President Joseph F. Smith plainly taught, “Where did we come from? From God. Our spirits existed before they came to this world. They were in the councils of the heavens before the foundations of the earth were laid. We were there. We sang together with the heavenly hosts for joy when the foundations of the earth were laid, and when the plan of our existence upon this earth and redemption were mapped out. We were there; we were interested, and we took a part in this great preparation” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, pp. 331-332).
Consider these two ways of how understanding the premortal life can bless you today.
You were a Spirit child of heavenly parents
First of all you were a spirit child of heavenly parents. Speaking to the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knew Jeremiah before Jeremiah was born on earth. And God knew you before you were born. He really is your Father and you knew him well in the premortal life. In fact, President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” in Speeches of the Year, 1974, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1975, p. 313.)
In the rush of our busy world we can lose sight of the fact that you are an eternal spirit. You are the spirit offspring of God. You were born for greatness.
You fought in the “war in heaven”
One of the most important events that happened in the premortal life was what is commonly known as the “war in heaven” (Revelation 12:7).
Were you present at the heavenly councils where we chose to accept God’s plan? President Joseph F. Smith taught, “We were unquestionably present in those councils…when Satan offered himself as a savior of the world if he could but receive the honor and glory of the Father for doing it” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, p. 332).
Let’s put some facts together and see if we can see some implications for us today.
Fact: You were present in the heavenly councils where the devil and Christ offered to fulfill the Father’s plan.
Fact: Those who followed Lucifer never received a body
Fact: You have a body.
Therefore, what?: These simple facts add up to tell us that in the premortal life you chose to follow the Savior. One of most the most powerful lessons we can learn from the premortal life is this: You chose to follow the Savior then, you can choose to follow him now.
You are a divine child of God. You were faithful then. Be faithful now.
