1 Nephi 1-2

Quote "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...The Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord's timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings."

~Elder David A. Bednar

Question - "How have you experienced the tender mercies of the Lord?"

So, I love the first few chapters of Nephi. I love that every time I start with "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents....and I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand".....every time I read these words, the Holy Ghost immediately bears record of its truthfulness to me. I feel it every single time I read it!

What struck me this time, was when I read about Lehi's vision, first in vs 8, it says he "thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God"....giving the impression of this all-powerful, all-knowing being that we would gladly give our spirits over to for eternity just to worship him, that would be such an honor. Then, a few verses later in 14, he is talking to God, and praising him saying ".....thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"...leaving an impression of a kind and merciful Father in Heaven, that truly cares about us.

This leaves me with a feeling of reverence and awe for my Father in Heaven, that He is both so powerful and wonderful, and yet, He is my creator, and He loves me, just as a parent loves their child here on Earth. That is a hard thing for me to grasp. I have always felt to some extent "unlovable", even though this is completely the opposite of what my spirit knows to be true. I have had Satan whispering in my ear since I can remember that I am not worthy to be loved by such a being, and it is exactly the tender mercies of the Lord that have told my spirit, and still continues to do so, that His love is not conditional to our behavior on Earth....his blessings are... but His love is not.....He loves his children, and wants us to reach out to Him, and is so willing to help us, to heal us, and to bless us with things we didn't even know we needed. I know that he helped Lehi protect his family from the bad things coming to Jerusalem. I also know that He protects me from some things I know, and many things I don't even know that I am being protected from. And the challenges He does give us, He completely helps us get through them. That is such just one example of His tender mercies to me.