“Provo Temple Dedicatory Prayer,” Ensign, Apr. 1972, 26

Provo Temple Dedicatory Prayer

February 9, 1972

In the second temple dedication to be held within a month, services were conducted in the Celestial Room of the Provo Temple on February 9. (The Ogden Temple was dedicated in ceremonies January 18 to 20.)

Over 70,000 persons attended the Provo Temple dedicatory services. The ceremonies were held in the Celestial Room and carried by closed-circuit color television to other locations in the temple and to several locations on the nearby Brigham Young University campus.

President Joseph Fielding Smith’s dedicatory prayer was read, at his request, by President Harold B. Lee, first counselor in the First Presidency.

The services were concluded with the traditional singing of the Hosanna Anthem and the Hosanna Shout.

The dedicatory prayer follows.

O God, the Eternal Father, the Creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are; thou Man of Holiness who hast created us thy children in thine own image and likeness and endowed us with power and agency to follow thee; thou who knowest all things and hast all power, all might, and all dominion; thou who created the universe and ruleth with justice and equity and mercy over all the works of thy hands, hallowed be thy great and holy name!

We come before thee in the name of thine Only Begotten Son, even the Son of Man, in whose sacred name thou hast ordained that we shall have access to thee, the Lord; and we plead with thee to pour out thy Holy Spirit upon us as we raise our voices in praise and thanksgiving and seek blessings under thy hands.

We know that thou art our Father and that we are the workmanship of thy hands, the sheep of thy pasture, the saints of thy congregation; and we thank thee for life and being and for the privilege of receiving our mortal probation in a day when thou hast given the fullness of thine everlasting gospel to men on earth.

Our hearts are filled with gratitude that this thy gospel is the plan of salvation for all men, and that thou didst choose thy Beloved and Chosen One to be the Redeemer and Savior and to put into full effect the provisions of thy great plan. We thank thee for the atoning sacrifice of thy Beloved Son; that he came into the world to die upon the cross for the sins of the world; that he has ransomed us from temporal and spiritual death; that by his stripes we are healed. And we covenant before thee to walk in the light of revealed truth so that we may have joyous fellowship one with another and so that the blood of Jesus Christ, thy Son, may cleanse us from all sin.

And so now, with thy grace attending, may we shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel and say: O Jehovah, thou God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; thou who “wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”; thou who shalt make us “unto our God kings and priests” that we may live with thee a thousand years, thou art “worthy … to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

And may we, O God, our Heavenly Father, be numbered everlastingly with that mighty congregation of the righteous which acclaims with one voice: “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

Our Father, we have no power of expression to ascribe unto thee the gratitude in our hearts for thy love and mercy and condescension unto us thy children. We are overwhelmed by thy grace and goodness in sending thine Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might have eternal life; and we rejoice and praise thee for restoring in this dispensation, through thy servant Joseph Smith, Jr., the fullness of thine everlasting gospel.

We thank thee that thou didst appear with thy Beloved Son in the spring of 1820 to usher in this final gospel dispensation; that thereafter thou didst send Moroni to reveal the Book of Mormon; that John the Baptist, and Peter, James, and John ministered to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery; that Moses and Elijah and Elias and Gabriel and Raphael and divers angels came from the courts of glory, “all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept,” until the whole plan of salvation, in all its beauty and glory, is now again on earth.

O Lord, we thank thee for the saving truths revealed anew in our day and for the noble and great spirits sent to earth to carry forward thy great work in these last days. We rejoice in the mission and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, who together held the keys of this final dispensation and who sealed their testimony with their blood. We thank thee for the faith and devotion of all those who have worn the prophetic mantle, and of all thy faithful saints, and we pray for strength to be even as they are.

We thank thee that thou didst reveal unto us thy priesthood, even the sealing power, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, so that in this temple and all thy other holy houses thy faithful saints may be endowed with power from on high and may enter into those everlasting covenants which open the door to the receipt of all of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy prophets.

O our Father, we seek to be like thee; we seek to pattern our lives after the life of thy Son; we desire righteousness for ourselves and our children and our children’s children; we turn our faces to this holy house; and we plead with thee to make us worthy to inherit the fullness of those blessings found only in thy holy temples, even those blessings which grow out of the continuation of the family unit forever.

Thou knowest, O Father, that we seek these blessings, not only for ourselves and our descendants, but also for our forebears; for thou hast said that we, as saviors on Mount Zion, have power to save and redeem our worthy dead. We seek so to do, and we plead for thy guidance and directing light as we go forward in this work—one of the greatest ever revealed to the children of men in any age of the earth.

We look forward to the day, O our God, when thou wilt reveal unto thy servants where other temples shall be built in all the nations where thy saints increase in numbers and serve thee in righteousness. We know that all men are thy children, and we pray for the day when all who will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely and gain for themselves the fullness of the blessings that thou hast in store for all those who love and serve thee with all their hearts.

Incline thine ear, O Lord; look down upon us in mercy; hear us in these our petitions; and grant us the desires of our hearts in righteousness, as we plead with thee for the welfare of Zion and all her interests and concerns. This is thy church; thou hast established it and hast “brought it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.” Wilt thou now cause it to “shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners,” that all men everywhere may know that this is thy work; that it is thy will that they should come unto thy Son and live his laws and gain salvation in thine eternal kingdom.

O may the interests of Zion prevail and triumph in all the earth! May thy kingdom, which is thy church, “go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever.”

O God, our Father, in this day of turmoil and evil, when Satan has power over his own dominion and when his forces seek to destroy thy work, we are strengthened and comforted and given courage by thy decree that thy Son “shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” And we testify before thee that we know that he does reign in our midst, for which blessing we praise thy holy name forever.

We remember with soberness and subdued souls thy promise that no weapon that is formed against thy saints shall prosper; and that if any man lift his voice against them, he shall be confounded in thine own due time.

We thank thee, O our God, that thou didst ordain and establish the Constitution of the United States by the hands of wise men whom thou didst raise up unto this very purpose. We thank thee for the freedoms and rights and privileges which are guaranteed to us in this sacred document and pray that they may be established forever. We beseech thee to put into the heart of the chief executive of this nation the desire and determination to preserve our free institutions for us and our posterity. Wilt thou bless the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government, that each may function wisely and courageously in its respective field, for the preservation of our constitutional form of government.

Now, O Father, thy faithful saints are and shall be in all the nations of the earth. We have deep concern for their temporal and spiritual well-being. We pray that the rulers of all people, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may be constrained to adopt forms of government which will assure to all men those freedoms which rightly belong to them and which are justifiable before thee.

Wilt thou, O Lord, put into the hearts of thy saints everywhere a desire and a determination to follow implicitly the declaration, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” May they strive to further the cause of righteousness by the election to office of good and righteous men, and to “be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.”

Our souls are troubled and we weep because of the wickedness of the world and the evils that abound on every hand. Out of deep concern, therefore, we pray for the youth of Zion, for the young and rising generation, for those who must now prepare themselves to bear up the kingdom in their time and season. Keep them from evil; hedge up the way so they may not fall into sin and be overcome by the world. O Lord, bless the youth of Zion and us their leaders that we may guide and direct them aright.

We know that thy kingdom shall roll onward and that hosts of the young and rising generation shall yet stand forth in power and great glory as witnesses of thy name and teachers of thy law. Preserve them, O our God; enlighten their minds and pour out upon them thy Holy Spirit, as they prepare for the great work that shall rest upon them.

Let that great temple of learning, the Brigham Young University, and all that is associated with it, and all other Church schools, institutes, and seminaries be prospered to the full. Let thy enlightening power rest upon those who teach and those who are taught, that they may “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”

Bless us, O Lord, that we may “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom,” as thou hast commanded. May we do so with such diligence that thy holy grace shall attend, so that we may “be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God.”

May those who teach and study in all academic fields have their souls enlightened with spiritual knowledge so they will turn to thy house for blessings and knowledge and learning that surpass all that may be found elsewhere.

We are grateful, O our Father, that it is thy purpose to provide for thy saints and are mindful of the command thou hast given us to care for the needy and unfortunate among them. We know thou hast commanded us and all men to subdue the earth and to earn our bread in the sweat of our face, but our hearts go out to those among us who have been overtaken by misfortune and who are not able at all times to care for their own needs.

We are most grateful, therefore, that thou didst inspire thy servants to institute the welfare program of thy church so that the poor and unfortunate may be provided for without the forfeiture of their self-respect. And now, with the rapidly expanding number of stakes and missions throughout the world, we earnestly pray that thy servants may continue in thy favor, that they may merit thy inspiration to develop this welfare program of thy church until it becomes perfect in all respects, for the care and blessing of thy people wherever they may be gathered together.

We seek thy guidance and Spirit, O Holy Father, so that thy saints may be cared for in thine own way. We desire to follow those principles thou hast given, which are: that those who are in distress shall use their own individual efforts to the full; that those who are rich in wisdom, in leadership, and in the material things of the world shall contribute of their talents and means; that all of us shall unite together in the bonds of true brotherhood in caring for the fatherless and the widows; and that we shall keep ourselves unspotted from the sins of the world—all of which, as thou hast said, is pure religion and undefiled before thy holy face. O Lord, bless thy servants with revelation in this and all things pertaining to the growth and development of thy work on earth.

And now, O God, the Eternal Father, accept from our mouths these words of praise and thanksgiving and petition. Hear our cries; read the thoughts and intents of our hearts; and be pleased to grant us all that we need. We acknowledge thy hand in all things and desire to serve thee and keep thy commandments, that we may have place with thee in thy kingdom.

It has been our privilege, as guided by the whisperings of thy Spirit, to build unto thee this temple, which we now present unto thee as another of thy holy houses.

Wherefore, according to the pattern thou hast given, and in harmony with the course pursued by thy servants who have been before, and acting in the authority of that priesthood which is after the order of thy Son and in his holy name, we dedicate this temple to thee, the Lord.

We dedicate it as a house of baptism, a house of endowment, a house of marriage, a house of righteousness for the living and the dead.

We humbly pray that thou wilt accept this edifice and pour out thy blessings upon it as a house to which thou wilt come and in which thy Spirit will direct all that is done, that it may be accepted unto thee. Let thy Spirit and blessings attend and guide all who officiate herein, that a feeling of holiness will prevail in every room of this, thy holy house. May all who enter have clean hands and pure hearts, and may they be built up in their faith and depart with a feeling of peace and praising thy holy name.

We dedicate the grounds on which it stands and which surround it. We dedicate the font and ordinance rooms and especially the sealing rooms, that they may be kept holy and that thy protecting care may be over them, and that thy Spirit may ever be present to enlighten those who attend.

We dedicate all the structural parts from its foundation to the tower. Protect it, we pray thee, from any devastating influence, holocausts, hurricanes, storms, or destruction of any kind.

We dedicate the walks, the ornamental landscaping, the trees, plants, flowers, and shrubbery which will subsequently be added. May they add beauty and give fragrance to the surroundings.

Protect all the mechanical parts to the end that there might be a harmonious operation of this holy temple from day to day.

May all that is done herein be with an eye single to thy glory and to the building up of thy kingdom here upon the earth.

And now finally, we dedicate this temple as an abode for thee and thy Son and thy Holy Spirit and ask that thou wilt place thy ratifying seal of approval upon this dedicatory ordinance and upon all that we have done and shall do in this, thy holy house, which we now give unto thee, the Lord.

O Lord God of our fathers, who sitteth upon thy throne, and who liveth and reigneth over all things, blessed be thy holy name both now and forever!

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, thine only Son, even so. Amen and amen.