I enjoy standing in holy places. In a world filled with chaos, contention and calamity, it’s important to take time to pause and stand in holy places to find peace. One of my favorite scriptures comes from our Doctrine and Covenants, Section 87, verse 8, that says: “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved…”
A sacred place could be a place of worship, structure, location or even a state of mind. It could be at the top of the mountain, in a forest, at a spot on the ocean or at a location within our community.
It could be our home or a specific spot where we pray. It’s important that we find sacred places where we can be still and commune with God regularly. When we can’t stand in holy places, we can carry them with us in our heart.
Many religions have structures and locations that are sacred to them. During my travels I enjoy visiting and learning about these places.
Two of my favorites have been the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Each was a unique and sacred space. I have also visited many places of our country’s founding and sites of the restoration of our church and I consider them sacred places.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our most sacred places are our temples. We believe that they are the House of the Lord.
Temples are distinct from our local meetinghouses where we gather each Sunday. Temples are sacred places where we make covenants with God for ourselves and ancestors. We have 211 temples in the world with another 172 announced or in various phases of planning or construction.
We are excited and grateful that one is planned to be built in Sunnyvale. The closest open temple to us now is in Oakland, off Highway 13. It’s a beautiful structure that was built in 1964 as the church’s thirteenth temple. My wife and I visit there monthly and enjoy being in that sacred place together.
When one of our temples is newly constructed or refurbished, it is open to the public prior to its dedication.
One of my favorite experiences has been attending the Oakland temple open house in 2019 with some of my wonderful work colleagues. It was so meaningful to be able to share the temple with them and sit side by side with them in those sacred rooms. It’s an experience I treasure.
I look forward to sharing a similar experience with my neighbors and community members when the Sunnyvale temple is ready in a few years.
I invite you to find and regularly stand in sacred places. Doing so will allow you to have refuge from the storms of life and to find peace in our contentious world.
Matt Deakin is the Bishop of the Morgan Hill Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is a member of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County. Bishop Deakin can be reached at bi**********@***il.com.
