“The Tender Mercies of the Lord”

Elder David A. Bednar

April 2005 General Conference

What it’s about:

Elder Bednar spoke all about tender mercies, “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.” 

Quotes:

“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.”

“[…]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.”

“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.”

“Some individuals who hear or read this message erroneously may discount or dismiss in their personal lives the availability of the tender mercies of the Lord, believing that “I certainly am not one who has been or ever will be chosen.” We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us. To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen. […]God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen. […]we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.”

What it means to me:

OK… so I really just wanted to put the WHOLE TALK in here.  I remember when Elder Bednar delivered this talk originally in April General Conference 2005.  My thoughts then were, “Oh nice. That felt good; he’s a great speaker.”  During September of 2005, just a few months later, a drunk driver nearly took me off the face of this earth.  It was a life-changing event for me, and the outpouring of tender mercies delivered that night made this talk come alive in my recollection during the following weeks.  As the years pass, I am reminded that tender mercies from Heavenly Father are very abundant in my life, sometimes even when I really don’t feel deserving of them.  This testifies to me that my all-knowing and all-loving Heavenly Father truly does know my heart and the intentions of it far better than I ever will.  I love how tender mercies from Heavenly Father are incredibly individualized, and always exactly what we need, whether we recognize it immediately or not.  

“The Powers of Heaven”

Elder David A. Bednar

April 2012 General Conference

What it’s about:

Elder Bednar spoke about the priesthood.  He gave a basic description of priesthood, the qualifications for priesthood ordination, how it is received, qualities of priesthood (selfless, active), and requirements needed to exercise the power of the priesthood. 

Quotes:

“A priesthood holder is expected to exercise this sacred authority in accordance with God’s holy mind, will, and purposes. Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered. The priesthood always is used to serve, to bless, and to strengthen other people. […]Receiving the authority of the priesthood by the laying on of hands is an important beginning, but it is not enough. Ordination confers authority, but righteousness is required to act with power as we strive to lift souls, to teach and testify, to bless and counsel, and to advance the work of salvation.”

“[…]men who bear God’s holy priesthood should be different from other men. Men who hold the priesthood are not inherently better than other men, but they should act differently. Men who hold the priesthood should not only receive priesthood authority but also become worthy and faithful conduits of God’s power.”

What it means to me:

Quote #1: When I read this, my mind immediately turned to women who suffer abuse at the hand of a priesthood-holding husband.  Many women faithfully endure various types of abuse for years with the oh-so-faulty mindset that they are obligated to the demands of their priesthood-holding husband and his head-of-household status.  Many of us don’t understand how anyone could possibly justify enduring ill treatment from another, but it happens more and more often as our world becomes more corrupt.  Spousal abuse often begins with small things, progressing over time, and is mistakenly set aside as circumstantial.  A friend of mine with 7 children had been abused for many years by her husband. Nobody knew about it.  I was with her mother and the children one evening so she could attend the temple with her husband, and out of nowhere my friend burst through the door in tears saying, “I left him!.”  She had no other way to get away from the abuse and manipulation of her husband safely then to go to the temple with him, step out of the session to use the restroom, and run away. At this point my friend’s husband had started abusing the children too, and it was the waking realization that her children were in grave danger that got her to do something about it all.  My heart aches with the memory of this experience; I spent many weeks supporting them in hiding and relocation efforts until the proper legal protections were in place… and have never been so fearful of a man in my life.  Oh, if only my friend had understood that her husband’s authority to lead and guide the family went out the window when he started using his priesthood selfishly and not in accordance with God’s “holy mind, will, and purposes.”

Quote #2:  Elder Bednar’s story about his father really touched me.  This quote is the great lesson he learned from his father, long before he even joined the church, about how priesthood holders should be conducting themselves.  I found this remarkable, and have similarly found that most of my friends and co-workers who aren’t LDS have higher expectations of members of the LDS faith than many actual members do of themselves and each other.  Because of this phenomenon, when I need opinions regarding, for example, the upstanding nature of a recently released movie… I turn to my non-member friends for opinions of whether or not it is, as they have termed it, “Joanna-friendly.”  As a whole, I think we should all definitely put a little more effort into paying better attention to how we conduct ourselves.

“Some individuals who hear or read this message erroneously may discount or dismiss in their personal lives the availability of the tender mercies of the Lord, believing that “I certainly am not one who has been or ever will be chosen.” We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us. To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen. […]God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen. […]we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.”

David A. Bednar, "The Tender Mercies of the Lord", April 2005 General Conference

READ the full talk HERE
WATCH the full talk HERE

“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, "The Tender Mercies of the Lord", April 2005 General Conference

READ the full talk HERE
WATCH the full talk HERE

"Because the Spirit whispers to us gently and delicately, it is easy to understand why we should shun inappropriate media, pornography, and harmful, addictive substances and behaviors. These tools of the adversary can impair and eventually destroy our capacity to recognize and respond to the subtle messages from God delivered by the power of His Spirit."

David A. Bednar , "The Spirit of Revelation", April 2011 General Conference
READ the full talk HERE
WATCH the full talk HERE