How much do you know about Oliver Granger?
Probably not a lot, and if that’s the case, you’re completely normal.
But note what God said about him: “I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say
unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation,
forever and ever, saith the Lord.” In a moment we’ll learn more about Oliver Granger, but
first I want to highlight a powerful principle: The Lord remembers and loves “average” people.
Oliver Granger wasn’t a famous person in church history, he wasn’t the CEO of a big company,
the captain of the football team or the student body president. He was a normal person
trying to do his best. God loved him. God remembered him. God loves you. God remembers you.
We sometimes focus on Nephi and forget Sam. Or we talk about Helaman and his stripling
warriors but forget about Shiblon. Or maybe we remember the story of Ammon but forget that his
brother Omner was working just as hard. Oliver Granger is like Sam, Shiblon and
Omner—he doesn’t get a lot of fame, but that has no bearing on how much the Lord loves him.
Using the Scripture Plus app, I was able to learn a little bit of background on Oliver Granger—I’m
a fan of this app by the way, and I recommend it. Oliver Granger was born in 1794. He was a
member of the Methodist church, but when he heard about the restored gospel he was baptized. In 1833
Oliver moved his family from New York to Kirtland, Ohio, to gather with the saints. He served
on the high council and worked on the Kirtland temple. Later, because of religious persecution,
Oliver and his family moved to Missouri, hoping to establish a fresh start. But only one month after
Oliver had arrived in Missouri, the Prophet Joseph received a revelation instructing him to return to
Kirtland and represent the First Presidency in settling Church affairs and retiring past debts.
The Prophet Joseph wrote, “As I was driven away from Kirtland without the privilege of settling my
business, I . . . employed Colonel Oliver Granger as my agent, to close all my affairs in the east.”
Without hesitation or question, Oliver turned his wagon around and headed back to Kirtland to
fulfill the assignment given him by a prophet. His negotiations with angry creditors were not easy,
yet one creditor wrote, “Oliver Granger’s management in the
arrangement of the unfinished business of people that have moved to the Far West,
in redeeming their pledges and thereby sustaining their integrity, has been truly praiseworthy,
and has entitled him to my highest esteem, and ever grateful recollection.”
With this background in mind, consider what the Lord said about Oliver Granger: “When he falls he
shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord.”
I see at least two powerful nuggets here. First, the Lord says, “When” – not if,
but when. “When he falls he shall rise again.” You and I are going to fall and that’s okay. We can,
like Oliver, rise again and keep on going. A second spiritual nugget is found in the phrase,
“his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase.” In other words,
more important than the actual result of Oliver’s work will be the effort he puts into it. Several
years ago, Elder Boyd K. Packer gave a General Conference talk focused on Oliver Granger.
Elder Packer focused his talk on the normal people of the Church and said, “When we honor Oliver,
much, perhaps even most, of the honor should go to Lydia Dibble Granger, his wife.”
Elder Packer pointed out that “When the Saints were driven from Kirtland, Ohio…Oliver was left
behind to sell their properties for what little he could. There was not much chance that he could
succeed. And, really, he did not succeed! …The Lord did not expect Oliver to be perfect, perhaps
not even to succeed….We cannot always expect to succeed, but we should try the best we can.”
In other words, our sacrifice is more sacred than our increase.
Even though Oliver Granger is not a famous person in church history,
the Lord knows and remembers him. The Lord knows and remembers you. He knows we will stumble,
but he will help us rise again. Whether or not we succeed, God is grateful for our efforts;
our sacrifices to build up his kingdom are sacred to him.