More on Prayer and Altars

For Modern dimensions, these are the dimension that Brigham used.

“The altar is 2 1/2 feet long X 2 1/2 feet high X (one) foot wide rising from a platform about 8 or 9 inches high and extending out on all sides about afoot forming a convenient place to kneel upon. The top of the altar and the platform for kneeling upon are covered with cushions of scarlet damask cloth; the sides of the upright part or body of the altar are covered with white linen.” (Mss. Hist. of Brigham Young; By J. Watson, p.

However, from looking scripturally, I doubt it matters who or what.  There were altars of stone “uncut by man”, seemingly for animal sacrifice, and altars of earth, perhaps for the offering of the fruits of the field and here we have mention of a wooed one…   The type might only be of importance as to the care it took to offering that prayer.  However, an altar is needed, what type I am not sure is significant.

That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive council from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessings, and glory, and honor and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery. (D&C 124:94-95.)

“The Lord has promised to reveal his mysteries to those who serve him in faithfulness. . . .There are no mysteries pertaining to the Gospel, only as we, in our weakness, fail to comprehend Gospel truth, . . . The simple principles of the Gospel, such as baptism, the atonement, are mysteries to those who do not have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:43.)

I preached on the keys of the Kingdom. . . The keys are certain signs and words by which false spirits and personages may be detected from true, which cannot be revealed to the Elders till the Temple is completed. . . . There are sign in heaven, earth and hell, the Elders must know them all to be endowed with power, to finish their work and prevent imposition. The devil knows many signs but does not know the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus . No one can truly say he knows God until he has handled something, and this can only be in the Holiest of Holies. (Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 119-120)

“Let me ask of you, when did you ever, any of you, humble yourselves before God, when did you in secret call upon him in the name of Jesus and ask him for his Holy Spirit and the blessings thereof, and fail to receive an answer to your prayers? If there are any Latter-day Saints in this condition then there is something wrong with them. God has made promises unto us that if we will do certain things, if we will obey certain commandments and ordinances He will bestow his blessings and He will answer the prayers of those who take this course. But how many are there of us who go on day to day and week to week and month to month careless upon these points, failing to live so as to receive the blessings that He has promised, until it would seem when they bow down to call upon Him that their prayers scarcely ascend higher than the tops of their heads. (George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol 21:74.)

Then, as ministers of righteousness, I want you to go to work at home. Why? Simply because home is the place where you should live your religion. … seek to make your own home the dwelling place of God; seek to make it a sanctuary where the richest blessings of God shall be enjoyed where the truth shall be kept in rich stores to bless you and yours. … But the foundation of purity should be at our homes: there God should dwell; there God should reign in all the greatness of his glory, and in all the perfection’s of his attributes. (Amasa Lyman, Journal of Discourses 7:303-304)

…let the light of eternal truth be kindled in every heart, let the fire that will consume the dross of our errors be lighted up in every soul, in every household, until every household becomes a sanctuary of the Most High, and until every family becomes a worshipping assembly such as will be acceptable to God – a people whom he will delight to own, to honor and to bless, and then, … home will be a happy one, it will be a little heaven below. (Amasa Lyman, Journal of Discourses, Vol 10:185-186)

“The focal point of religious worship throughout the ages, and in most cultures, has been the altar — a natural or man-made elevation used for prayer, sacrifice, and related purposes. . . .The altar was built that people might kneel by it to communicate and make covenants with their God.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism p. 36-37.)

And it is not alone the duty of High Councils and Presidents of Stakes, and of Bishops and their Councilors to labor to correct the errors of the people, but it is the duty of every Elder, High Priest, and Seventy – and especially the Priests, Teachers, and Deacons that are appointed and called to be standing ministers in the Church, to visit the house of each member and become familiar with every family, and every individual member of the family and their daily walk and life and conversation; and ascertain whether they are living as Saints should live; whether the heads of families preside in righteousness in their houses; whether their houses are set in order; whether they have an altar erected whereon are offered up their daily, morning and evening devotions; whether every member is taught to reverence and respect that altar; whether each individual prays in secret as well as responds to the calls made upon him to pray in the family circle and in public… (Erastus Snow, Journal of Discourses, Vol 24:70-71.)

Do your duty, and you will make every house and every place a palace, and your homes will be as the gate of heaven, and a source of joy to your husbands. Of course you must have a heaven of that which you have made. Why, I would go to work and make an altar and a heaven, and I never would take any other course than that which is honorable before God; and how can you live your religion without this? (Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 221)

August 9, 1857 Sunday I attended the Prayer Circle there being 24 in the Circle. We occupied President Young’s new upper Room in his new House for the first time. (Wilford Woodruff’s Journal Vol 5. p. 73.)

Take ten men whose hearts, when they pray, are upon one sentence and upon one idea at a time, when they ask God for anything, or to bring this or that to pass, do you think that the powers of hell can hinder what they ask for ? No. It is as true as the heavens – as firm as the mountains that rest upon these valleys – as sure as eternity, that nothing can fail which they agree upon; for God will grant it. What is our difficulty? When I go to my prayer-room, among men who have been with me for years, there is too great a diversity of feelings and desire to be in accordance with the Gospel. There is too much of Babylon in that. When that is the case, and when I am praying for one thing and others for another, our faith comes in contact and we do not receive what we ask for. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol 6:45.)

I am standing on what to me is sacred ground. My grandparents and my parents and many other relatives lived here in Provo and some still live here. My father as young man came near losing his life in the Provo river, not far from where we are now. His father, who was in Salt Lake City, felt impressed to go into a room that had been set apart for prayer. He clothed himself in Temple robes, knelt down at the altar and said: “Heavenly Father, I feel that there is something seriously wrong with my family in Provo. Thou knowest that I can not be with them there and be here. Heavenly Father, wilt thou preserve and safeguard them, and I will be grateful to thee and honor thee.” (George A. Smith, Sharing the Gospel With Others, p. 83-84.)

THIS ONE IS FUNNY

And I think, if we all remember our prayers in the season thereof, in sincerity and truth, that our light would shine before us according to our needs and wants. It is too often the case this important duty is neglected. . . . So our prayers in private and family circle are secret and retired from the public, but they keep the fire burning upon the altar of our hearts. And it is not often that persons who faithfully attend to this duty walk in darkness, it is seldom that they apostatize and turn away from the faith, especially when we couple our solemn prayers with a short sermon or lecture of comfort and of peace to our wives and children, sanctifying our prayers by words of consolation, and then we have a little heaven on earth. (Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 19:57.)

But read the annuals of the trying years covered by this volume of the History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and you have in hand the world’s finest example of faith and trust in the God of prayer. Was one sick, the others prayed; was some group wayward, and rebellious, a circle met in prayer; did influential men in high places meet to conspire against them, the brethren sought to thwart their plans by and appeal to God through prayer; was one or more unjustly hauled into the courts before unjust judges, prayer softened their hearts or confused their judgments; did mobs assail, did hell rage–prayer was both sword and shield. (D.H.C. Vol. 7 Intro. page xxvi)

Soon after the sacrament meeting we (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa M. Lyman, Ezra T. Benson, Phinehas H. Young, John Pack, Charles Shumway, Shadrach Roundy, Albert P. Rockwood, Erastus Snow, William Clayton, Albert Carrington and Orrin P. Rockwell) went on the bluffs and selecting a small circular level spot, surrounded by bluffs and out of sight, we clothed ourselves in our Priestly garments and offered up prayers to God for ourselves, this camp and all pertaining to it, the brethren in the army, our families and all the Saints, President Young being mouth. Albert Carrington and O.P. Rockwell, not having any clothing with them, stood guard at a distance from us to prevent interruption. . . . (Journal of William Clayton, as quoted in Andrew Jenson, Historical Record, Vol. 9, p. 43 note.)

At Mt. Pisgah, after two and a half months of Iowa mud, domestic problems, and the strain of leadership, Heber lost his customary good nature. . . . The people tried to do better, and their leader sought divine help in a special manner. They withdrew to the isolation of the limitless prairie, clothed themselves in temple robes, formed a prayer circle, and invoked God for the good people and the success of the venture. All along the trek such special group prayers were held. (Heber C. Kimball Mormon Patriarch and Pioneer. Stanley B. Kimball, p. 136-137.)

Soon after the sacrament meeting we (Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa M. Lyman, Ezra T. Benson, Phinehas H. Young, John Pack, Charles Shumway, Shadrach Roundy, Albert P. Rockwood, Erastus Snow, William Clayton, Albert Carrington and Orrin P. Rockwell) went on the bluffs and selecting a small circular level spot, surrounded by bluffs and out of sight, we clothed ourselves in our Priestly garments and offered up prayers to God for ourselves, this camp and all pertaining to it, the brethren in the army, our families and all the Saints, President Young being mouth. Albert Carrington and O.P. Rockwell, not having any clothing with them, stood guard at a distance from us to prevent interruption. . . . (Journal of William Clayton, as quoted in Andrew Jenson, Historical Record, Vol. 9, p. 43 note.)

At Mt. Pisgah, after two and a half months of Iowa mud, domestic problems, and the strain of leadership, Heber lost his customary good nature. . . . The people tried to do better, and their leader sought divine help in a special manner. They withdrew to the isolation of the limitless prairie, clothed themselves in temple robes, formed a prayer circle, and invoked God for the good people and the success of the venture. All along the trek such special group prayers were held. (Heber C. Kimball Mormon Patriarch and Pioneer. Stanley B. Kimball, p. 136-137.)

The “keys of the kingdom” that enable the possessor to “detect everything false” are the keys given in the endowment ordinances. Six days after this discourse to the Relief Society, he gave the endowment for the first time in this dispensation (History of the Church, 5:1-2)

When we pray to the Lord we ought to come together clad in proper garments, and when we do so, and unite our hearts and hands together, and act as one mind, the Lord hears us and will answer our prayers. Our garments should be properly marked and we should understand these marks and we should wear these garments continually, by night and by day, in prison or free . . .If we have the garments upon us at all times we can at anytime offer up the signs. He then related and instance of some children being healed and cured of the whooping cough in one night, through the prayers of himself and elder Woodruff in Michigan while they were there on a mission, before the Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Said that whenever they [George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff] could get and opportunity they retired to the wilderness or to and upper room — they did so and offered up the signs, and were always answered. It would be a good thing for us to put on our garments every day and pray to God, and in private circles, when we can do so in safety. (Journal of Heber C. Kimball, Sunday Dec. 21, 1845.)