Elizabeth Whitney longed for divine direction. While praying with her husband one night, they heard a voice from Heaven say, “prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming.”
So she prepared and waited.
When she heard the preaching of the restored gospel, she knew her wait was over.
But some things she saw the new Saints doing in Kirtland confused her.
Some saw unexplainable visions.
Others would scoot around or swing on the ceiling joists.
Some were trying to live the law of consecration.
This behavior caused some to leave the church. But Elizabeth and her husband did not give up. They “continued to pray, confident the Lord would show them the way forward.” (Saints ch 10)
This story reminded me of Zacchaeus in the New Testament—a man lost in a crowd of people as he searched for Christ.
Instead of leaving when he didn’t see what he was looking for, he climbed a tree. And there, in the tree and above the crowd, he found Jesus.
It wasn’t that he was in the wrong place. He just needed to change his altitude.
It is easy to get overwhelmed or confused or discouraged as you look at those around you and find that they inevitably measure short—because we all do.
Be like Zacchaeus, who climbed up.
Like Elizabeth, who looked up.
That is where peace and change happen.
That is why, when Joseph arrived in Kirtland after feeling an “urgent need to get [there] and meet the new members,” the first thing he did was shake hands with Brother Whitney and say, “You have prayed me here, now what do you want of me?”
Remember, “Prayer is the passport for spiritual power.” (Spencer W. Kimball)
Look up. Change your altitude.
And you will find Christ.
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