Diane Tuiofu Music
and the Arts
Composer, Arranger, Pianist
A Sacred Place
Joseph Smith was a young boy searching for truth. He had attended different churches and studying the Bible to know which church to join. One day, while reading in James 1:5, he felt that God was speaking directly to him through its words, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him...Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine" (Joseph Smith). One early morning, Joseph chose a quiet spot in the woods to pray and offer up the desires of his heart to God. It was here, in this Sacred Grove, that Joseph received the answer he had been searching for. His answered prayer was the foundational event of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ''A Sacred Place" helps us understand the importance of the temple as a place we prepare to meet God.
Text: Toni Thomas Music: Diane Tuiofu
Lyrics
Verse one
One fair morning
When the air was sweet with spring,
Joseph stole to the grove
Ever silent and serene:
A place to clear
The clamor of men’s words, indeed;
A place to know God’s will
And knowing, to find peace.
Verse two
At first thick darkness
Periled and would overcome,
Then a bright stream of light
And darkness was gone.
There Joseph gained
The wisdom that his heart had craved;
He knew for certain
God had spoken
In that place.
Chorus
Is there a place?
A sacred place
Where I can cast away my heavy cares
And know with certainty?
A holy place
Where I can hope to hear the Savior’s voice
And see him face to face?
Is there a place?
Verse three
I too have wandered
That very Sacred Grove in spring
Where the leaves illumined green
Speak softly in the breeze.
And yet the dappled shadows there stayed undisturbed.
I saw no pillared light; for me no voice was heard.
Bridge
Father the darkness of the world grows ever deepening,
And yet there seems no ready answer to my pleading.
Where is Thy light?
Where is Thy voice?
How can I feel Thy love?
As I ponder, I know where I must go.
For in the temple, I can know
Even as Joseph in the Sacred Grove;
Repeat Chorus
In the temple, I can know
Even as Joseph in the Sacred Grove.
There is a place.