In 1832, the Lord encouraged a group of missionaries gathered in Kirtland, Ohio to slow down a little and take advantage of their time together. Notice the activities He wanted them to be involved in during that time.:
Tarry ye, tarry ye in this place, and call a solemn assembly, even of those who are the first laborers in this last kingdom.
And let those whom they have warned in their traveling call on the Lord, and ponder the warning in their hearts which they have received, for a little season.
Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send unto them.
Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.
Doctrine and Covenants 88:73
This counsel was context-specific, “for a little season.” He wasn’t declaring their work permanently completed, but He did want them to spend some time together growing spiritually and not to ruin it by being in a hurry or by worrying excessively about the people they had taught.
The last sentence in this passage—”I will hasten my work in its time.”—echoes Isaiah’s warning about people who become impatient with God:
Woe unto them … that say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
Isaiah 5:18-19; 2 Nephi 15:18-19
The Lord is telling these missionaries in Kirtland: I’m in charge of our speed. We will accelerate later, when the time is right.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Faith … includes trust in God’s timing” (“Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds,” General Conference, April 1991). I usually think of this counsel as a call to patience when things are moving more slowly than I’d like. But the opposite can also be true: the Lord may at times accelerate the events in our lives, and we may need to step up our pace.
In 1990, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson declared that the prophecy in the 1832 revelation was being fulfilled: “[The Lord] said, “I will hasten my work in its time,” and that time of hastening is now” (“Thus Shall My Church Be Called,” General Conference, April 1990).
In 2021, President Nelson added, “The Lord declared that He would hasten His work in its time, and He is doing so at an ever-increasing pace” (“Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” General Conference, October 2021).
Last year, after announcing 17 new temples, he said, “My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work” (“The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” General Conference, October 2024).
In our most recent general conference, Elder Ronald A. Rasband identified three specific aspects of the Lord’s work which are being hastened:
- “The Church is building temples at an unprecedented pace.”
- “Missionary work is gathering record numbers to the fold of the Good Shepherd.”
- “We see the Lord hastening educational opportunities … around the world.”
(“Right Before Our Eyes,” General Conference, April 2025, emphasis added).
It’s exciting to see God’s work moving forward, and we may feel prompted to increase the velocity of our own efforts. After recovering from a serious illness, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reported that he felt called to return to his ministry “with more urgency, more consecration, more focus on the Savior, more faith in His word” (“Motions of a Hidden Fire,” General Conference, April 2024).
Today, I will contribute to the hastening of the Lord’s work. I will strive to match my pace with the Lord’s timing and to accelerate my efforts as I see His work moving forward.
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