hand in this work.

I have heard people say, "That man made all of this up, there is no way that a man can surely get revelation from God, much less translate a book, especially as unlearned as he was". To this I say:

I know that Joseph Smith did what he said he did. He saw what he said he saw. He went to a grove of trees, just a meager grove, to seek an answer to a prayer. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. They did give him the answer to his prayer. I know that Joseph was chosen to be a Prophet of God because of how unlearned he was. He, as just a 14 year old boy, was humble enough to answer to the will of the Lord. He was fore-ordained in the pre-earth life to be the man that brought forth the truthfulness of the Gospel.

I further have a testimony that Joseph did translate the Book of Mormon. He did have the gift of translation to be able to bring that ancient record forth upon the earth today. He did so with the help of the Lord God. I know that it is true, and feel the spirit when I read its pages and words.

I know that there is no possible way that Joseph could have been persecuted, beaten, tried unjustly, ripped away from his family, tarred and feathered, and eventually died for this cause and have made it all up. NO MAN could go through what he went through what he went through but by the hand of God.

Joseph was the man that was chosen for the work. He was the one God chose to lead this restored Gospel back onto the earth. It is my hope that others will see what Joseph did for us.

In the Sacred Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.