The prayer offered by Joseph Smith at the dedication of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, on March 27, 1836, is recorded as Section 109 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
When the Lord commanded the Saints to build His house, He promised that certain blessings would flow unto the faithful from it. (See D&C 88:119.)In Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants, Leaun G. Otten and C. Max Caldwell wrote:
"After the temple was completed, the Prophet was inspired to pray for the realization of the previously promised blessings. (See D&C 109:6-21.) And what were the blessings sought for in behalf of the saints of the latter-day dispensation?
"1. The faithful who enter the temple will feel and acknowledge the power of the Lord. They can testify that they have been in the Savior's home on earth. (Verses 10-13.)
"2. The true worshipers in the house of the Lord will be taught and learn wisdom. They will better understand and apply the teachings of the scriptures and the admonitions of the Lord's anointed. (Verse 14.)
"3. The Saints may grow up in the Lord, receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, be correctly organized, and be prepared to obtain all needful things. (Verse 15.)
"4. The temple will be a place for fasting and prayer, faith, glory, learning, and order as a house of God. (Verses 8, 16.)
"This revealed prayer contains a plea that those who are endowed with power in the temple might withstand the onslaught of wickedness and evil in the world. Further, that those faithful servants might have power to seal their testimonies of truth against the wicked. The righteous servants should also have the power to bless the honest-in-heart throughout the earth.
"Those who receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple have a power for righteousness that comes from the Lord. They can better withstand evil and can better propagate truth as an influence for good to all of Father's children. Those who are armed with this power of the Lord shall be established by the Lord with an honorable name in His house to be remembered throughout generations to come. (See D&C 109:22-49.)
"It is little wonder that the missionaries of the Lord's church are given an opportunity to participate in temple ordinances before embarking upon their missionary service as servants of the Lord. Nor is it difficult to see why the Lord's people are continually encouraged to attend regularly and be faithful participants in the sacred activities and ordinances of temple worship.
"The Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to pray for various groups of people in the earth:
"1. The enemies of the Church. (Verses 50-53.)
"2. The nations of the earth. (Verse 54.)
"3. The leaders of America. (Verse 54.)
"4. The rulers and leaders of other nations. (Verse 55.)
"5. The peoples of the earth. (Verse 55.)
"6. The churches of the world. (Verse 55.)
"7. The poor, needy, and afflicted. (Verse 55.)"
Brother Otten and Brother Caldwell noted that Joseph Smith was inspired to pray for an event that was "impossible to bring about by the powers of mortal man. He prayed for the restoration of Israel, both temporally and spiritually. (Verses 58-67.)
"Except for the intervening powers of the Lord, the scattered Jews could never have been restored to Jerusalem and the lands of their inheritance. What a testimony of the inspiration behind this revelation. Joseph Smith had no power to bring about the marvelous fulfillment of this prophetic prayer. In 1836, there was no indication of the return of Israel that was begun in the century following this declaration of desire. The Lord is at the helm."
