Jeffrey R. Holland - For Times of Trouble

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Holland, Jeffrey R., author.

For times of trouble : spiritual solace from the Psalms / Jeffrey R. Holland.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60907-271-1 (hardbound : alk. paper)

1. Bible. O.T. PsalmsMeditations. 2. Consolation. 3. Christian lifeMormon authors. 4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 5. Mormon ChurchDoctrines. I. Title.

BS1430.54.H65 2012

223'.1077dc23
2012033592

Printed in the United States of America

Publishers Printing, Salt Lake City, UT

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Pat
We took sweet counsel together,
and walked unto the house of God in company.
Psalm 55:14

Preface

What the reader will find in this book are personal musings and private meditations on a very eclectic selection of the psalms. In fact, only rarely do I include a psalm in its entirety; for the most part there is commentary on a line here and a line there, or perhaps on a cluster of verses pulled together from several psalms. Furthermore, there is little here reflecting the insights of scholars who know the language, culture, and history of the Old Testament period from which these psalms come. I have occasionally included a thought or citation from someone else, but very infrequently. Because the book is more devotional in nature than comprehensive in its commentary, I have not included some elements of doctrine that a more thorough treatment would likely addressfor example, I have not focused on material from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible or on passages that may be used liturgically in other religions.

Because these entries are primarily meditations, they are my thoughts alone and as such are not the onlymuch less the bestthoughts one could put in such a book. The personal nature of these essays should make it clear that this collection is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I alone am responsible for the teachings here. If there are errors of judgment, analysis, or insight, they are mine and no one elses.

A word or two about the authorship of the psalms is also relevant in this preface. These poems/songs/prayers are traditionally attributed to David, the boy shepherd who would become the most popular king in ancient Israels history. However, it is almost certain that David did not write all of the psalms collected in the Bible. Contemporary scholars do not agree and cannot know for certain about such matters, but it is enough to know that David wrote many of the psalms, and perhaps even most of them. Fortunately for the purposes of this book, authorship of any given psalm is not a major issue one way or the other. To sidestep that entire controversy I simply refer throughout this work to the Psalmist.

The selections I have chosen are roughly sequential, starting from the first and working to the conclusion of the collection as it now appears in the Bible. However, the sequence of these pieces has no particular relevance. For example, I began with Psalm 56 as something of an introduction to all that follows simply because I felt it was the right message with which to start the book. Furthermore, I have freely clustered various passages from multiple psalms in whatever way seemed to reflect a relationship or similarity of ideas.

As always, I wish to thank my devoted secretary of more than a quarter century, Randi Greene. She typed the diverse elements of this manuscript when they came in as bits and pieces, always being unfailingly positive about fragmented thoughts and minor literary bursts that could not have made much sense to her when they appeared on her desk. I am sad to note that by the time this book is published, Randi will have retired from our employment. Everyone in my family and in our office will miss her dearly.

My thanks, too, for the professionalism and personal encouragement of my friends at Deseret Book Company, especially Sheri Dew, Cory Maxwell, Emily Watts, Richard Erickson, and, on this particular book, Lisa Roper and Allison Mathews. They have suffered with more chaos, more starts and stops, and more missed deadlines than any editors and publishers deserve, but they have smiled through it all and kept any real grousing out of earshot.

Finally, I thank my wife, Pat, who wonders why I conceive such projects but lovingly supports me in the pursuit of them. Much of the time spent on this book was time taken from her, but, as always, she never expressed a single complaint nor lamented through those late nights when the light was still on. It would take someone with the talent of a psalmist to capture in verse her splendor. This book is dedicated to her.

Jeffrey R. Holland
Salt Lake City, Utah
2012

Introduction

Q&A Session Introduction with Sheri Dew: Living the Gospel in Our Own Sphere

For additional exclusive content, visit Seek by Deseret Book.

To watch the entire Q&A session with Elder Holland, use the Table of Contents to select the Video Segments chapter at the end of the book.

Reflections

Reflections

To watch the Q&A session with Elder Holland, use the Table of Contents to select the Video Segments chapter at the end of the book.