Podcast Summary: "GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Don’t Miss This Study with Emily Freeman & David Butler
Episode Date: October 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt episode, Emily Freeman and David Butler dive deeply into Doctrine and Covenants sections 121-122—scriptures written during Joseph Smith's agonizing time in Liberty Jail. They explore themes of suffering, divine silence, the legitimacy of questioning God, and how heaven can be near even in “prison” moments. They extract patterns of coping with hardship from Joseph’s example, emphasizing how asking tough questions can be an act of faith and how God answers with surprising kindness and intimacy. The hosts also discuss how the rights and privileges of the priesthood and principles of righteousness can flow into any life, no matter how dire the circumstance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Turning to God in Hardship: Legitimate Questions in Liberty Jail

• Context: Joseph Smith’s suffering in Liberty Jail—terrible conditions, unjust accusations, betrayal by friends—mirrors the unearned tragedies we all sometimes face.
• The Big Questions:
  • “O God, where art thou?”
  • “How long is this going to happen?”
  • “Why is this happening?”
    (See 04:37–10:17)
• Faith in Questioning:
  • David emphasizes that pouring out our confusion and pain to God is not an act of faithlessness but of trust:

    “I don’t think asking questions to God in this manner is faithless. I actually think it is an act of faith because it means that you trust his answer, that you think he's there.” (05:50, David Butler)

  • They introduce a practical pattern: Turn to God, Tell Him what hurts, and Trust Him (“Turn, Tell, Trust”). (08:00–08:50)

2. God’s Response: Kindness, Specificity, and Companionship

• How God Answers:
  • God does not avoid the hard questions; He responds with kindness and specificity rather than chastisement.

    "There's not a question that he asks that God avoids. ... Instead, God responds in kindness." (09:19, Emily Freeman)

  • God describes, in remarkable detail, Joseph’s suffering to show He truly sees and understands—down to the heartbreak of his six-year-old son (13:48–14:12).
  • The answer is not escape from hardship but assurance of companionship and ultimate good:

    “Where are you? ... I am in the middle of the mess with you.” (15:03–15:55)

3. The Reality of Ongoing Suffering—and Its Transformation

• Not Immediate Relief:
  • God affirms, “Your afflictions will be just a small moment.” (17:20)
  • The message is not that suffering will be avoided, but that it will be brief and purpose-driven.
  • Emily highlights the role of others:

    "Your friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." (17:56, quoting D&C 121:9)

• Heaven Can Be Near in a Prison Place:
  • Even in prison (literal or metaphorical), the rights of the priesthood and powers of heaven can be accessed.
  • Moving story: Early Saints held church meetings in the basement of Liberty Jail, experiencing sanctity and divine presence in a place of suffering. (35:30–36:16, Emily Freeman)

4. Lessons and Patterns from Suffering ("Prison Sentences")

• What Distance Us from Heaven:
  • Covering sins, pride, vain ambition, or compulsion distance us from heavenly power.
  • Self-assessment in hard times: “If I need heaven closer, I should be looking at this list and Saying, what am I doing wrong?” (32:14–33:34, Emily Freeman)
• What Brings Heaven Closer:
  • Principles of righteousness: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, charity, virtue. (37:14–37:25, David Butler)
  • After correction, show increased love so that your faithfulness feels “stronger than the cords of death.” (37:54, paraphrased)
  • The power of daily divine influence:

    “Dew comes a little bit every single day ... a hint toward the way that God's power might flow into our lives. Most often a little bit every day, distilling quietly upon your soul, almost imperceptible, but over a period of time. Great power.” (39:53–40:40, David Butler)

5. Reframing Suffering: Purpose and Promise

• God Does Not Send the Wolves, But Redeems the Experience:
  • “God is not the problem. He's actually the solution.” (42:43, David Butler)
  • Even what is deeply unfair can be used for our ultimate good.
  • All things work together for good (Romans 8 echo).
  • Notable: Prisons (and crosses, and stables) are not signs of abandonment, but opportunities for transformation.

6. The Call to "Do Your Best" and Trust

• Practical Encouragement:
  • “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power. Let us do our very best.” (44:34, Emily Freeman quoting D&C 123:17)
  • Stand still, with assurance, and watch for God’s arm to be revealed.
  • “If that is you, and you are saying to yourself in that little whisper in the middle of tears, I am just doing your best. You stand in confidence knowing that the arm of the Lord will be revealed. He is on his way that he will reach out to save.” (44:49–45:19, Emily Freeman)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• David Butler (Faith in Questioning):

  "To ask this question is the opposite of faithlessness." (05:58)

• Emily Freeman (God’s Kindness):

  “There's not a question that he asks that God avoids. ... Instead, God responds in kindness.” (09:19)

• David on God’s Specificity:

  “It's showing in the specificity ... God's way of saying, I see you. The question was, where are you? ... I'm actually watching the whole thing.” (14:12)

• Emily Freeman (The Sufficiency of “Your Best”):

  “And instantly I just thought in my head, oh, and that is enough. That is. That is enough in those moments.” (44:08)

• David Butler (On God's Consolation):

  “'My son.' ... It's a reminder that he's still a good, good father. And that line, 'peace be unto thy soul.' That sounds like a whispered line to me.” (19:31)

• Emily on the Power of Sacred Places:

  "Those men were experiencing heaven even in a prison, ... heaven can be close. So close that years and years later, they still experienced the fruits of that experience." (36:14)

• Final Encouragement:

  “Therefore, hold on thy way. Don't give up... God himself shall remain with thee ... for God will be with you forever and ever.” (46:03–46:24, David Butler paraphrasing D&C 122:9)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:37–10:17 – Joseph’s questions in Liberty Jail: “Where are you? How long? Why?”
• 09:03–12:00 – Is it okay to ask God hard questions? God’s response of kindness and specificity
• 13:48–15:03 – God’s answer: affirmation, “I see you,” and reference to Joseph’s personal agony
• 17:56–18:41 – God sends people with “warm hearts and friendly hands”
• 31:31–33:49 – What distances us from heaven and how to self-assess in suffering
• 35:30–36:16 – Early Saints turn Liberty Jail into a church and experience heaven there
• 39:53–40:40 – How God’s power and comfort come “like dew” every day
• 42:43–43:39 – God as the solution, not the cause, of our deepest pain
• 44:34–45:19 – The sufficiency of doing your best and trusting divine timing
• 46:03–46:24 – Closing promise: God's eternal companionship, “hold on thy way”

Structured Takeaways

Practical “Prison Lessons” from Joseph’s Suffering:

• It’s faith to take hard questions to God.
• God’s answers are kind, personal, and nuanced.
• Even in darkness and unfairness, heaven can be close—through others, sacred patterns, and priesthood privilege.
• The “rights of the priesthood”—connection, guidance, peace, revelation, etc.—are available to all covenant people, even in prisons.
• Righteous living (gentleness, love, honesty) makes heaven accessible, while pride, control, and hidden sin distance us.
• Suffering is not a sign of God’s anger or absence; it can be a transformative, sanctifying experience.
• Do your honest best, trust God for the rest, and don’t give up: “Hold on thy way. ... God will be with you forever and ever.”

Tone and Delivery

The episode is warm, honest, and conversational, using real-life anecdotes and scriptural storytelling. Both hosts are vulnerable about their struggles and invite listeners to apply deep spiritual principles to their own “prison moments.” The mood is ultimately hopeful, empowering, and encouraging for anyone wrestling with unanswered prayers or unfair suffering.

For more, follow @dontmissthisstudy or visit dontmissthisstudy.com.