One of My Favorite Scriptures

I had an interesting experience at church Sunday.  Not a huge revelation, but a slightly different view of something I have read hundreds of times.

I have a habit I have done for years.  While The Sacrament is being passed I get out my scriptures and let them fall open at random and read from whatever page is there.  This week the book fell on the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants.  Since I love this section, I thought it may have opened there because it has been opened there many times.  I think this is some of the most beautiful scripture in all that we have.  And there are many absolutely beautiful passages throughout the scriptures.

As I began reading I realized that the prophet was asking pretty much the same question that I have asked for years and that most of us wrestle with.  Why does bad stuff happen to good people?  As I said, I have read this probably hundreds of times, so it really was nothing new.  I am very familiar with what is being asked.  Of course the rest of this section is The Lord answering this very question.  It just made me wonder if the prophet of The Lord had to ask, who am I to try to address this subject?

I also took some time looking at the cross references at the bottom of the page and looking at other scriptures referenced.  This made me compare the first few verses to what The Lord said as he hung on the cross.  We are aware that our Savior asked why The father had forsaken him. The realization is that He had to be left alone at the end to be certain that He made the choice Himself to lay down his life.  I am sure that Joseph Smith felt very alone there in Liberty Jail.  Especially having done nothing to warrant being put in jail. Then also thinking about all of the mistreatment and persecution all of the Saints had endured up to this time.  The intense feelings Joseph had at this time are so eloquently expressed the reader can really feel them.  There were also references to other prophets using very similar wording.  David expressed these emotions in proverbs several times.  I think David probably felt forsaken at times due to some bad choices of his own.  Isaiah also expressed these same things.  My opinion is that Isaiah probably was feeling some of the bad things that he saw happening to Israel.  Especially when the future was revealed to him.
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I am rambling a bit here, but I am trying to say that it struck me that so many of the prophets asked in their prayers why this stuff happens.  It made me understand  why the rest of us wonder about it from time to time.  I hope most of us can take comfort in the beautiful answer given in this scripture to The prophet Joseph. If this doesn't give you comfort, read it again.  And pray about it.  The answers are there, I promise.