My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

Christ teaches them some of the words of Isaiah (from Isaiah 54). I love many of the words He shares here, because they are just so kind and loving, and a great representation of how the Savior feels about us.

"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (3 Nephi 22:10)

I have sung a song a few times in simple settings like ward choir, singing for sacrament meeting. The song puts a number of these words to very moving music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq-KhxsUxNo).

Here are some of the beautiful messages of love and care taught here:

"Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame;" (3 Nephi 22:4)

I think the biggest thing is "Fear not". It is so easy to get caught up in fear, especially worried about being shamed or confounded. The Lord tells the Nephites (and us) not to fear because we won't be ashamed or confounded.

"7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." (3 Nephi 22:7-8)

How many times in our lives do we feel alone, or like nobody is there for us? In those moments, God is there. We may not realize it, but He is there. He may be hidden for a moment, but He is there and will have mercy on us. I love the phrase "with everlasting kindness". It conjures up such a nice, friendly, loving image.

"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (3 Nephi 22:10)

His kindness will stand the test of time. Mountains and hills, to our mortal minds, seem timeless. His kindness will stay, even when the mountains and the hills do not.

So many of the representations and stories about Jehovah, especially in the Old Testament times (including Isaiah's time) were about a jealous and vengeful God. He destroyed the whole earth with a flood because of the wickedness there. He destroyed with fire and brimstone cities that were wicked. People got very harsh punishments for not following the commandments. The Israelite people ended  up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years until they could learn to obey.

With all these harsh punishments, sometimes I am not surprised that God has that kind of reputation. However, I know that while He expects and demands obedience, He is also very loving and kind. We have a Savior to help us through, both with example and with the atonement. He cares so much about our independence and freedom of choice that He allows us to even alienate ourselves from Him. 

This is how I think of our Heavenly Father, and also Jesus. Kind, warm, loving, caring, and compassionate. Their omniscience allows them to lead us in decisions and paths that we might not normally take, but because they see the end from the beginning, they know which path is best for us. I trust that I am being guided in the path that is best for me, even if that path is difficult or uncomfortable. Heavenly Father is just trying to keep us safe and bring us home, all while allowing us to choose a different way.

I know He loves me, and I love Him. And His kindness and compassion encourage me to be kind and compassionate as well.