“I Am with the Faithful Always”
- CFMCorner
- Jun 6
- 17 min read
Updated: Jun 11
CFM:
Videos, Podcasts, & Weekly Lesson Material
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
Media | Resource Links |
|---|---|
BYU RSC Library | |
Come Follow Church History with Lynne Hilton Wilson | |
Come Follow Me Kid | |
Come Follow Me Scott Woodward & Casey Griffiths | |
Come Follow Up | |
D&C Historical Background | |
Don't Miss This | |
Follow Him | |
Grounded with Barbara Morgan | |
Gospel For Kids | Not yet published |
Seminary Decks | Not yet published |
Hurricane Adult Religion Class | |
Latter Day Kids | D&C 60-63 |
Line Upon Line | |
Meridian Magazine Podcast | D&C 60-63 |
Our Mother's Knew It | D&C 60-63 |
Saving Talents | |
Scripture Study Central | |
Scripture Explorers | D&C 60-63 |
Scripture Gems | D&C 60-63 |
Scripture Insights | D&C 60-63 |
Talking Scripture | |
Teaching With Power | |
Thumb Follow Me | D&C 51-57 |
The Red Crystal | |
The Scriptures are Real | D&C 60-63 |
The Interpreter Foundation | |
Unshaken |
CHAPTER & SECTION SUMMARIES
D&C 63
Saints: Volume 1, Chapter 12 After Much Tribulation
Volume 1, Chapter 13 The Gift Has Returned
Volume 1, Chapter 14 Visions and Nightmares
Volume 1, Chapter 15 Holy Places
Resources and Insights for this Week's Lesson
Housekeeping
I’m continually learning as I figure out how to structure this blog. I’m not a web designer or especially tech-savvy, so navigating the behind-the-scenes setup has definitely been a challenge! If you've been following along, you’ve probably noticed several construction zone mishaps—thank you for your patience as I stumble through this process.
Over the past month, I’ve been working on a better way to organize the Section Summaries so the site feels cleaner and easier to use. The previous method—with external links and downloads—was clunky and caused some problems. I think I’ve finally landed on a good solution! Each Section Summary now has its own home directly on the site, which means you can view the material without needing to download anything.
Since I’ve been focused on learning and reworking the site layout, I’m a little behind on the most recent summaries. But I wanted to post what I have so far to support those preparing for this week’s lessons. I’ll finish up the remaining Section Summaries over the weekend and get them posted as soon as they’re ready. Thanks again for your grace and support during this growing process!
Waters of Creation: The Covenant Path in D&C 60-63
A lesson reflection for Come, Follow Me
The Eternal Pattern Emerges
As we study Doctrine and Covenants sections 60-63, a beautiful pattern surfaces—one that connects the chaotic waters of Genesis to the living waters of eternal life. Water is a major theme throughout these verses, so I wanted to "dive" into this topic a bit deeper to help bring some perspective to several sections that are cryptic. Hopefully, this will help to clarify some questions and bring some insights to these very powerful chapters. Through this study, we will observe that water is not merely a physical element, but a beautiful symbol of God's covenant relationship with His people.
The Five-Fold Covenant Pattern: God's Eternal Framework
Throughout scripture, God's covenant relationship with His people follows a consistent, five-part pattern. This isn't coincidental—it's the divine template for how God works with His children across all dispensations. Understanding this pattern helps us recognize where we are in our own covenant journey and how to navigate what comes our way.
The 5-Part Covenant Framework Exodus 6:6-8
Promise | Higher Law | Meaning |
1. I will be your God | Law of Obedience | Covenant is initiated—if we choose Him, He claims us as His |
2. I will lead you out | Law of Sacrifice | God delivers us from bondage through sanctified hardship and surrender. (Crossing of the Red Sea) |
3. I will deliver you | Law of the Gospel | Through ordinances, commandments, and truth, He teaches a better way |
4. I will redeem you | Law of Chastity | The kinsman-redeemer restores inheritance and posterity through purity (Crossing of the Jordan River into the promised Land) |
5. I will bring you unto me | Law of Consecration | We are gathered as a holy people, fully devoted and made one with Him |
Torah Structure: The Pattern Woven into Scripture
The five books of Moses aren't randomly organized—they follow this same covenant progression:
Book of Moses | Covenant Theme | Covenant Phrase |
Genesis | Origins, identity, and covenant formation | "I will be your God..." |
Exodus | Deliverance from bondage | "I will lead you out..." |
Leviticus | Sacred ordinances and priestly instruction | "I will deliver you..." |
Numbers | Redemption and order in the wilderness | "I will redeem you..." |
Deuteronomy | Renewal and inheritance in preparation for promise | "I will bring you unto me..." |
Lehi's Family: A Mirror of the Covenant Path
Lehi's journey perfectly illustrates this five-fold pattern:
Event | Covenant Principle |
Lehi receives revelation and departs Jerusalem | I will be your God... (Obedience) |
They journey into the wilderness, leaving all behind (River Laman crossing 1 Nephi 2:8-9) | I will lead you out... (Sacrifice) |
Nephi and his brothers return for the brass plates | I will deliver you... (Gospel) |
They return for Ishmael's family—marriage and posterity | I will redeem you... (Chastity) |
Nephi builds a ship to carry them to the promised land (Ocean Voyage to the Americas 1 Nephi 18) | I will bring you unto me... (Consecration) |
Alma's Journey: The Complete Covenant Pattern
Alma's story provides one of the clearest examples of this five-fold pattern in all of scripture:
Covenant Stage | Alma's Experience | Scripture Reference |
1. I will be your God (Obedience) | Alma hears Abinadi's testimony and believes, choosing God over King Noah's court | Mosiah 17:2-4 |
2. I will lead you out (Sacrifice) | Alma flees from King Noah, abandoning his prestigious position and worldly security | Mosiah 18:1-3 |
3. I will deliver you (Gospel) | Alma teaches at the waters of Mormon and establishes the church through baptismal ordinances | Mosiah 18:7-17 |
4. I will redeem you (Chastity) | God delivers Alma's people from Lamanite bondage, acting as their kinsman-redeemer | Mosiah 24:8-25 |
5. I will bring you unto me (Consecration) | Alma's people are brought to Zarahemla, united with the church, and Alma becomes high priest | Mosiah 25:19-24 |
Water symbolism flows throughout Alma's journey: From King Noah's corrupt court → waters of Mormon (baptism and covenant) → divine deliverance from bondage → crossing the river Sidon → gathering in Zarahemla as a unified covenant people. This mirrors the Israelite pattern of crossing both the Red Sea (deliverance from bondage) and the Jordan River (entrance into the promised land).
The Early Saints and D&C 63: Walking the Same Path
In D&C 63, we see the early Saints called to walk this identical covenant progression. They too must choose God over the world, leave behind spiritual bondage, receive gospel truths through revelation, cross their own rivers (both literal waters in their westward journey through the Missouri and Platte River Crossings, and figurative spiritual crossings), maintain purity in all things, and ultimately be gathered as a consecrated people in Zion.
This same pattern appears again and again.
Water: From Chaos to Covenant —The Divine Pattern of Organization
From the opening verses of Genesis, water represents both chaos and order, desolation and survival: "The earth was without form and void... and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). Water, in its natural state, can be chaotic and unpredictable, without divine purpose or direction—yet when God speaks, it becomes organized, structured, purposeful, and essential.
This shows us that God brings order from chaos through His divine word. He doesn't create from nothing, but he intentionally organizes existing matter into beautiful, meaningful creation.
The Power of Divine Word
God's voice has literal organizing power. Modern science demonstrates this principle through cymatics—the study of how sound waves create visible patterns. When sand is placed on a metal plate (called a Chladni plate) and exposed to specific sound frequencies, the grains organize themselves into intricate, beautiful geometric patterns. Different frequencies create different patterns, showing how sound brings order from chaos.
This scientific principle mirrors a spiritual truth: when God speaks, chaos becomes creation. His voice has organizing power that brings structure and purpose to all things.
Consider Genesis 1:3: "And God said, Let there be light..." This divine word represents more than poetry—it's God's organizing frequency, bringing order through His voice.
Spiritual Frequency and Divine Order
Just as different sound frequencies create different patterns in cymatics experiments, our spiritual "frequency"—how aligned we are with God's will—determines the patterns and order in our lives. When we're tuned to God's voice through prayer, scripture study, obedience, and covenant, our lives begin to reflect divine order and beauty.
In D&C 63, we hear this organizing voice:
"Behold, I, the Lord, utter my voice, and it shall be obeyed." (v. 5) "All flesh shall know that I am God." (v. 6)
God's word doesn't just describe reality—it creates and organizes it. When we align our lives with His voice, we experience this organizing power personally.
The Hebrew Connection: Water and Memory
The Hebrew letter מ (mem) represents water in the Hebrew alphabet, both figuratively and in its literal meaning, being derived from the Hebrew word מַיִם mayim, which means "water."
Ancient Proto-Hebrew Mem: The original letter looked like three wavy lines representing waves, and this represented more than just water waves—it reflected the recurring patterns of nature, such as sound waves, light frequencies, seasonal cycles, gestation, and natural rhythms. These repeating patterns are fundamental to creation itself, from the sine waves of physics to the cyclical nature of life.
This ancient "mem" root concept flows through into many English words that we are familiar with today, particularly those related to memory and remembrance, and notice the connection: just as waves repeat in predictable patterns, spiritual remembrance requires regular repetition and rehearsal:
Memory - from Latin memoria, and memor (mindful remembering), sharing the same Proto-Semitic root concept of continuous repetition. Etymological sources suggest that the Latin term was derived from a Sanscrit root smar- which shares links to the Greek μάρτυς, martus "witness" and Hebrew Shamar "keep, preserve."
Memorial - a structure or ritual designed to preserve remembrance
Memorize - to commit to memory through repetition
Remember - to bring back to mind, to not forget
Commemorate - to recall and show respect for someone or something
Memoir - To record ones memories in writing
The connection between water imagery and memory becomes clear: just as waves follow predictable, repeating cycles, our covenant remembrance must follow consistent, repeated patterns.
Like the ancient waves depicted in the Proto-Hebrew mem, spiritual practices require repetition to create lasting patterns in our souls. Just as cymatics shows us that repeated sound frequencies organize matter into beautiful forms, our repeated acts of covenant remembrance—prayer, scripture study, sacrament participation, temple worship—organize our spiritual lives into patterns that reflect divine order.
Like the ancient waves depicted in the Proto-Hebrew mem, God's covenant is meant to be remembered continuously, renewed regularly, and passed down through generations. Water never stops moving, and neither should our covenant remembrance.
Just as water shapes landscapes over time through constant flow, our covenant relationship with God is meant to shape us through consistent, repeated acts of faith and obedience.
Signs, Faith, and True Discipleship
Divine Pattern vs. Counterfeit
The Lord warns in D&C 63 against seeking signs for selfish purposes and reminds us that "faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe" (D&C 63:9). This helps us distinguish between God's true patterns and their counterfeits:
God's True Pattern (we explored this a few weeks ago, in our lesson A Faithful, a Just, and a Wise Steward)
Sincere and contrite prayer, paired with diligent obedience to ordinances and covenants
Speech that is honest, sincere, meek, modest, and edifying
Diligent Labor through Consecrated Action that Builds the Kingdom
Fruits that model and teach about God's Pattern of praise and wisdom, consistent with previously revealed truth
Counterfeit Patterns
Focuses on personal gain or control
Promotes manipulation or dominance
Creates confusion or fear
Imitates divine power without authority
Practical Application
When we encounter spiritual experiences or teachings, we can ask:
Does this draw me closer to Christ?
Does this encourage service and sacrifice?
Does this bring peace or confusion?
Does this align with revealed truth?
The Destroyer and Divine Justice
D&C 61 contains a profound warning: "the destroyer rideth upon the face of the waters" (v. 19). Understanding this phrase requires careful examination of Hebrew texts and the principle of divine justice.
The Destroyer vs. The Adversary
"The destroyer" is not necessarily Satan, that can be an easy assumption to make, and this can be confusing. Rather this term is used as a title for an agent of justice. In Hebrew, this is הַמַּשְׁחִית (hammašḥîṯ), derived from the root שָׁחַת (shāchat), meaning "to destroy, ruin, or corrupt." This same title appears in Exodus 12:23, referring to the angel who was dispatched in Egypt during Passover but passed over the covenant people.
In Greek, this figure is ὁ ὀλοθρευτής (olothreutēs), mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:10 when Paul recounts Israel's destruction in the wilderness. The destroyer represents justice—not malicious evil, but acts as a type of "cosmic police," enforcing heaven's laws to maintain divine order.
Divine Justice and Spiritual Law
There are eternal laws that must be obeyed, and justice must be served. The adversary (Satan) attempts to manipulate these laws and their consequences for his own selfish ambitions, but the destroyer operates under divine authority to enforce God's laws. This distinction is crucial:
Satan (the Adversary): Seeks to tempt, deceive, and lead souls away from God
The Destroyer: Executes divine judgment and maintains cosmic order and balance in accordance with God's Law.
Biblical Patterns of Deliverance and Destruction
A striking parallel appears in Genesis 19 that demonstrates this distinction, where two angels (מַלְאָכִים mal'ākhîm) arrive in Sodom (v.1). These messengers come both to rescue Lot and to destroy the city (Genesis 19:13), using the same shāchat root). This duality—deliverance for the righteous, destruction for the unrepentant—echoes throughout scripture and in D&C 61.
The destroyer appears when:
Divine laws are violated
Covenant protection is absent or forfeited
Chaos threatens divine order
Justice demands consequences for rebellion
Waters, Chaos, and Covenant Protection
The symbolism of chaotic waters reflects the primordial deep of Genesis 1:2, where God's Spirit moves to bring order from disorder. In D&C 61, the destroyer rides upon these same chaotic waters, suggesting that unconsecrated paths—like uncharted spiritual territory—are dangerous without divine guidance and covenant protection.
The Lord's warning about traveling on dangerous waters becomes both practical and symbolic: just as the early Saints needed divine guidance for safe physical travel, we need covenant protection to navigate the overwhelming spiritual dangers of a fallen world.
Practical Application
Understanding this principle helps us recognize that:
Divine laws are real and have real consequences
Covenant protection matters—we're safer under God's guidance than on our own
Justice and mercy work together—the same God who protects the faithful must also maintain cosmic order
Chaos requires divine organization—whether in ancient waters or modern spiritual challenges
Rather than fearing arbitrary spiritual forces, we can trust in God's perfect justice while seeking the protection that comes through covenant faithfulness.
Your Personal Covenant Journey: The Five-Fold Path
D&C 60-63 doesn't merely describe historical events—it outlines our own covenant journey using this same five-fold pattern. Like the early Saints, we are invited to walk each stage:
1. "I Will Be Your God" - The Law of Obedience
Choose God Over the World
"Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you" (D&C 63:23)
What this means: Making the fundamental choice to put God first in all decisions.
Practical steps: Daily sincere prayer, gratefully acknowledging God's authority, provision, and blessings, choosing eternal over temporal priorities.
2. "I Will Lead You Out" - The Law of Sacrifice
Leave Behind Spiritual Bondage
Move away from sin, fear, and anything that keeps us from drawing closer to God.
What this means: Allowing God to lead us away from destructive patterns and dependencies for something infinitely better.
Practical steps: Regular repentance, humility, honest self reflection, breaking harmful habits, choosing faith over fear.
3. "I Will Deliver You" - The Law of the Gospel
Be Delivered Through Truth, including God's Law and Ordinances
Learn and follow the Lord's commandments, and receive the sacred ordinances that can bring spiritual protection and freedom.
What this means: Learning and living gospel principles that teach us and transform our nature.
Daily application: Diligent and focused scripture study, keeping the sabbath day holy, honoring temple covenants.
4. "I Will Redeem You" - The Law of Chastity/ Fidelity
Be Redeemed Through Christ's Atonement, and partake in His New and Everlasting Covenant
Accepting Jesus as our kinsman-redeemer who restores our spiritual inheritance, as we take upon ourselves His name.
What this means: Accessing Christ's atoning power through purity and covenant fidelity. How: Be loyal to the covenants entered into with God and with our spouse, maintaining uncompromising moral purity.
5. "I Will Bring You Unto Me" - The Law of Consecration
Be Gathered to God as His People
Become part of God's covenant people, united in purpose and love.
What this means: Fully dedicating our lives, talents, and resources to building God's kingdom through helping to build one another.
Living this: Creating Zion in our homes, wards, and communities through intentional and consecrated devotion and service.
Living Water and Eternal Truth
Christ declares Himself the source of living water (John 4:14; 7:38). In the Book of Mormon, this fountain of living waters connects directly to the Tree of Life (1 Nephi 11:25)—representing divine nourishment, eternal connection, and truth itself.
However, Nephi's vision also reveals a sobering pattern: as the water flowed away from its divine source, it became polluted and turbulent. Many who ventured downstream found themselves caught in dangerous rapids, struggling against currents that had poisoned its life-giving purity (1 Nephi 15:26-29). This imagery teaches us that spiritual water, like physical water, can become contaminated when it flows too far from its source.
The closer we stay to Christ—the true source—the purer the living water remains. The farther we drift from divine revelation, authorized ordinances, and covenant practices, the more likely we are to encounter spiritual turbulence and confusion. This is why the repeated patterns of covenant remembrance (our "mem" practices) are so essential: they keep us connected to the source rather than drifting downstream into polluted waters and unsafe conditions.
Christ: Master of the Waters
Jesus demonstrates His divine authority over both physical and spiritual chaos through His power over water. When the disciples feared for their lives in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, "he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39).
This miraculous moment reveals profound truths about Christ's power:
Physical Mastery: Christ commands the literal elements—wind, waves, and storm obey His voice
Spiritual Authority: The same voice that calms physical storms can calm the spiritual tempests in our lives
Divine Order: As the Creator, Christ has power to organize chaos into peace, whether in nature or in human hearts
The Hebrew concept we explored earlier—God's voice bringing order from chaos—finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the Logos (Word) made flesh, the organizing principle of all creation now dwelling among us.
Personal Application: Christ Calming Our Storms
Just as Christ had power to calm the raging sea, He has power to bring peace to the storms in our lives:
Fear and anxiety: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27)
Spiritual chaos: His voice can organize our scattered thoughts, misunderstandings, and troubled hearts
Life's tempests: Financial struggles, relationship difficulties, health challenges, tragedy—through His guidance and comfort, we can learn to navigate these with greater wisdom and peace
Internal turmoil: Guilt, confusion, despair can give way to divine peace through His atonement
The Pattern of Divine Intervention
Notice the pattern in Mark 4:39:
Recognition: Christ sees the chaos and need
Authority: He speaks with divine power ("Peace, be still")
Response: The elements obey
Result: "Great calm" replaces the storm
This same pattern applies to our spiritual lives when we turn to Christ during our storms. As one wise saying reminds us: "Sometimes God calms the storm, but sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms His child." Whether He stills the external circumstances or strengthens us to endure them with peace, His power to bring calm is real and available to all who seek Him.
Water Becomes the Medium of Rebirth
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
Through baptism, we symbolically die to sin and rise again as disciples of Christ—moving from chaos to covenant, from storm to stillness.
But the scriptural pattern reveals two sacred washings that prepare us for divine presence:
First Washing: Baptism (Rebirth)
Baptism represents our initial covenant with God—dying to the natural man and being born again as His children. This washing cleanses us from sin and initiates us into the covenant path.
Second Washing: Initiatory Preparation (Anointing)
The temple initiatory ordinances include sacred washings that prepare us to become God's anointed ones—His meshiach (anointed) on Mount Zion. This echoes the ancient pattern where priests were washed twice before being anointed to serve in the temple, echoing the Israelite pattern with the crossing of the Red Sea and then the Jordan River before entering into the promised land.
This two-fold pattern appears in D&C 60:15-17, where the Lord speaks of being "clean from the blood of this generation" and prepared to "stand in holy places." Just as Jesus washed His disciples' feet on Passover night—preparing them for their apostolic ministry—the restored gospel includes sacred washings that prepare us for higher spiritual service.
The foot washing ordinance, practiced in the early restoration (D&C 88:138-139), symbolically prepared the School of the Prophets to receive greater light and knowledge. As Joseph Smith explained, this ordinance was "calculated to unite our hearts" and prepare disciples for spiritual endowment.
These sacred washings—from baptism to temple initiatory rites—represent our progression from spiritual rebirth to being prepared as royal priesthood, moving us closer to standing in the presence of God on Mount Zion.
Applying These Truths Today
In Daily Life
Morning prayer: Ask God to help His voice be the loudest in your day—tune your spiritual "frequency" to His
Scripture study: Look for covenant patterns and promises in your reading, letting them flow through your mind like water
Service: Seek opportunities to help others on their covenant journey
Sabbath worship: Renew your covenants with intention and gratitude, creating sacred patterns of remembrance like the Hebrew mem
In Difficult Times
Remember that God specializes in bringing order from chaos
Trust that the same God who led Israel, Lehi, and the early Saints is leading you through the five-fold covenant path
Seek the Spirit's guidance rather than worldly solutions
Find strength in your covenant relationship with God and identify which stage of the journey you're in
Conclusion: The Ongoing Journey
The waters will always move, that is the reality of our world, as it is 70% water. The question is whether we move in harmony with the Lord's current, or resist His voice, and fight against it. We are stewards of divine truth and covenant blessings, called to walk the same five-fold path that God's people have walked throughout history.
Our calling is not to manipulate sacred things for personal gain, but to magnify them—by walking each stage of the covenant path, reflecting Christ's light, and helping others find the living water that leads to eternal life.
As we study these revelations, remember that the same God who organized the chaotic waters of creation continues to speak order into our lives through this eternal covenant pattern. His voice calls us forward—not through empty and meaningless signs, but through intentional covenant progression. Not by force, but through love—inviting us to align our hearts with His divine five-fold framework that leads us home to Him.
The covenant path is before us. Let us listen to His voice. Let us align with His will. Let us walk in faith.
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