“My Servant Joseph”
Neal A. Maxwell April 1992 Priesthood Session
My focus, in a few headlines, will be on the remarkable man whom the Lord repeatedly and affectionately called “my servant Joseph” (D&C 5:7). What followed Joseph Smith’s prayer in the spring of 1820 irrevocably illuminated our view of God, ourselves, others, life, even the universe! A young boy in a small grove of trees began receiving answers to mankind’s oldest and largest questions! But young Joseph certainly did not go into the Sacred Grove seeking the restoration of the holy priesthood and the holy endowment, the sealing power, and all the keys thereof. He did not even know of their existence! He merely wanted to know which of several churches to join. His prayer was for personal and tactical guidance. The response, however, was of global and eternal significance!