(Isa. 51:3)
If there are disappointments, let us not turn away… . Let all of us be filled with … quiet determination concerning the marvelous things we have been called to do in such stress-filled times, “for the Lord shall comfort Zion… . Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody” (2 Ne. 8:3).
With Paul, we can say, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8–9)—perhaps adding, “We are confronted, but not surprised; we are falsely accused, but pray for our accusers; we are reviled, but respond with Christian service.” Brothers and sisters, we can be walking witnesses and standing sermons to which objective onlookers can say a quiet amen.
(Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, Nov. 1980, 15.)
The restoration of the Gospel is a process, and Isaiah had seen that there would be times when the modern Israelites would wonder whether or not they would ever make it. This verse was a great comfort to the Saints when they were driven out of Missouri and later out of Illinois. The Lord assured the Saints that eventually he would pour out comfort and blessings upon his people in America. He said her wilderness areas would become as the Garden of Eden. Her deserts and barren regions would become like a “garden of the Lord.” There would be a time of joy and gladness, and the thanksgiving of the Saints would pour forth in “the voice of melody.” The moment the Gospel began to be restored in these latter days, the Lord commanded the people to gather their hymns and sing their praises to the Lord (see D&C 25:11–12; 136:28). Later their choirs became famous worldwide.
(W. Cleon Skousen, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times [Salt Lake City: Ensign Publishing Co., 1984], 633–34.)