FINDING SPIRITUAL STRENGTH THROUGH SCRIPTURE STUDY
By Tyler Rickenbach
No matter where you are in life, the holy scriptures can be a blanket of safety during times of peace and also during times of struggle.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in.
In the first few pages of the Book of Mormon, we read about a vision, a pillar of fire, a group of people trying to take Lehi’s life, and also of the tender mercies in store for those who diligently seek the Lord.
If you have already read the Book of Mormon, or are starting it for the first time, chapter one may cause you to rejoice or feel anguish.
There is a lot happening in twenty verses, but as you read them, how did you feel?
“And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.”
Did you feel something different? Did you feel uplifted? Did you feel closer to God, even if it was for a brief moment? If so, this is the Spirit of the Lord.
This is what Nephi describes in verse 20 as “the tender mercies of the Lord.”
He continues to say, “tender mercies are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
Let’s talk about this for a moment.
Tender mercies are for those whom he hath chosen, but what does that mean?
Elder Bednar, a member of the quorum of the twelve apostle, said in a 2005 General Conference address, “To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen.”
God does not have a list of favorite children, and only those who are on that list will be selected or chosen to receive blessings. God loves all His children, regardless of the mistakes they have made.
If you are a parent or have been a parent figure in someone else’s life, you too can relate to this love. No matter what your child does/did, you still love them because they are yours.
It is no different with God.
By inclining our hearts and minds towards God, we are ultimately choosing to become His elect daughters or sons.
At the end of verse 20 Nephi promises that those tender mercies will be mighty, even to the point where they will deliver us from captivity.
To close, I’d love to end with a personal story that shows how God’s tender mercies are mighty, even unto the power of deliverance.
A fresh stack of warm chocolate chip pancakes drizzled with coconut syrup, and on the side, a hash brown and sausage patty filled my plate.
The aroma filled our small apartment kitchen, however, the memory that remained with me most was the joy I felt as I ate breakfast with my wife and daughter.
We laughed, read the scriptures, and enjoyed a warm meal together before I left on a flight to Pennsylvania for a four day work trip.
For me, this was a tender mercy (I rarely get to eat breakfast with my family due to work) however, it doesn’t stop here.
After loading up the car and buckling our daughter into her car seat, we embarked on the short, ten minute drive to the airport.
We have been apart for much longer, but no matter how many times you do it, it’s still hard.
Early this year, I shared a post on Instagram that summarizes how I felt that morning as I walked through the airport doors:
“It’s hard to let go. It’s hard to say “I’ll see you later.”
Why can’t we just be together all the time?
You need one another to become the best version of you, but you also need to learn how to grow on your own.
It’s never easy, and no one said it would be, but it is an essential part of life that we need to experience.
Without growth, challenges, or having to stretch beyond our own capacity, we would never become more than that we are now.”
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Ten minutes had passed since I checked my bag and made it to a seat passed security.
Want to get some work done before my flight, I sat down at a table, opened my laptop and plugged in an external hard drive so that I could begin editing.
However, before I began, I felt impressed to check my phone and listen to a voice message from a good friend of mine.
It was a pleasure hearing from him, but also humbling to hear what he had to say… “Never stop doing what you are doing. I may just be that one, but you’ve definitely made a difference in my life.”
His words tugged on my heartstrings in a way that I’ll never be to describe.
This was my tender mercy.
Tender mercies don’t have to be dramatic, life altering moments, and to be honest, they rarely are.
More often times than not, they happen in the quiet moments of our lives when we least expect it.
If you have ever wondered if you are making a difference by the life you live and the things you share, know that you are.
You may not always receive feedback, but moments will come, and you will catch a glimpse of the bigger picture you are not only creating for yourself, but for others.
May we all make the effort to record such moments in our lives, so that when the storms do arise, we can look back on moments those [that made us] mighty even unto the power of deliverance.