Tender Mercies, Murmuring, Faith and Puzzles.

Yesterday I got to go to an Adult Education Institute class. A sweet sister who loves nearby has offered to give me rides so I can go. I went last year and really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to this year, even though we have a new teacher. We're studying the Book of Mormon this year. Here are a few things that I came away with from yesterday's class:

• The Book of Mormon was written for our day, to convince us that the Jesus spoken of in the Bible really is the Christ, the son of God. (See my previous blog about Faith to see why it is so important that we know that God exists.)
• A major theme of the Book of Mormon is deliverance through God's mercy. 1 Nephi 1:20 says, "...But 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." Elder Bednar describes the Lord's tender mercies as "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." Many stories talk about how God in his mercy delivered his people out of one kind of bondage after another. There is a General Conference talk by Elder L. Tom Perry that discusses this theme of deliverance. At the end of the Book of Mormon, part of the exhortation that Moroni gives to all who would read the book is that we "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 10:3) (Incidentally, mercy is one of the attributes and characteristics of God that we need to know in order to have faith in him.)
• I was given a quote to read about murmuring from the institute manual. It said:

One reason Satan encourages murmuring is to prevent us from following living prophets, inspired leaders, and parents. Elder H. Ross Workman of the Seventy explained that “murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience.” First, when people murmur they begin to question. They question “first in their own minds and then [plant] questions in the minds of others.” Second, those who murmur begin to “rationalize and excuse themselves from doing what they [have] been instructed to do. … Thus, they [make] an excuse for disobedience.” Their excuses lead to the third step: “Slothfulness in following the commandment.”

“The Lord has spoken against this attitude in our day: ‘But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned’ (D&C 58:29).

I don't think that he is saying that it is wrong to question in order to gain a better understanding. We are frequently told to go to the temple or watch General Conference with questions in our minds, because that is how we will receive personal revelation, and greater understanding. I think what he is saying is that we shouldn't be doubtful - disregarding God's wisdom and looking for excuses not to obey what we've been told to do. President Ezra Taft Benson said, "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.”

Part of faith is knowing that the path we are pursuing is in accordance with God's will. It means obeying the commandments. It means acting in ways that we know will be pleasing to a loving Father in Heaven. Being "anxiously engaged in a good cause" (D&C 58:27). When we are earnestly striving to be obedient in spite of the difficulties and trials, that is when God will endow us with power. That is when the miracles will come.

It is interesting to me that the things I came away with the most strongly were things that I could fit into the framework of what I had been studying previously (faith) even though faith itself was barely mentioned during the class. In my head, it's kind of like doing a puzzle: I had been working on a particular section, and so when I learned other things, or gained other pieces, the ones I had the most use for were the ones that would attach and fit easily with the part I had been working on just days or weeks before. My picture, my understanding, is growing one piece at a time as I fill in holes or gaps, and expand around the edges.