On July 24th those of us who live in Utah will celebrate Pioneer Day, or the day the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church)first arrived in this area.
Whenever I think of the pioneers, those who left behind homes, farms, most of their earthly possessions, and sometimes even family members, there is a hymn that comes to mind. It was written by a young man by the name of William Clayton.
William was only 23 when he first joined the Mormon Church over in England. He was an intelligent young man, well-educated, good with figures and had excellent penmenship (something not really thought about today in the computer age). He and his wife emmigrated to the United States, hoping to meet the prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.
His talents were quickly recognized and he was soon put to work as a scribe and secretary. After the martyrdom of the prophet Joseph, William chose to follow Brigham Young, then presiding leader of the Church, to a new place.
You see, since the dawning of this new religion the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been repeatedly driven from their homes. The Church’s headquarters moved from city to city, over many states, until at last they knew it was time to head far out toward the west in the hopes of at last obtaining some peace.
A large group of families, including William, left in early February. At that time the snow was in the process of melting, the dirt roads were thawing and mixing with the slush, creating giant mud pits. The going was not easy.
David B. Haight, an apostle of the Lord, stated:
They left in February; it was now April. Slogging through the fields with the wagons and the horses and the teams and the rain and the mud in Iowa, they were discouraged. The going was difficult, people were dying, and babies were born. They were moving slowly, only traveling a few miles a day. In their discouragement, William Clayton wrote in his journal that he sat on a wagon tongue and wrote a song, hoping it would encourage and give some renewed hope and faith to the Saints.
So he wrote “Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.” It was difficult. They were discouraged. “But with joy wend your way. / Though hard to you this journey may appear, / Grace shall be as your day.” He was giving them encouragement to keep going, that the situation would get better.
Then he wrote those wonderful lines, “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away in the West.” Even though we’re stuck here in the mud and discouraged, this will all change. If we have the courage and the faith the Lord will answer our prayers; it will all come about. It gave them hope and encouragement. “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away … / Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid”—stirring, inspirational words.
And then the last verse…, “And should we die before our journey’s through, / Happy day! All is well!” So if we die, we’ve done our best. We’re going to die sometime, as we all know. So “Happy day! All is well!”
“But if our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” We’ll see if the wagon wheels will stay on and if the rims will stay on the little handcarts and if we can keep up that courage and the strength through our prayers and we’ll get there. “If our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” If we get there, then “All is well! All is well!”—if we get there and if we have the courage to make it work.
And in his journal he wrote, “I’ve composed a new song—‘All is well’ ” (William Clayton’s Journal [1921], 19); (David B. Haight, “Hymn of the Obedient: ‘All Is Well’,” Ensign, Nov 1997, 70).
The song was later titled, “Come, Come Ye Saints” and has become like an anthem for our Pioneer Day celebration. I invite you to read through the words and think about those times you feel like giving up; as though the world has brought you to your knees and there’s no hope. Think about those times, and then read the words, and remember never forsake you. He will work to provide for you a better place. You will be blessed for your faith.
