Jesus' Mercy is for All!

Elder James R Rasband

Written by April Giauque

In April 2024, the Church acquired the Kirtland Temple. Then President Nelson invited us to study D&C 109. I read and studied the section. I recalled that I needed to prepare myself and organize for the Savior to come, for the temple to bless me, to find a great deal of love for America, and to pray for the House of Israel to prepare for Christ's return because of how the Book of Mormon calls us to gather scattered Israel!  (D&C 109: 8, 13, 16, 54, 64-68).

Now, what Elder James R Rasband was taught and shared with the world at the General Conference, the following highlights centered around one main word, mercy (this is something I miss, but I felt humbled to learn from him): 

• Joseph [Smith] again and again pleaded for mercy” for Church members, their enemies, political leaders “and, very personally, he pled with the Lord to remember him and to have mercy upon his beloved Emma and their children.”

• Each person can find mercy in the house of the Lord and the covenants made there. In the temple, individuals learn that “every part of the plan of salvation” is merciful.

• “Indeed, it might be said that the plan of salvation is a plan of happiness precisely because it is a ‘plan of mercy.‘”

• The Lord will “manifest Himself in mercy whenever we … plead for mercy.” If one struggles to feel answers to prayer, “seeking the Lord’s mercy is one of the most powerful ways to feel the witness of the Holy Ghost.”

Isn’t it so interesting how the same section of scripture can lead us to different conclusions and teachings? I nearly missed the word “mercy,” and yet it only says it 3 times. Specifically, it's found in verses 34, 55, and 56. Yet the implication of the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple definitely has that understanding. Pleading for all of us to “get it!” 

I can feel the sweetness of Joseph Smith, as the Lord’s prophet and as a father, pleading with the Lord that the members of the Church and his family will be spared and shown mercy in the trials and struggles they will endure. That is very loving. 

As we go to the temple, we make covenants with God, and in our fallen and sinful state, God allows us to come closer to him still and to be redeemed by Jesus through these covenants. That is a deep well of love and mercy that I had not recognized in this format before. It has testified again and again that the Lord deeply loves His children, giving them every possible way to return to His presence. 

The profound implications of the Atonement, which is central to the "plan of mercy," are also implied in the prayers for forgiveness and redemption (34, 50, 54, 68, and 69). Tldr Rasband said, “This pattern of revelation following a plea for mercy is a familiar one in the scriptures. Enos heard the voice of the Lord only after praying for forgiveness. King Lamoni’s father’s conversion begins with his prayer….and Joseph Smith pleaded with the Lord to know the truth, and Moroni came as a messenger to him.”

Elder James Rasband then teaches from the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon. This time, the same pattern of pondering God’s mercy opens the door to a testimony of the book. Learning that the Lord speaks to His prophets and can speak to us is a life-altering experience. Knowing that we, as God’s children, can discover His truths if we seek, ponder, study, and pray is a powerful protection from Satan and a witness of God’s individual love for you and me. 

Elder James Ransband points out the following: that God’s plan of mercy assures that every person who ever lived on this earth will be resurrected and that they will “be restored to their … perfect frame.” The Savior’s mercy satisfies all the bitterly real demands of justice that we would otherwise be obligated to pay and instead “[encircle us] in the arms of safety.”  Christ suffered not only for our sins but for our “pains and afflictions” so that He could “know … how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” 

The Book of Mormon also teaches that the Lord is really so merciful, as King Benjamin taught, that as a free gift, He atoned “for the sins of those … who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.” That is a massive outpouring of mercy!

Elder Rasband invites the world to read the Book of Mormon and, with a sincere heart, pray to the Father to know the truth of it. Personally, for Elder Rasband, it took a few readings of the Book of Mormon before he was revealed the truthfulness of all things. 

For myself, I was 17 years old when I was reading the Book of Mormon for the second time, but this time with a heart to understand, and when I came to 3 Nephi 17, I felt like I was there among the Nephites at the temple in Bountiful pleading with my Savior to stay! I had tears running down my cheeks, and I dared not stop reading and rereading that section of scripture because I loved the feeling of the Lord personally witnessing to me that the Savior knows us personally, lovingly, and powerfully. It changed my life. It deepened my testimony and strengthened my conviction always to follow Jesus and Heavenly Father. I would not have been able to endure the trials of my life without this knowledge. 

I add my testimony of the Savior to Elder James Rasband’s. Jesus lives. Jesus knows you, your name, and your pain, and walks with you every step of the way. You are never alone, because He has you. Turn to God, and His mercy will cover you every step of the way!

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