Dedicatory Prayer

Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, 13 October 1996

O God our Eternal Father, thanks be to Thee, Thou great Elohim, in whose service we are honored to labor.

In these sacred precincts we bow before Thee in humble prayer to present unto Thee the gift of Thy people whose consecrated tithes and offerings have made possible the erection of this beautiful house.

Thou hast conferred upon us Thy Holy Priesthood. In that authority, and in the name of Thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate this, the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple, and consecrate it unto Thee and unto Thy Son as Thy holy house, praying that Thou wilt accept it and honor it with Thy presence.

We dedicate the ground on which it stands with its trees, lawns, shrubbery, and flowers. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the rooms and facilities found herein, and in a particular way those rooms which will be used for the administration of sacred ordinances which Thou hast revealed unto Thy people.Here, in the beautiful font, baptisms will be performed by living proxies in behalf of the dead. Here with repentant hearts we will be made clean before Thee and stand clothed in robes of spotless white.

Here we will be instructed in the things of eternity and enter into solemn covenants with Thee. Here at sacred altars we will be joined as husband and wife, as parents and children under the authority of the eternal Priesthood, in bonds and covenants that will endure forever.

We acknowledge with thanksgiving the marvelous blessings here to be gained and pray that all who enter the portals of this Thy house may do so with clean hands and pure hearts, with love for Thee and Thy Son, and with faith in Thine everlasting promises made unto us.

May this in very deed be "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 88:119).

May its beauty never be marred by evil hands. May it stand strong against the winds and storms that will beat upon it. May it be a beacon of peace and a refuge to the troubled. May it be an holy sanctuary to those whose burdens are heavy and who seek Thy consoling comfort.We thank Thee for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that in this the dispensation of the fulness of times Thou didst appear with Thy Beloved Son to the boy Joseph Smith. We thank Thee that following that glorious manifestation Thou didst send Moroni with the Book of Mormon as another testament of the Lord Jesus Christ; that Thou didst send John the Baptist, and Peter, James, and John to restore the authority of Thy Holy Priesthood; that Thou didst send Moses, Elias, and Elijah to bring again to earth those grand keys which unlock the door of eternal life to all who shall become partakers of Thy promised blessings.

Dear Father, please forgive our sins and remember them no more against us. Give us strength and discipline to walk above our weaknesses. Grant us the companionship of Thy Holy Spirit and the directing power of the Holy Ghost in our lives at all times and under all circumstances, that we may serve Thee faithfully and well in Thy great work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of Thy sons and daughters.

We thank Thee for this favored season in the history of Thy work. Renew our appreciation for our faithful forebears, who were driven from their homes and came with trust in Thee to these mountain valleys. These desert lands have become fruitful and have blossomed as the rose, in fulfillment of prophecy.

Thy people have been gathered from over the earth, and they and their posterity continue to walk in faith before Thee. Please accept of their consecrations, and open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon the faithful as Thou hast promised.

Touch the hearts of Thy Saints that they may work with outreaching love in this holy edifice in behalf of their forebears.

May they seek after their kindred dead, and do for them what must be done if they are to be released from the bondage in which they have been kept for so long. Touch the hearts of Thy people with the spirit of the Prophet Elijah, that the hearts of the fathers may be turned to the children and the hearts of the children may be turned to the fathers, that the purposes of the earth may not be frustrated, but may all be fulfilled.

Father, we plead with Thee that Thou wilt overrule among the nations that doors may be opened for the preaching of Thine eternal word. Wilt Thou touch the hearts of rulers, and men and women of government, that they may unlock the gates of those lands which have been previously closed to Thy faithful servants. Bless in a special way Thy messengers who go forth as missionaries to the people of the earth that they may do so with power "to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds and...teach them of a judgment which is to come" (D&C 84:87). Let Thy Spirit go before them. May Thy watch care be over them. May they be magnified and led to those who will hear the glad tidings of salvation as they have been restored in this dispensation.

Bless Thy Church and kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that it shall "come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:73).

Bless Thy servants whom Thou hast called and ordained to stand as leaders in Thy Church in these days of great opportunity. Sustain them, give them strength, speak through them according to Thy divine will, and uphold them before the people. Bless all who serve in this temple and throughout Thy Church, that each may be faithful and that each may be possessed of a great desire to strengthen Thy work and build testimony in the hearts of others.

Father, we invoke Thy blessings upon this nation, the United States of America, where Thy work was restored in this dispensation. May those who stand in places of leadership look to Thee and be guided by Thee that liberty and freedom may be preserved and enhanced, and that because of the strength and goodness of the people of this nation, Thy work may be assisted as it moves across the earth.

Now, our Beloved Father and our God, we bow in reverence before Thee. We worship Thee in spirit and in truth. We love Thee. We love Thy gracious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We love Thy work. Help us to live with respect and kindness one toward another as should all of those who are partakers of Thy bounteous goodness.

May we on this day of dedication, rededicate ourselves and reconsecrate our talents and our means to Thy service and to the blessing of Thy sons and daughters everywhere and through all generations, we humbly pray in the name of our great Redeemer, the Lord Omnipotent, even Jesus Christ, amen.