Robes of Righteousness: to be Clothed in the Priesthood by Liz Gillen

The Robe of Righteousness

I once received a very important blessing from a priesthood holder in my ward. It stated, "Elizabeth, let your heart be filled with praise and thanksgiving every moment of your life." The blessing continued, explaining to me that I had been carefully nurtured by my Heavenly father before being sent to this earth. When my time came, I was put with my family and in my situation on purpose. Heavenly Father had a specific plan for me.

In my time of need, this blessing served as a reminder of who I was. At this time, I did not understand how important the words "let your heart be filled with praise and thanksgiving every moment of your life" were. I was a brand new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints having been baptized 4 months previous to this blessing. Following my baptism, I experienced great trials of my faith; it seemed as though the adversary was doing all he could to make me feel bad for my decision to enter the waters of baptism. While winds blew and the dark clouds surrounded me, I was not taking the opportunity to let the feels of praise I had for my Father in Heaven consume me. Though I was grateful for my membership in His Church and for the changes that had come over me, every prayer was a much needed plea for aid.

Those pleas for aid were answered in abundance. The year following my baptism enabled me to learn much of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I learned of its healing, I learned of its enabling power. I learned of the deep, abiding, and genuine joy tht would come as I enjoyed the compainonship of the Holy Ghost. Bruce R. McConkie said of the blessings that come from membership in the church that "we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost and we are entitled to receive the gifts of the Spirit--those wondrous spiritual endowments which set us apart from the world and raise us above carnal things" (Bruce R. McConkie, The Ten Blessings of the Priesthood, Ensign, 1977).

As I have progressed in the gospel and have had many strong witnesses of the truthfulness of the Gospel and of the reality of the restoration, I have come to learn why and how I should let my heart be filled with praise and thanksgiving every moment of my life. Nephi says, "Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever: yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my god and the rock of my salvation" (2 Nephi 4:30). I am blessed to exprience the power of the Priesthood and the blessings that come from it.

Since receiving the counsel in this blessing, I have felt a change in my heart as I focused on the Lord and on being grateful for the blessings in my life. These include callings that have been extended to me, having the opportunity to take the sacrament each week, and having the opportunity to attend the temple and bind my family together for eternity. As Nephi expressed in his Psalm, my plea echoes his: "O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of they righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make a path strait before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way--but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy!" (2 Nephi 4:33).

The robe of righteousness is the Melchizedek Priesthood. In Hebrew, the root zedek means righteousness. As I live my life righteously, marry in the temple, and continue to stay faithful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, surely will I be clothed in the robe of righteousness. The feelings I have regarding the blessing are expressed best by the Prophet Isaiah. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).