God's Tender Mercies

"I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they 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

In October 2004, Elder David A. Bednar was called as an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the April 2005 General Conference he gave an iconic talk called The Tender Mercies of the Lord. This talk still resonates with me all these years later. It remains one of my favorite talks.

I have wondered why this particular talk was so memorable for me, and I believe it is because it was the first time I understood, as a fairly new member of the Church, the concept that there are no coincidences in God's work. That may seem strange to some, and it is even strange to me now, that I didn't understand this basic principle, however, it is proof to me that knowledge and understanding come line upon line and precent upon precept. Elder Bednar made this statement three times in his talk: "the Lord's tender mercies are real and they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence." He also explained that "it is often the Lord's timing that enables us to recognize and treasure the blessings of His tender mercies." It was, for me, one of those aha moments. I now recognize the times when I have been the beneficiary of God's tender mercies at the very time I needed them. That is what makes them so memorable.

Elder Bednar explained that "the Lord's tender mercies are very personal and individualized blessings of strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindness, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ." Everyone can be the recipient of the Lord's tender mercies. In Psalms 145:9 we read, "the Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works."

I will share a few examples of when I have seen God's tender mercies in my life:

1. The time He sent me the lights of a semi-trailer truck to follow, which led me to safety during a blizzard late one night as I was traveling between Moab and Monticello, Utah. I could not see where I was going, and I was truly afraid for my life that night. The sudden appearance of that truck was neither random nor a coincidence, but a welcome and timely tender mercy from God. I didn't recognize it then, but I recognize it now.

2. The many people that God sent to comfort me, my husband, and other members of our family twenty years ago when our 15 year old daughter, Mandy, unexpectedly passed away. Meals were provided for our large extended family prior to and after the funeral, and many anonymous angels helped to pay for a funeral that we had not planned for nor had the financial resources at that time to pay for on our own. Someone else paid for Mandy's headstone. I will be forever grateful for those tender mercies provided to us at the most difficult time of our lives.

3. Talks given during sacrament meeting or general conference that I recognized at the time were specifically for me, because the content of the talks answered a prayer or guided me in a direction that I had not considered.

4. Receiving answers to problems that I was dealing with in my professional capacity or in my church callings that came into my mind, and that I knew were provided by divine inspiration. These answers were beyond my own understanding or capability. This has happened to me on a number of occasions.

5. Over five years ago I was called as the Bloomfield, NM stake relief society president . I had never held a position in the Church quite like this one, and I felt totally inadequate to be in this leadership role. Though God had revealed to me beforehand that this calling was coming (the first tender mercy), I still felt spiritually unprepared and intimidated to fill the shoes of the sister who had been released from this calling, and who had served faithfully and diligently for many years. I had always considered her to be a spiritual giant, and I felt woefully lacking in comparison. When I received the phone call from the stake executive secretary for me and my husband to meet with the stake president, I already knew why we were being summoned. The night before we were to meet with him, I stayed up into the wee hours to pray to know who I should call to serve with me in this presidency. I would need to select two counselors and one secretary. I initially went through the stake membership listing and wrote down sisters' names that I might consider for these three positions. I started with about 20 names. Then I began to pray over each name on the list. With God's help, I whittled down the list to four names (the second tender mercy). I only needed three names, but I had this nagging feeling to keep the four names. I continued to pray for the three who should fill each position, but held the fourth sister's name in reserve. The next evening my husband and I visited with the stake president, who did indeed issue the calling that I already knew was coming. I told him that God had revealed this new calling to me beforehand, and that I was prepared to submit the names for my counselors and secretary. He approved the counselors, but let me know that the sister that I had chosen for the secretary position would not be available at that time to serve in this capacity. Then why had I received her name to begin with? Unbeknownst to me, there would be a future tender mercy regarding this particular sister. I had my fourth name ready, and the stake president approved my selection. The three sisters called to their respective positions accepted their new callings (the third tender mercy). These sisters had been in the church since their youth, and I was a convert to the church at the age of 38. I still felt intimidated, but then the Lord revealed another tender mercy to me during this process. The sisters who were chosen to serve with me in this presidency were not random selections. Traci, Marleen, and Shauna were there because they each brought unique talents and spiritual gifts that benefitted the presidency as a whole. Where I was lacking, they excelled and where they were lacking, I excelled. God had set us up to succeed as a presidency, and my lack of experience would be compensated by the talents of these three wonderful sisters. God truly loves His daughters.

6. A little over a year after our stake relief society presidency was formed, I was getting ready one morning, and the name of the sister who I had originally chosen to be the secretary for our presidency unexpectedly popped into my mind. I had not thought of Melinda since that time a year before when she had made the "short list." I had seen her at church functions over the past year but was not able to talk to her. So, when her name came to my mind that morning, I was a bit surprised and wondered why I had thought about her after all that time. I said a little prayer hoping that she and her family were doing well and then went about my day. I was at my sister-in-law's house later that day learning how to make soap when I received a phone call from President Elsbury. He told me that he would have to release Shauna from her calling as secretary because God needed her in another calling. I was very disappointed to say the least. We had a lot of activities coming up, and I would need another secretary right away. But more than that, I truly enjoyed the friendship and sisterhood that had developed in our presidency. I was going to miss Shauna very much. Begrudgingly, I went home to pray to know who I should call as our new secretary. As I knelt down to pray, still a bit perturbed at the sudden change in our presidency, I asked Heavenly Father to help me to choose a new secretary. In my mind I heard these words: "I already gave you her name this morning. She is now ready to serve in this calling." At that very moment, I was the beneficiary of one of God's tender mercies. He had set this up a year before, so that when this tender mercy came to me, it would indeed be very memorable, and the answer to a prayer for guidance would be unmistakable. The idea that God works in mysterious ways was very evident with this unexpected turn of events. Melinda was welcomed into our presidency where she served faithfully for three years. We became great friends. She and her husband have since moved to Utah. There is no denying that God was and is in the story of our stake relief society presidency. He truly loves His daughters.

I'm sure that you can look back over your life and see where God entered your story with a memorable tender mercy. This week, my friend, Angie Davis, has blessed us with a very personal and touching story of a time when God, in His infinite love and kindness, blessed her family with a tender mercy that they will never forget and will always cherish. You can read her story on the Others' Stories page.