Liberty Jail Week 3
“The Liberty jail, one of the few and
certainly one of the more forbidding of such structures in that region, was
considered escape proof, and it probably was. It had two stories. The top or
main floor was accessible to the outside world only by a single small, heavy
door. In the middle of that floor was a trapdoor through which prisoners were
then lowered into the lower floor or dungeon. The outside walls of the prison
were of rough-hewn limestone 2 feet thick, with inside walls of 12-inch oak
logs. These two walls were separated by a 12-inch space filled with loose rock.
Combined, these walls made a formidable, virtually impenetrable barrier 4 feet
thick.
In the dungeon the floor-to-ceiling height was barely 6 feet, and inasmuch as
some of the men, including the Prophet Joseph, were over 6 feet tall, this
meant that when standing they were constantly in a stooped position, and when
lying it was mostly upon the rough, bare stones of the prison floor covered
here and there by a bit of loose, dirty straw or an occasional dirty straw mat.
The food given to the prisoners was coarse and sometimes contaminated, so
filthy that one of them said they “could not eat it until [they] were driven to
it by hunger.” On as many as four occasions they had poison administered
to them in their food, making them so violently ill that for days they
alternated between vomiting and a kind of delirium, not really caring whether
they lived or died. In the Prophet Joseph’s letters, he spoke of the jail being
a “hell, surrounded with demons . . . where we are compelled to hear nothing
but blasphemous oaths, and witness a scene of blasphemy, and drunkenness and
hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description."”[1]
It
was under these conditions that the prisoners were to spend the next four
months. Being frustrated at the
injustices forced upon them by the state and U.S. governments, by the
intolerable conditions in the jail, and by their separation from family, friends, and church, the
prophet began to show his true strengths.
There
may be times in our own lives when it seems as though all is lost; that which we
love and hold dear has been taken from us and there is nowhere to go, no one to
turn to. At times like this I want you
to know that we are never alone. The
Savior will help you see and understand the vision He has for you. We are His
beloved children. He knows you personally and has a plan for your life. He has
promised that as you live worthily, His Spirit will always be with you.
It was in the Garden of Gethsemane when our
Savior, in his hour of greatest darkness said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death,” he then plead
with the Father “Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou
wilt”. Matt 26:38, 3. But he was not left
alone, “And there appeared an angel unto
him from heaven, strengthening him”. Luke
22:43.
When
we seem most alone, we too can have angels around us; angels from heaven on
high, angels in the form of family, friends, or fellow saints; even from a
nudge, nuzzle or cold wet nose of your favorite pet.
After months in the Liberty Jail, Joseph wanted
the work of the Lord to move forward, but he was being frustrated by his
incarceration. He wanted to be able to
lead the saints, to be with his friends and family during these hard times of persecution. Under these circumstances he pleads with the
Lord for the suffering saints; " O God, where art thou? And where is the
pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye,
behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants,
and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful
oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels
be moved with compassion toward them? O
Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in
them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted
dominion of Sheol--stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy
pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear
be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion
toward us. Let thine anger be kindled
against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us
of our wrongs. Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and
thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever”. (D&C 121:1.)
In response to Joseph’s pleading the Lord
answered “My son, peace be unto thy soul;
thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if
thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all
thy foes”. D&C 121:7-8
“Thine afflictions shall be but a small
moment”. In the depths of our misery,
grief, or misfortune, time seems to move by ever so slowly. There is no suspension of our pain, the
discomfort or agony; yet after it is all over, when we have finally crossed the
chasm of our distress, we can often look back and see the truer measure of
time, and that it was indeed but for a “small moment”.
Then in verse 9 the Lord tells Joseph: “Thy friends do stand by thee, and they
shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hand”. Our friends are of such great comfort to us
during our times of tribulation. How
often do we cry out for the acceptance, confirmation or help from a friend, and
how often are we greeted with their warm hearts and friendly hands?
Within past months I have so often seen this
scenario played out, where one of our Facebook friends reaches out in despair,
with a cry for help or support, and time after time there are a multitude of
friends who will post their “warm hearts and friendly hands”. The Lord has
touched my spirit time and again, and more often than not, His touch has
reached me through the hand of a friend.
Joseph wrote of his experiences in the
Liberty jail; “I think I could never have felt as I now do if I had not
suffered the wrongs that I have suffered”.
READ D&C Section 121: - http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/121?lang=eng
[1]
Jeffrey R. Holland; Lessons From Liberty Jail
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