Stand Ye in Holy Places

Doctrine and Covenants 87:8

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.

Holy places may, at times be in the midst of the most troubling and dire of circumstances.  The Lord has told us in D&C 6:32:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you.

An oasis of holiness can be created almost anywhere. Where the saints gather and when the Holy Ghost is present, a holy place can be found. A friend of mine, a career Air Force Lt. Colonel (32 years service) told me this story about serving as a Branch President in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

He said that sacrament meetings were always interesting considering the dire circumstances under which they were held. Because they were in a combat zone, they never went anywhere without their weapons. When the Sacrament was passed, the weapons of the priesthood bearers passing the sacrament were placed under their chairs for the duration of the ordinance.

Sometimes men were able to find substitutes for sentry or alert duty for an hour so they could come to Sacrament meeting, but this meant that they had to show up fully armed and ready to respond to any crisis at a moment’s notice. Usually, these people stood at the back of the room with M-16s on their shoulders and considerable other armaments attached at various places on their flak jackets.

Bread and water was often in short supply, so the sacrament was offered with whatever was available. My friend said that on at least one occasion, pop tarts were substituted for the bread.

When I questioned the wisdom of using pop tarts for the bread, he reminded me that Section 27 verse 2 of the D&C says:

For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.

In the midst of desert heat, sand, and pop tarts, was this tent a holy place? Perhaps there are other places that could be considered holier, but I would be hard pressed to think of one. Was the Holy Ghost present? He was, certainly, in the heart of every man who welcomed him in that meeting. These men were seeking the peace that is rarely found in a combat zone. They came, some at considerable personal sacrifice, to feel the Spirit of the Lord and renew their baptismal covenants, be inspired by others’ thoughts, to renew their spiritual armor, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with other priesthood bearers. Armor and weapons of war were present in abundance, but were laid aside, at least temporarily, by those who administered the sacrament. Many of these men literally “stood” in holy places. President Harold B. Lee, in his book, Stand Ye in Holy Places, offers these men, and all of us, the following blessing:

May the Lord bless you and clothe you with the armor of righteousness, that you might be able to stand steadfast through whatever trials may be yours in the days that lie ahead.

This combat zone sacrament meeting offered these men the opportunity to strengthen their personal armor against the adversary and his rampant attacks in such war torn places. President Lee quotes the Savior as he describes the peace that can come together as the saints meet in his name:

In these days when threatening clouds of impending doom gather in thick darkness about us, may we hear again with deeper understanding the Master's farewell to His faithful followers: ". . . in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33.)

President Lee further counseled that whatever we can do to find (or create) holy places must be done:

If you want the blessing, don't just kneel down and pray about it. Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to make yourselves worthy to receive the blessings you seek.

These good men who assembled themselves together on the Sabbath were seeking blessings and honoring the commandment of the Lord found in D&C 59:9:

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day.

The sacrament is truly a most sacred ordinance, a renewing of the baptismal covenant, to be respected and under normal circumstances, conducted as the Lord has instructed. But when circumstances do not permit normalcy, the Lord finds it acceptable to deviate, regardless of what is used for the emblems. The prayers, of course, must remain as they are set forth in scripture, but the emblems can be adjusted to circumstances. George Q. Cannon, in his book Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, Talks about the sacrament on some south sea islands:

…on some of the small islands of the South Pacific Ocean there is no bread, and all the water is salt, and the fruit of the coconut tree is the chief food of man. If the members of the Church waited to solemnize the ordinance as their brethren do in more favored lands, the native Saints would seldom, if ever, partake of the sacrament. But in these strange conditions the Lord accepts instead of … bread and water, the meat of the coconut as the emblem of the body and its milk as the emblem of the blood of our crucified Lord. This is the best the people there can do; therefore, it is accepted of God;

World War II presented many of the same challenges as my friend described while trying to comply with gospel principles in southwest Asia. In his article, Man's Dependence Upon God Essential To Civilization (Improvement Era, 1944), President Levi Edgar Young described difficult conditions for sacrament meeting:

But most important and of the deepest significance was the partaking of the sacrament and the renewing of our covenant with God. On the first Sunday of each month was held the customary testimony meeting, and it was here that we would hear many faith-promoting experiences related by our service men and their friends engaged in active combat. Repeatedly the thought was expressed that by putting "on the whole armor of God" we were able to withstand the evil and wickedness which seemingly prevails; and to make of this army experience an opportunity to develop spiritually, morally, and mentally.

Learning to find the spirit in adverse circumstances is a continuing effort. It is always there – the process is what’s difficult. Whether in war, in tragedy, in calamity, or in personal difficulty, finding and holding on to the peace “which passeth all understanding” can be daunting. It can be hard to find the spirit even in holy places such as the temple or sacrament meeting because we must find the spirit. My grandmother had a sign on her wall that said: “If god seems far away, who do you think moved?” The Lord is willing to share his spirit – but we must seek.

The young Military men who stood armored and ready for battle at the back of the meeting certainly were seeking – they literally stood in a holy place of their own creation where their covenants and their souls could be renewed; where the sacrament was offered and the spirit was present – in large part because of their faithfulness in extreme adversity. Though they were well armored and armed for battle, they came to renew their armor of righteousness – and their spiritual weapons. In Philippians 4:7 we read:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In closing, let me present this quote from Brian H. Stuy, ed., in his book, Collected Discourses, he quotes a discourse given by President George Q. Cannon, at Smithfield, Utah, in November, 1890:

My young friends, God has given unto us opportunities of happiness—happiness that is as exquisite as anything can be. Who can describe the happiness that attends the presence of the Spirit of God when it descends upon us? This happiness is placed within the reach of young and old, and God has given us opportunities of obtaining it, until our souls are filled to overflowing with the love of God and with a peace that passeth understanding... How much better, I repeat again, is it for us to seize these opportunities, and live this life of purity…