I truly feel like the Lord had a hand in the inspiration for this temple painting. I had the idea come to me to do a painting of the temple with a very bright light coming in from the east. To me, the bright light represents the time when Christ will come again.
I did not know what the title was going to be, but I knew I wanted to somehow tie in the meaning. I was working on the painting in the park during the 4th of July, because I had a booth set up to display other temple prints that I have. A lady that I know came up to me as I was painting and asked me what the title of the painting was going to be. I said that I wasn’t sure. She told me that she had the thought come to her of “Abide the Day.” She said that she had started to write a song one time that the painting reminded her of. I said something like, “okay, I’ll think about it.” I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.
When I went home I pulled out my scriptures and looked up the work “abide.” The scripture that I found was in Malachi 3:1-3.
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeared? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.”
I could hardly believe how perfectly it fit the painting. I later talked to the lady who shared the title idea with me and told her my story. She told me that when she saw me painting, she had the thought come to her to tell me that title. She said at first she didn’t think that she should because since I was the artist I probably didn’t need the suggestion. But then the thought came to her again. I know that she was prompted by the spirit.
I later discovered that versions of that same scripture are in other places. One of them is D&C 128:24. At the end of the scripture it says “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.
We need to be ready for when Christ comes (or “Abide the Day”) by doing our temple work.
