A Prayer of Thanks, Supplication Dedicates Jordan River Temple

President Kimball asks blessing on all who lead and serve

The following is the text of the dedicatory prayer for the Jordan River Temple, prepared by President Spencer W. Kimball and read by members of the First Presidency at each of the fifteen dedicatory services held November 16–20, 1981.

O God our Eternal Father, Thou almighty Elohim who liveth and reigneth from everlasting to everlasting; in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, we come before Thee this day in this beautiful edifice to dedicate it unto Thee, our Living God.

We are grateful for the knowledge Thou has given us that Thou art our Father, to whom we may go for inspiration and guidance, for revelation and strength in time of trouble and distress.

O Father, wilt Thou grant unto us Thy guidance and Thy Holy Spirit while we are gathered in this solemn assembly. May the channels of communication between Thee and us be open, and wilt Thou smile upon us and cause us to feel and know that we are partakers of Thy divine Spirit. Overlook our follies and our weaknesses, cleanse our hearts of all evil, and let us come before Thee in sincerity of heart and purity of life, that what we say and do here will be in harmony with Thy mind and will.

We thank Thee for the gift of Thy Beloved Son who came into the world according to Thy divine plan, to establish on earth the way that men should live in order to come back into Thy presence as Thy sons and daughters.

We thank Thee for the infinite love manifested in the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son who gave Himself a ransom for all, who broke the bonds of death and opened the gates of salvation to all of Thy children. We praise His holy name, our Redeemer and our Lord.

We are grateful for the gift of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to lead us to a knowledge of Thine everlasting truth, and that as we accept and follow that truth and cleanse and perfect our lives we may become worthy to stand spotless before Thee at the last day.

We thank Thee for the ushering in of a new dispensation, even the dispensation of the fulness of times, by Thine own appearance and the appearance of Thy Beloved Son to the boy Joseph Smith. We are thankful for the message which he received, a message for the entire world, that Thou art our Living God and Thy Son is our Living Redeemer.

We are grateful that following Thy glorious revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, Thou didst restore, by heavenly messengers, the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood, and subsequently didst restore all of the keys of the priesthood ever held by Thy prophets from the days of Adam through Abraham and Moses to Malachi. For this completeness and consistency of restoration of authority, we express gratitude and praise Thy holy name.

We give thanks to Thee for the men whom Thou hast chosen to lead the Church, from the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates and successors through the years, down to the present General Authorities, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric and the emeritus Brethren. We are grateful too for the leading sisters of the Church, who have rendered able and devoted service from the time of the restoration of the gospel to the present. Confer upon each of them a rich endowment of Thy Spirit.

Bless with health, wisdom, and revelation Thy servant whom Thou hast called to lead Thy Church in this day, even President Spencer W. Kimball. Continue to reveal to him Thy mind and will, as it pertains to the growth and advancement of Thy work among the children of men. Bless abundantly his counselors. May the First Presidency be united by the Spirit and power of God in all their labors. In every thought, word, and act, may they and all of the other General Authorities of the Church glorify Thy name, that they may work in unity and harmony, committed to the purpose of helping to prepare a people qualified and ready to receive Thy Beloved Son at His Second Coming.

Bless the presidencies of stakes, the high councils, the bishoprics of wards, the presidencies of branches, the presidencies of the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood quorums, and the presidencies and general boards of auxiliary organizations and their local officers throughout the world. Guide them that they may be equal to the responsibilities placed upon them. Keep the officers of the quorums and auxiliary organizations united, we beseech Thee. Make them one as Thou and Thy Son are one.

Bless Thy servants who preside over the missions of the Church, together with all of the missionaries who have gone forth to proclaim to the peoples of the earth the restoration of the gospel and the plan of salvation. Protect them from all evil. Bless them with the gifts and powers of their ministry. Bless their families that they may be sustained in peace and comfort.

Let Thy Spirit be poured out upon all who teach in Thy Church that they may build the faith and increase the understanding of those they instruct in the principles of the gospel.

Frustrate the designs of the adversary against Thy people and Thy work, and may the efforts of all who fight against Zion come to naught. May Thy glorious work roll on in majesty and power to fill the whole earth, even as the waters cover the mighty deep.

We are thankful that Thou didst inspire Thy prophet, Brigham Young, to lead Thy people to this beautiful and peaceful valley; that Thou didst inspire him to plan the Salt Lake Temple, whose pointed spires, reaching toward heaven, symbolize the eternal quest of Thy children for the blessing of exaltation in Thy holy presence. We are thankful too that Thou didst inspire Thy prophet in this day to select the beautiful site for this edifice on which still another holy temple has been erected in this valley. We are grateful for those who, in their generosity, donated this site for this purpose, and for all who have given so generously of their means, their time, their skills, and their strength to make possible this sacred house.

May each contributor, whether of money or services or goods, rejoice in the opportunity to assist in Thy holy work. Wilt Thou open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon them. May they be assured of the gratitude of those uncounted millions who have passed beyond this life, for whom the prison doors may now be opened and deliverance proclaimed through the devoted service of Thy people in this and other sacred temples.

We are grateful, our Heavenly Father, for this land of America and for other lands of the earth where Thy children enjoy liberty and peace. We pray that Thou wilt bless the leaders of all nations, that they will have wisdom and the desire to save the world from devastating war. May they be enlightened and guided by Thy Spirit to maintain and uphold the glorious principles of human liberty for the blessing of Thy children throughout the earth.

Help all, O Father, to realize that only by obedience to the eternal principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ may we become exalted. Increase our desire, therefore, we pray Thee, to put forth even greater effort towards the consummation of Thy declared purpose to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Thy children.

With these and many other glorious principles in mind we render unto Thee the thanks and gratitude of our hearts.

And now, Father, according to the pattern Thou hast given, and in harmony with the course established by Thy servants who have gone 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, the Jordan River Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to Thee, our God.

We humbly pray, Father, that Thou wilt accept this holy edifice. 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 acceptable unto Thee. Let Thy influence and blessings attend and guide the temple president and matron and all others who officiate herein, that an atmosphere of holiness will prevail in every room in this, Thy house. May all who enter have dean hands and pure hearts, and may they participate with faith in the ordinances to be given herein, and depart with a feeling of peace, praising Thy holy name.

We dedicate the grounds on which this beautiful temple stands. We dedicate the foundation, the walls, the floors, the ceilings, the tower, and all other parts of the building. Protect this Thy house, we pray, from any devastating influence, from holocausts, hurricanes, storms, or destruction of any kind. Protect all the mechanical parts, lighting conduits and fixtures, ventilating system, elevators, escalators, and all things pertaining to this sacred edifice.

We dedicate the walks, the ornamental landscaping, the trees, the plants, the flowers, and the shrubbery that they may add beauty and fragrance to the surroundings.

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

Now, gracious Father, permit us to praise Thy holy name forever in all nations, with all kindreds and tongues and people. Let them cry with a loud voice before Thy throne and before the Lamb of God, saying, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb,” and let us in unison praise Thee, saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, power, and might be unto our God and His Son forever and ever.”

In the worthy name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, amen, amen, and amen.