How Merciful the Lord Hath Been

In the most recent general conference, Elder James Rasband spoke about Moroni’s invitation at the end of the Book of Mormon to pray to know of its truthfulness. He said, “We often shorthand these verses to teach that through sincere prayer, we can learn whether the Book of Mormon is true. But this shorthand can neglect the important role of mercy. Listen to how Moroni begins his exhortation: ‘I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, … that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.’ Moroni urges us not only to read these things—the records he was about to seal up—but also to ponder in our hearts what the Book of Mormon reveals about ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men.’” Reflecting on the mercy of the Lord is an important part of coming to know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true. Elder Rasband connected this verse from the last chapter of the book with Nephi’s declaration in the first chapter of the book: “Moroni’s plea is a bookend to Nephi’s statement at the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, where he states his own purpose in writing on the plates: ‘Behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance’ (1 Nephi 1:20).” In addition to Nephi’s words about the Savior’s tender mercies, in the first chapter we also have these words of Lehi: “Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!” (1 Nephi 1:14) These teachings from the beginning and end of the book suggest that we should look for the mercy of the Lord throughout the stories and teachings of the Book of Mormon.

                The story of Alma, along with his teachings, highlights the great mercy of the Lord towards His children. Alma described his efforts to obtain mercy when he came to understand his sins: “Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.” He continued, “And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!” (Alma 36:18-20) He found mercy from the Savior despite his terrible sins. He also described to his son Shiblon, “The Lord in his great mercy sent his angel to declare unto me that I must stop the work of destruction among his people… never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, did I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul’ (Alma 38:7-8). He also taught about this mercy to the people of Ammonihah: “But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest” (Alma 12:33-34). All who repent have claim on the mercy of the Savior and can receive a remission of their sins.

                The story of the sons of Mosiah and their mission to the Lamanites similarly highlight the great mercy that the Lord is willing to offer us. Ammon rejoiced with these words, “Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?... Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair? Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.” He summarized his feelings with these words, “Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth” (Alma 26:16, 19-20, 37). Through his repentance he had experienced the great mercy of the Lord. The Lamanites who were converted similarly rejoiced in that great mercy of the Lord: “And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations. Oh, how merciful is our God!” (Alma 24:14-15) These passages and so many others in the Book of Mormon testify that the Lord is merciful to all those who come unto Him. Elder Rasband declared, “I express my gratitude for the Father’s great plan of mercy and for the Savior’s willingness to carry it out. I know that He will manifest Himself in mercy in His holy temple and in every part of our life if we will seek Him.”