A Defense and a Refuge

After hiking as far as they could,
The apostles and the prophet stood.
High above the valley- their new home.
With God’s blessings no longer to roam.

To a walking stick, they tied a cloth.
On a high peak they waved it aloft.
As an ensign to all from the storm.
A raised standard which was not the norm.

Here was Zion that the Savior chose.
Here they’d blossom as a unique rose.
Those pioneers survived circumstance,
With Christ’s image to their countenance.

The lord’s moral standard we must preach
To those seeking refuge we will teach.
The pioneers’ homes had been taken.
Through trials their faith was not shaken.

If we’re doing the best that we can,
We can light a path for fellow man.
As a candle placed upon a high peak
Our flame can burn bright for all who seek.

We have a refuge and a defense
In our homes and our inheritance.
We do not attack or turn flighty
But, in faith we’ll pray to Almighty.

-President Packer

85–88, Boyd K. Packer, Nov 2006,
“A Defense and a Refuge, ” Liahona