22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them; D&C 109:22
As I pondered this scripture I thought about how the temple arms us with power. It caused me to reflect on the incredible blessings that we are promised in the temple. Last week I had the opportunity to go and do the initiatory ordinance for some family names. I made it a point to listen carefully to the blessings we have been promised. If that were all of the blessings we were promised by temple attendance, that would be incredible in itself. However, we are promised much more. The sealing ordinance provides blessings that are beyond our compression to grasp their significance in our eternal destiny. While there are temporal blessings of protection that come from temple service, it is the knowledge of who we are and who we serve that gives us a glimpse into His power that He shares with us through His priesthood.
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In modern revelations the Lord refers to temples as houses “built unto my name” (D&C 105:33 see also D&C 109:2–5, 124:39) In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith petitioned the Father “that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them” (D&C 109:22) He also asked for a blessing “over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house” (v. 26) And as the Lord appeared in and accepted the Kirtland Temple as His house, He declared, “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (D&C 110:7)
These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple. We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. (Elder David A. Bednar, "Honorably Hold a Name and Standing”, April 1997 General Conference)
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