Seeking Higher Ground

By Lauren Madsen

It was a decade ago when Elder Neil L. Andersen said in General Conference, “We live, brothers and sisters, in the days preceding the Lord’s Second Coming, a time long anticipated by believers through the ages. We live in days of wars and rumors of wars, days of natural disasters, days when the world is pulled by confusion and commotion.” I think we can agree that since 2015 we have seen firsthand an increase in virtually all of the things he mentioned. These signs signal to us that we are in the last days before Christ’s return, but they don’t have to dishearten us or steal away our hope in Him.

This past summer there have been numerous devastating floods from Texas to Virginia to New Mexico to Kansas and more. It has become a regular occurrence to see flooding or danger of flooding in my newsfeed. Other areas of the world have also experienced flooding. Fortunately, many victims of the floods who were able to receive warnings ahead of time—and those who were able to get to higher ground—survived. Sadly there were many who did not. 

I recently listened to a BYU Devotional given by Elder Robert D. Hales where he taught that temple covenants and worship are “critical to staying on high ground.” In light of recent events I decided to study more about spiritual high ground. In my search I found that Elder Quentin L. Cook also taught the importance of the temple being high ground. He said, “I have felt an urgency to counsel each of us to seek the higher ground—the refuge and protection of the temple.” And Elder Jack Goaslind encouraged, “We have every confidence that earth and hell will not overtake you, but it will require that you move from your current plateaus and climb to higher ground.”

How does the temple provide higher ground for our spiritual safety? The covenants of the temple that bind us to Jesus Christ prepare us and preserve us so that we will not be swept away by spiritual disasters such as doubt, discouragement, deception, and temptation. Temple worship helps us rise above our current circumstances with a more eternal perspective. A few quotes I loved from Elder Hales’ devotional:

• “The temple is the highest ground we can achieve in mortality. For us today, the temple is our mountaintop—it is the Lord’s chosen house for sacred teachings, eternal covenants and ordinances, and personal communication with the Lord. It is where we covenant with the Lord, and when we make those covenants, it’s as though we are in His presence.”

• “The temple is also a place where we can go before the Lord in prayer and pour out our desires and concerns. It is a sacred place where we can ponder and pray for strength to deal with our problems and for direction for our lives.”

• “I testify that those who make seeking and maintaining the high ground their lifelong quest will be blessed to one day stand on the highest ground—in the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Another principle I learned in studying higher ground is that reaching higher ground isn’t just for ourselves. Elder Robert Simpson said, “We first must take ourselves out of the world as much as we can; then, standing on higher ground, we can reach out; we can lift up; we can then teach the truth.” We should do all we can to reach the higher holy ground of the temple, and then bring others with us if we can.

I am grateful for prophets and apostles who warn us of danger and urge us toward safety. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, “As we come unto Christ and journey to higher ground, we will desire to spend more time in His temples, because the temples represent higher ground, sacred ground.” I have found it intriguing and symbolic that so many of our temples around the world are also literally built on higher ground. Something I can think about each time I travel there—getting to higher ground both physically and spiritually.