The Joseph Smith Papers

It is always fascinating to take a step back and look at the actual writings of the first followers of our church. The detail and effort that these early pioneers put into recording what they truly believed to be the word of God, as dictated through Joseph Smith, is so amazing. Here, they mention two specific things: 1) how there will be a Civil war within the United States, and 2) how the council of the 12 is to make decisions. As a side note, I wonder why these two topics were both discussed during the same meeting? Just something that crossed my mind.
I want to speak for a minute about how amazing it is that Joseph had this revelation so early on. It was recorded in 1835, but it was from a meeting of the high counsel in 1834. Additionally, Joseph actually received this revelation in December of 1832 (on Christmas day in fact). So almost thirty years before war broke out, Joseph knew by the power of God what was going to happen. Could I or anyone else say that in 20 years from now that there will be a war to break out in a specific place and for the specific dispute that will cause it? Not if they do not have the spirit of prophecy. It’s simply astonishing the accuracy of this revelation and the detail the Lord provides.
I also find it quite interesting how much detail the Lord gives for the governance of His church. I personally believe it is to eliminate all questions, and to remove any of the pride that may have entered into the hearts of the Apostles. Perhaps this was more important then than it is now, because of the tenderness of the church, but it still is important to know that God wants an organized people, that are run according to what He wills. God wants to provide His saints every chance to remain part of the kingdom, and decisions should be made in the Lord’s way. How can we apply this to ourselves? We can see that revelation is necessary. We do not have the full picture as imperfect individuals. Thanks be to God for allowing us to receive His guidance.
I’m a Statistics major, and I love that the Lord used an element of probability in the layout of His decision making among the Apostles, and yet, I don’t really feel that it is chance. The Lord is in the inner workings of our lives, and will take care of His children.