In a time filled with discouragement, the Lord takes a moment to share His own testimony of the importance of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. While the Church of Jesus Christ is Christ’s Church, Joseph Smith was the Prophet chosen to open the last dispensation. Even though Joseph had flaws and imperfections, we have an obligation to testify, as the Lord did, of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord declares that He will stand by Joseph (D&C 122:4), and so must the Latter-day Saints.

President David O. McKay said, “Since childhood it has been very easy for me to believe in the reality of the visions of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”¹ President McKay’s testimony of Joseph Smith was built on the foundation of the witness of the Prophet shared by his father, Thomas McKay. As a young missionary in Scotland, Thomas McKay experienced severe opposition whenever he shared his testimony of Joseph Smith. “One day he concluded that the best way to reach these people would be to preach just the simple principles, the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first principles of the gospel, and not bear testimony of the restoration,” President McKay later shared.²

As the weeks stretched on, Thomas continued to become more and more discouraged. He eventually reached a point when he determined that if he could not rid himself of his feelings of gloominess, it might be better if he returned home. Seeking guidance from God, he went to a cave near the seashore to plead with God to remove the feelings of depression he was struggling with. He pleaded, “Oh, Father, what can I do to have this feeling removed? I must have it lifted or I cannot continue in this work.” President McKay said his father “heard a voice, as distinct as the tone I am now uttering, say, ‘Testify that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.’ Remembering then what he tacitly had decided six weeks or more before, and becoming overwhelmed with the thought, the whole thing came to him in a realization that he was there for a special mission, and he had not given that special mission the attention it deserved. Then he cried in his heart, ‘Lord, it is enough,’ and went out from the cave.”³

President McKay later wrote, “As a boy, I sat and heard that testimony from one whom I treasured and honored as you know I treasured no other man in the world, and that assurance was instilled in my youthful soul.”⁴ Just as Thomas McKay learned, the Lord emphasizes the importance of Latter-day Saints sharing their testimony of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

1. David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, 1953, 524.

2. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 2003, 91.

3. Teachings: David O. McKay, 91.

4. Teachings: David O. McKay, 91.

The events described in Doctrine and Covenants 122:5–7 are all literal events that happened to Joseph Smith. Nothing here is hypothetical. Joseph was betrayed by false brethren (D&C 122:5) such as George Hinkle, who turned him over to the Missouri militia. Joseph was also falsely accused (D&C 122:6) by many former Church members who swore out affidavits against the Prophet. He was ripped from the society of his family, including his eldest son, who pleaded for Joseph’s life (D&C 122:6). The Prophet was cast into a pit (D&C 122:7) and endured terrible conditions while being held in Independence, Richmond, and Liberty, Missouri.

Lyman Wight, who was in Liberty Jail alongside Joseph, witnessed the heart-wrenching separation of the prisoners from their families in Far West:

About the hour the prisoners were to have been shot on the public square in Far West, they were exhibited in a wagon in the town, all of them having families there, but myself; and it would have broken the heart of any person possessing an ordinary share of humanity, to have seen the separation. The aged father and mother of Joseph Smith were not permitted to see his face, but to reach their hands through the curtains of the wagon, and thus take leave of him. When passing his own house, he was taken out of the wagon and permitted to go into the house, but not without a strong guard, and not permitted to speak with his family but in the presence of his guard[,] and his eldest son, Joseph, about six or eight years old, hanging to the tail of his coat, crying “Father, is the mob going to kill you?” The guard said to him, “You damned little brat, go back, you will see your father no more.” The prisoners then set out for Jackson County, accompanied by Generals Lucas and Wilson, and about three hundred troops for a guard.⁵

As terrible as these trials were, the Lord in verse 7 repeats His earlier lesson (D&C 121): trials can be a sanctifying and purifying experience for those who endure them well. President Henry B. Eyring taught, “You might reasonably wonder why a loving and all-powerful God allows our mortal test to be so hard. It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence in families forever. To make that possible, Heavenly Father gave us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves by faith to keep His commandments and to repent and so come unto Him.”⁶

Every person eventually encounters some unfair and unkind treatment. Elder Dale G. Renlund provides counsel for how we should respond when faced with this “infuriating unfairness.” He taught, “Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God. Instead, ask God for help. Increase your appreciation for and reliance on the Savior. Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better. Allow Him to help you persevere, to let your afflictions be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.” Join Him in His mission ‘to heal the brokenhearted,’ strive to mitigate unfairness, and become a stonecatcher.”⁷

5. Quoted in JS History, vol. D-1, p. 1636, JSP.

6. Henry B. Eyring, “Tested, Proved, and Polished,” October 2020 General Conference.

7. Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness,” April 2021 General Conference.

In verses 8–9, the Savior exercises a power He gained through experience. His empathy for our own trials comes from the suffering He experienced during His atoning sacrifice. The Prophet Alma testified, “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12).

Only Jesus Christ knows the depth of suffering that every human being has or will experience. He knows every spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical pain that a person will endure, and He knows how to provide comfort and solace in the midst of our sufferings.

The Lord’s statement to the Prophet that “thy years are known” was most likely meant as a comfort. The Prophet’s mission was difficult and filled with suffering, but the Savior was offering His assurance that Joseph’s mission was not yet at an end. The Prophet knew his days were numbered, but he also had faith that the Lord would allow him to complete his mission. In a discourse given a year before his martyrdom, Joseph Smith taught, “I know what I say, I understand my mission & business[.] God Almighty is my shield & what can man do if God is my friend[?] I shall not be sacrificed until my time comes[,] then I shall be offered freely.”⁸

8. Discourse, 22 January 1843, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff, p. 9, JSP.