Recently some of my colleagues and I were
walking up the ninth hole of a local golf
course after practicing for our annual student/faculty
department tournament.
One of my friends commented, “Well, we just
ruined a good walk.”
It seems that happens frequently when I combine
a walk with golf.
In contrast, I hope that our “walk” together
this hour will be edifying for each of us.
President Ezra Taft Benson declared that the
Book of Mormon would be the main instrument
in the latter-day gathering of people to Christ.
It was true for me in my conversion to The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
some 37 years ago.
I have grown to love the book and Him of whom
the book testifies.
Nephi, in the opening chapter, declares his
intent in writing when he says, “I, Nephi,
will show unto you that the tender mercies
of the Lord are over all those whom he hath
chosen.”
Moroni, in the last chapter of the book, invites
us to receive the record by willfully casting
away unbelief and to ask God of its truthfulness
as it describes “how merciful the Lord hath
been unto the children of men.”
Hence the first and last chapters provide
the reason why the authors and preservers
of the plates labored for us to have this
great record.
When I am privileged to teach a Book of Mormon
class, I tell the students that if they do
not find the Savior and the reference to His
mercy and healing influence in all that they
will read, they will have missed the point
that the authors and editors were making.
I will discuss both Book of Mormon and modern
examples of how the Savior’s teachings and/or
the extension of His mercy through His unselfish
act of the Atonement brought healing.
As I do so, please ponder your own experiences
in order to “liken all scriptures unto us."
King Benjamin described his people as “a
diligent people in keeping the commandments
of the Lord.”
King Benjamin subsequently told about being
visited by an angel who taught him “glad
tidings of great joy” concerning Christ.
He gathered his people for a final address
and spoke to them about the Atonement and
of our divine indebtedness.
He taught that all we can attempt to give
back to the Father and the Son is our gratitude,
obedience, and service.
Following this great discourse, his people
fell to the earth because “they had viewed
themselves in their own carnal state, even
less than the dust of the earth.”
Even though they had been diligent in keeping
God’s commandments, after hearing about
the Savior’s mission, their hearts were
changed.
I sometimes find myself caught up in the busyness
of life and the sometimes seemingly blind
obedience to rules that comes, as Jacob warned,
from “looking beyond the mark.”
President Benson’s counsel to daily feast
on the Book of Mormon and on its testimony
of Jesus helps me to focus on what matters
most in my life: my relationship with the
Father and the Son.
Buried in the war chapters in the book of
Alma, there is a wonderful lesson about the
healing influence of the Savior.
At one point the sons of King Mosiah are described
as being “the very vilest of sinners,”
but “the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy
to spare them.”
After their change-of-heart experience, they
asked to go “impart the word of God to their
brethren, the Lamanites.
. . . For they could not bear that any human
soul should perish.”
Later in the record, Mormon described the
great general Moroni: “If all men had been,
and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni,
behold, the very powers of hell would have
been shaken forever.”
Mormon obviously had some tender feelings
for this man and probably even named his own
son after him.
But Mormon, wanting to teach an important
lesson, added these words in the next verse:
"Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the
son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons
of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons,
for they were all men of God."
The sons of Mosiah went from being “the
very vilest of sinners” to being men like
Moroni and “men of God.”
This was only possible because of the Atonement
and the life-changing, healing influence it
has on the children of men.
All of us will feel the pain of sin and transgression
in our lives.
The Savior’s act of redemption can take
away that pain.
I have witnessed this marvelous experience
as individuals have accepted the Lord, repented,
asked His forgiveness, and then felt the tremendous
burden of guilt be washed away.
Rebellious young people have turned to the
Lord and served wonderful missions.
Couples struggling with pride and selfishness
have humbled themselves and invited the Lord
to help them find solutions to their relationship
problems.
I acknowledge and express gratitude for the
Savior’s role in my own conversion and for
the daily application of His forgiveness in
my life.
Alma the Younger went to the people of Ammonihah
to “preach the word of God” and bear “pure
testimony.”
He was directed to the home of Amulek, who
fed and cared for him.
Later, Amulek defended Alma as “a holy man”
and witnessed: “He hath blessed me, and
my women, and my children.”
Alma and Amulek were bound and placed in prison
for their preaching.
Those that believed on their words were stoned
and cast out of the city.
Alma and Amulek were then forced to watch
the martyrdom of the wives and children of
the believers.
“And when Amulek saw the pains of the women
and children who were consuming in the fire,
he also was pained.”.
During one reading of this account, I wondered
where Amulek’s own wife and children were
and considered the possibility that he might
have watched them die in the fire.
We read later in the account that Alma “took
him [Amulek] to his own house, and did administer
unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened
him in the Lord.”
Three years ago I lost both of my parents.
Although not members of our faith, they had
led good, Christian lives.
My father passed away 30 days short of their
66th wedding anniversary, and my mother died
exactly 30 days after that anniversary date.
A little over a year later, my wife, some
of our children, and I gathered in the Provo
Temple to perform sacred ordinances for them
and for me to be sealed to them.
I will ever be grateful for the Lord’s healing
influence at the time of their deaths and
for His sustaining spirit as we met for that
sweet experience in the temple.
I know that the Savior loosed the “bands
of death” and made it possible to again
be with our departed loved ones.
Sometime following the destruction that attended
the Savior’s Crucifixion, a group of Nephites
gathered at the temple in Bountiful.
While there, they heard a voice that said,
“Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.”
Then they witnessed the Savior descending
out of heaven and declaring:
"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets
testified shall come into the world.
And behold, I am the light and the life of
the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter
cup which the Father hath given me, and have
glorified the Father in taking upon me the
sins of the world, in the which I have suffered
the will of the Father in all things from
the beginning."
His first words on that glorious occasion
addressed His obedience to His Father’s
will.
It is also interesting to note that from the
first words that we have recorded about His
premortal existence, we learn that the Savior
volunteered to go and perform the Father’s
work.
The first words that we have of His mortal
life are to tell His mortal mother that He
must be about His Father’s business.
And among the last words that we have of His
mortal life is His stated willingness to submit
to the Father’s will instead of to His own.
What is so important for you and me to know
and understand about Him—not only doing
but also wanting to do the will of the Father?
Certainly we need to learn that the Savior
placed a premium on obedience and sacrifice
and that we should as well.
Another important lesson is that He loved
the Father and us more than Himself.
The Savior demonstrated that love to the people
at Bountiful when He invited them to come
forth “one by one” to feel the wounds
in his side, hands, and feet and then later
as He blessed their sick and afflicted and
“their little children, one by one.”
Yet another lesson is found in His statement
“For the works which ye have seen me do
that shall ye also do.”
If we want to yield our will to the Father’s,
we must live the laws of obedience and sacrifice
and let our love for the Father and the Son
govern our thoughts and actions.
As I was finishing graduate school years ago,
I was blessed with several job offers.
My wife and I were trying to decide where
we wanted to live instead of where the Lord
wanted us to live.
We prayed for another offer that would allow
us to live close to both of our families.
The offer didn’t come, and we grew a bit
frustrated and impatient.
One day while my wife was sitting in Relief
Society, her thoughts became more focused
on the Savior’s will instead of on her own,
and almost immediately she saw the words written
in her mind of the location of the offer that
we were to accept.
When she told me of her experience, my own
prayers changed and I was blessed with a similar
confirmation.
We accepted that offer, and the associations
and the experiences that have resulted have
enriched our lives.
I’m grateful for a wife whose love for the
Lord and desire to do His will guide her thoughts
and actions and help me with mine.
Near the end of the Book of Mormon, we read
of the great social, political, and personal
unrest in which the prophet Mormon lived.
Indeed, Mormon said, “A continual scene
of wickedness and abominations has been before
mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient
to behold the ways of man.”
Nevertheless, Mormon went on to write to
"the peaceable followers of Christ . . . that
have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye
can enter into the rest of the Lord, from
this time henceforth until ye shall rest with
him in heaven."
Note that there are two “rests” mentioned
in this verse.
The first reference suggests that we can experience
“the rest of the Lord” in this life.
We live in a time in which cherished values
are being sacrificed under the guise of self-serving
interpretations of words like tolerance and
acceptance and when physical and spiritual
warfare dominates news headlines.
But in all of the confusion, in all of the
mounting turmoil and unrest, faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ can lead us to a “peaceable
walk with the children of men.”
I find it interesting and reassuring to note
that Joseph Smith received section 87 (often
referred to as the revelation on war) on the
25th of December—the day the world celebrates
the birth of Him who provides our needed hope
and peace.
I testify that He is willing to provide help
with all of our concerns, however large or
small they may appear.
Several years ago I was on a consulting assignment
to provide three weeks of professional engineering
training in London.
I was traveling with carry-ons, two large
suitcases, and several boxes of workshop materials.
As I was making arrangements to get on London’s
underground transportation that would take
me from the airport to my hotel, I heard a
message that unattended luggage would be seized
and individuals detained for questioning.
I knew that I could not get off the train
without leaving pieces of my luggage unattended.
I began to pray and ask the Lord for help.
Not long before my stop, I was amazed to see
two young men dressed in suits with our Church’s
missionary name tags get on the large train
with its several passenger cars and sit down
next to me!
I was further amazed to discover that they
were getting off at my stop!
As you can imagine, I offered a silent prayer
of gratitude.
My anxiety in this situation may seem trivial
compared to the anxiety and stress that we
live in today, but it was a testimony of the
Lord’s awareness of my plight and His willingness
to help.
I am certain that He is anxious to help each
of us in our “peaceable walk with the children
of men.”
After the terrible battle at Cumorah, Moroni
assumed responsibility of the records and
noted that he had “but few things to write.”
We get a sense of his despair when he wrote:
"I even remain alone to write the sad tale
of the destruction of my people.
. . .
Whither I go it mattereth not.
. . . My father hath been slain in battle,
and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends
nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will
suffer that I may live I know not."
He was discouraged and without hope and even
appeared to have ended his record when he
wrote, “I make an end of speaking concerning
this people.”
But he lived for another 20-plus years and
added much to the plates.
In his additional comments, his tone appears
to be transformed as he provides some of the
most profound comments on faith, hope, and
charity that we have in all scripture.
What caused the change?
Listen to what he wrote to us: “And then
shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and
that he hath talked with me face to face.”
When the Lord is our companion, as I believe
He was for Moroni, we are never alone.
The Savior knew what it was like to be left
alone when He worked out the Atonement.
He provided the companionship and comfort
that Moroni needed during this difficult time.
Many people, for a variety of reasons, experience
feelings of loneliness during their lives.
The Lord in His infinite mercy can provide
the solace that all such people are desperately
seeking.
A story told by President Steve Studdert at
a session of the Mount Timpanogos Temple dedication
dramatically illustrates this.
I repeat it with his permission.
Before the temple dedication, the First Presidency
invited the residents of the Utah State Developmental
Center to a special open house of the temple.
This center houses severely mentally and physically
disabled sons and daughters of our Heavenly
Father.
I now quote from President Studdert’s account:
"There was a man in his mid-sixties in the
center.
He had been there since age eight, and it
had been 15 years since any family members
had been to visit him.
They had understandably quit coming because
he never spoke to them, never showed any indication
of recognition, and never expressed anything
whatsoever to them.
But on that morning the Spirit worked on this
man’s brother, also in his mid-sixties,
that today was the day for that overdue visit.
Together with his wife, somewhat apprehensively
the brother walked into the room of his handicapped
younger brother, not knowing what to expect.
The brother, who we will respectfully call
Fred, was dressed in his best clothes and
waiting somewhat impatiently in his wheelchair.
Seeing his older brother, Fred immediately
broke into a wide smile, stood up, and embraced
him with a not-so-gentle bear hug.
There was sweet recognition for the first
time ever.
So with a happy eye toward the temple, they
ventured out.
As Fred’s wheelchair was pushed across the
street, he began to become increasingly unsettled.
His brother became concerned, recognizing
that Fred had not left his residence for many
years and that maybe this unusual experience
or the crowds were too much for him.
They considered returning Fred to his residence,
but the Spirit whispered, “Carry on.”
As they entered the temple, Fred seemingly
grew even more agitated.
But they felt impressed to continue.
About 50 feet behind the temple recommend
desk is a beautiful painting of the Savior
depicted as a shepherd lovingly holding in
His protective arms a small black lamb, symbolic
of a tender lost lamb.
This particular [Minerva Teichert] painting
had never before been displayed in any temple.
As the three of them approached this powerful
painting, Fred stopped his wheelchair and
looked upward at the painting.
And then in a voice as clear as any voice
ever heard, [he] spoke one simple word: “Jesus.”
This was the first understandable word anyone
had ever heard him speak in his entire life,
and he did so with certainty, clarity, and
knowledge.
He then folded his arms in the same manner
as the Savior’s arms in the painting.
In that moment he grew silent and calm; peace
flooded over his anxious mind and nervous
body.
His arms relaxed and remained firmly folded
as were the Savior’s.
They proceeded on the tour of the temple,
quiet and reverential.
On the wide sidewalls of the magnificent celestial
room are large mirrors.
As they reached that point in the tour, Fred
stopped the wheelchair and stood.
Without movement or speech, he looked for
several minutes into those mirrors.
It was as if he were looking into an unseen
eternity.
[And, if I might interject, possibly seeing
a time in the future when the Resurrection
will make him whole.]
Then he sat in his wheelchair, again folded
his arms as did the Savior in the painting,
and remained quiet all the way back to his
room.
. . .
Since that day in the Lord’s house, Fred
has never again spoken an understandable word.
The only word he has ever spoken is “Jesus.”"
This incredible story illustrates to me the
love that the Savior has for each of us.
No one goes unnoticed.
He is aware of everyone and of everyone’s
concerns.
Even when it seems like people can’t or
won’t respond to His attempts to reach out
to them, He continues to communicate His love.
I bear testimony that the Lord is mindful
of each of us, and if we come to Him, we can
find peace and hope in our times of need.
For can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the
son of her womb?
Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget
thee, O house of Israel.
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms
of my hands."
The Book of Mormon does testify of Christ
and His healing influence.
I am grateful for the authors and the preservers
of the plates who made it possible for us
to read these marvelous accounts of the Lord
extending the arms of His love to those in
need.
It was written for our day when we need similar
applications of His mercy.
Like Nephi of old, I declare that
"he shall rise from the dead, with healing
in his wings.
. . . Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy
concerning him, . . . and my heart doth magnify
his holy name."
We are divinely and eternally indebted to
Him.
I pray that we will love Him as He loved us
and demonstrate that love through our gratitude,
obedience, and service.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
