"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good"

I've been thinking a lot lately about trials and challenges, and how they allow us to grow closer to Christ and are for our benefit. My study recently took me to sections 121-123 in Doctrine and Covenants. I've read these sections multiple times before, but this time, I really wanted to understand more of the story before Joseph's imprisonment.

There was so much miscommunication and misunderstanding between the early Saints and Missouri government. False reports were sent, rumors were spread, and the truth was no where to be found. People on both sides were scared, not only for their lives, but for what their future might hold.

Eventually, an extermination order against the early members of the Church led to a close friend of the Prophet Joseph betraying him, leading to his arrest and trial. He and five other men would be lead through the city, paraded like animals, and threatened with death. They would go to Richmond, Missouri, and listen to their captures boast and brag about what they had done to the members of the Church at Haun's Mill. And then, they will be taken to Liberty Jail, one of the hardest, if not the hardest, experience of the Prophet's life.

It's December when the prisoners are brought to Liberty, and they won't leave until April. Conditions there were absolutely awful. The jail is 14 feet by 14 feet, and between six and six and a half feet tall (Joseph is 6'1" and his brother Hyrum is 6'4"). There's no blankets, hardly any food, and a bucket for waste. When food is delivered, it often is so bad that it makes the inmates vomit. Early on, the men had visitors and letters. Towards the end of their time there, the visits are far and few in between. On top of everything happening to them, Joseph and the other leaders of the Church are completely clueless as to what is happening to their friends and family. Joseph, suffering all this and much more, wonders, "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" (D&C 121:1)

How many times have we as well faced trials or challenges that seem so overwhelming, so difficult, that we want to ask God where He is or why He isn't listening? I can think of my fair share of moments where my trials have caused me to cry out for my God. Often times, that is what trials and challenges do for us. We learn to rely on Him even more, because He is the only one that can help us in our difficulty.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has taught, "You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced (“Lessons from Liberty Jail,” Ensign, Sept. 2009, 28)." But how?

I believe it comes when we listen for the simple promptings of the Holy Ghost, who will lead us to learn more about the Savior Jesus Christ. It is He who has descended below all things and knows how best to lift us higher. Because of His Atonement, He knows how to perfectly succor us and help us see His guidance and influencing hand in the midst of hard times (Alma 7:11-12).

If you are facing your "Liberty Jail" and things seem to be going completely against you, take heart. So it has been with some of the greatest that this world has ever seen. Trust Christ, rely on His ability to know exactly how you feel and how to teach you what you need to learn from that experience. I know that Christ's love and help are always available, but especially when we feel lost and in need to cry out for divine intervention.