My Kindness Shall Not Depart

When the Savior was among the Nephites, He told them, “I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah” (3 Nephi 23:1). He said this right after quoting the 54^th chapter of Isaiah, and surely these are among the greatest of the words of this ancient prophet. In it we find powerful promises and reassurances from the Lord. He declared to His people, “Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame” (v4). He told them He was “thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel—the God of the whole earth” (v5). As such He promised, “With great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee” (7-8). He declared His commitment to helping us with this powerful declaration, “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee” (v10). His kindness and peace are more sure than the mountains. He promised peace and comfort to those “afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted” (v11). Particularly powerful to parents is this promise: “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (v13). And the chapter finishes with this reassurance: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (v17). These are beautiful promises that are greater than all the material possessions we could hope for.

                As I read this chapter today and pondered these incredible reassurances and blessings from the Lord, I asked myself this: Under what conditions will we receive these promises from the Lord? Surely they aren’t unconditional to everyone. I believe the answer to this is found in the last verse which is perhaps a statement about the whole chapter: “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord” (v17). In other words, thee blessings are the heritage or the gift to those who are the servants of the Lord. So if we want to receive these incredible promises from the Savior, we need to be His servant. And how do we do this? Perhaps the simplest answer is that to be His servant is to do His will, just as He said of His disciples: “He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple; and he that saith he receiveth it and doeth it not, the same is not my disciple” (Doctrine and Covenants 41:5). If we receive His law and do it, we are His servant. More specifically, the most common usage of the word servant as used by the Lord to denote His followers is in the context of preaching the gospel. For example, the Lord called Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt, and Leman Copley His servants after which He said this: “I give unto you a commandment that you shall go and preach my gospel which ye have received” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:1). In another revelation He called Sidney Gilbert and William W. Phelps His servants and said this: “Let them take their journey in haste that they may fill their mission, and through faith they shall overcome” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:9). The Lord called Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon His servants and then said this: “The time has verily come that it is necessary and expedient in me that you should open your mouths in proclaiming my gospel” (Doctrine and Covenants 71:1). Surely to be His servant involves being willing to preach the gospel and open our mouths to all of God’s children. To obtain these marvelous blessings from the Lord that Isaiah promised, we must seek to be His servant and help spread the gospel to those around us each day. Then His kindness will truly not depart from us.