Isaiah 11: 1,10; Doctrine and Covenants 113: 4, 6; 2 Nephi 21: 10-12; Joseph Smith-History 1: 40

What inspires you to stay strong and continue to participate in the work of the Lord today?

"1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

10 ¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." (Isaiah 11: 1,10)

"4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days." (Doctrine and Covenants 113: 4, 6)

"10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (2 Nephi 21: 10-12)

"40 In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come." (Joseph Smith-History 1: 40)

And here's the commentary entitled: "Joseph Smith was “a servant in the hands of Christ.” : 

"The prophet Isaiah referred to one of Jesse’s descendants as a “rod” and a “root” (Isaiah 11:1, 10). In section 113, the Lord explained that this descendant, a servant of Christ, would be instrumental in gathering the Lord’s people in the last days (see Doctrine and Covenants 113:4, 6). This prophecy describes the Prophet Joseph Smith quite well. How might this and other truths in section 113 have encouraged the Saints during the turmoil they experienced in Kirtland? What do you find in this revelation that inspires you to stay strong and continue to participate in the work of the Lord today?

See also Guide to the Scriptures, “Jesse,” Gospel Library; 2 Nephi 21:10–12; Joseph Smith—History 1:40."

Here's the prophecy describing the Prophet Joseph Smith: 

"Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days." (Doctrine and Covenants 113:4, 6). 

This prophecy might have encouraged the Saints during the turmoil they experienced in Kirtland because of what it says:

• "on whom there is laid much power"

• "whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days"

Keeping these things in mind would be encouraging. Whatever the Saints were going through at that time, they knew the Lord was with them through these words. God laid much power on the Prophet Joseph Smith. They did feel that power already. They knew that the priesthood and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of the Lord's people in the last days, were already restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the one to whom it rightly belongs. 

From this revelation, I find that Joseph Smith was indeed a servant in the hands of Christ. He truly was laid much power even from the time he was a young boy. The Lord had been preparing him to do His work of restoration and gathering of His people in these last days. If the Lord had laid much power on the Prophet Joseph Smith, He's doing the same to those who are participating in His work today. This inspires me to stay strong and continue to participate.