Tender mercies of the Lord Come in quiet ways, Not by mere coincidence, But by heaven’s grace. As we choose to follow Him With full heart and soul, We become His chosen ones And tender mercies flow.

Tender mercies of the Lord Come in times of need. Gifts of faith and confidence Fill us as we plead. Words of guidance, hope, and peace Help us feel God’s love. By our faith, His mercies come Like manna from above.

Tender mercies of the Lord Come as we repent. Sweet forgiveness, peace of mind Follow, heaven-sent. Faithfulness, obedience Help us to discern. Blessings sweet and personal For which our spirits yearn.

Tender mercies of the Lord Comfort us and guide. In His time and in His way, We receive His light. As we yield our will to His, Blessings freely flow. We partake of love divine Thru mercies He bestows.

Copyright © 2006 by Janice Kapp Perry. All rights reserved. This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial home and church use. This notice must be included on each copy made.

The Savior instructed His Apostles that He would not leave them comfortless. Not only would He send “another Comforter”, even the Holy Ghost, but the Savior said that He would come to them. Let me suggest that one of the ways whereby the Savior comes to each of us is through His abundant and tender mercies. For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord.

We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

-David A. Bednar

Recently my wife and I experienced a tender mercy that was medical in nature. We were having some blood work done and had requested it to be tested for something that they don't usually test for because of my wife's knowledge of public health and because of our knowledge of certain conditions in our family tree. Well it turns out that the hospital overlooked to test the blood for this specific thing. My wife caught the error and requested a new blood test. We are so thankful that this happened because it turns out that we were low on a certain hormone which is easily supplemented with a prescription from the pharmacy. We felt very blessed to be able to catch this and felt like Heavenly Father was looking out for us.

-The Hursts

One night the priesthood leader had a dream about one of the young men whom he knew only from a picture. In the dream he saw the young man dressed in a white shirt and wearing a missionary name tag. With a companion seated at his side, the young man was teaching a family. The young man held the Book of Mormon in his hand, and he looked as if he were testifying of the truthfulness of the book. The priesthood leader then awoke from his dream.

At an ensuing priesthood gathering, the leader approached the young man he had seen in his dream and asked to talk with him for a few minutes. After a brief introduction, the leader called the young man by name and said: "I am not a dreamer. I have never had a dream about a single member of this stake, except for you. I am going to tell you about my dream, and then I would like you to help me understand what it means."

The priesthood leader recounted the dream and asked the young man about its meaning. Choking with emotion, the young man simply replied, "It means God knows who I am." The remainder of the conversation between this young man and his priesthood leader was most meaningful, and they agreed to meet and counsel together from time to time during the following months.

That young man received the Lord's tender mercies through an inspired priesthood leader. I repeat again, the Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord's timing helps us to recognize them.

-David A. Bednar

A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.”

-Dallin H. Oaks

The Tender Mercies of the Lord

How appropriate that the Church just posted this Mormon Message. Please take the time to watch as this video compliments this month's challenge perfectly. Thanks!

Challenge for March

Have you ever had one of those moments where you don't know how everything is going to work out, but somehow it just does?

Maybe you received a quick uplift just when you needed it, felt the help of protecting angels, or maybe an answer to a small prayer. These are the tender mercies of the Lord.

Elder Bednar spoke of these tender mercies saying, "Through personal study, observation, pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits 'his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men' (D&C 46:15)."

Share a recent tender mercy that you have received with us!
-Write a few sentences about your tender mercy and why it was important to you.
-Send to byu.85.mission@gmail.com to share with all the readers of this blog

We look forward to your submissions!

Earthquake: Chile

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement today following the earthquake in Chile:

"We, along with the rest of the world, are watching with concern as reports from the massive earthquake in Chile continue to unfold. As with any disaster, immediate details are difficult to confirm.

"We have confirmed that all of the Church's missionaries in Chile have reported in and are safe, including the two elders on the Juan Fernandez Island." (This is an update from a report earlier today when some missionaries had not reported in).

Enriching Your Marriage: Tithing

I learned in serving almost 20 years as bishop and as stake president that an excellent insurance against divorce is the payment of tithing. Payment of tithing seems to facilitate keeping the spiritual battery charged in order to make it through the times when the spiritual generator has been idle or is not working.

There is no great or majestic music that constantly produces the harmony of a great love. The most perfect music is a welding of two voices into one spiritual song. Marriage is the way provided by God for the fulfillment of the greatest of human needs, based upon mutual respect, maturity, selflessness, decency, commitment, and honesty. Happiness in marriage and parenthood can exceed a thousand times any other happiness.

Enriching Your Marriage: Parenthood

The soul of the marriage is greatly enriched and the spiritual growing process is greatly strengthened when a couple become parents. For couples who can have children, parenthood should bring the greatest of all happiness. Men grow because as fathers they must take care of their families. Women blossom because as mothers they must forget themselves. We understand best the full meaning of love when we become parents. However, if children do not come, couples who are nevertheless prepared to receive them with love will be honored and blessed by the Lord for their faithfulness. Our homes should be among the most hallowed of all earthly sanctuaries.

In the enriching of marriage, the big things are the little things. There must be constant appreciation for each other and thoughtful demonstration of gratitude. A couple must encourage and help each other grow. Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine.

The Savior has said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

May the presence of God be found enriching and blessing all marriages and homes, especially those of His Saints, as part of His eternal plan.