God warned Noah of the Flood and told the righteous how to escape. God told Joseph in Egypt of the coming famine and how to prepare. That same God speaks today through His prophets, giving counsel that brings peace and safety when followed.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). In the sacred quiet of the upper room, the Savior went on to tell His Apostles that they would face persecution and sorrow. Then He said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that 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).
In His preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord warned that “peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” But the Savior also promised, “The Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst” (D&C 1:35–36).
Regarding the commotion of the last days, we are told that “men’s hearts shall fail them” (D&C 45:26; 88:91). But the message of the gospel has always been one of peace—peace toward the world and peace from, or despite, the world. Surely “be of good cheer” teaches us not to let our hearts fail.
Every dispensation has seen tumult and war, terror and want. And to every dispensation the Lord has sent prophets to warn the wicked and reassure and prepare the righteous. It’s no different in this, the great and final dispensation. In an unbroken line of succession since Joseph Smith, we have had prophets and apostles, seers and revelators, to guide and counsel us. They speak the Savior’s message of peace and hope. They help us prepare our homes and our hearts so that we may have hope, not fear; peace, not anxiety.
Far right: images of Joseph Smith and Kirtland Temple courtesy of Church History Library
Images of Brigham Young, pioneers, Danish Book of Mormon, and wars courtesy of Church History Library; photograph of cemetery courtesy of Samantha Bridge