As Mormons, we believe that the Lord loves His children very much. As such, He desires to help us. That is why He has given us the scriptures.
The scriptures contain the teachings of His servants, the prophets. In the scriptures we also can read about two additional groups of people: those who hearken to the prophets and those who don’t.
I so very much want to be in that first category, don’t you? When I seek God’s will in my life, I feel much greater peace even if things don’t go the way I want them to.
But I can’t know about the teachings of the Lord’s prophets if I don’t spend time in the scriptures. It’s a rather obvious statement, but sometimes I forget this. But every time I come back to the scriptures, there I find peace. And I wonder to myself – why did I stray in the first place?
I’m grateful for the Lord’s patience as I learn to be more steady. Every day I do try to spend time in my scriptures. Every time I do, the peace comes to me steady and sure – a witness of the power of the Lord’s word.
But I don’t just want to read the scriptures, I also want to understand what I read. A great tool for this is the chapter heading included with every scripture chapter.
For example, Isaiah 53 in the Old Testament could be confusing to many readers. But by reading the heading (in italics) at the beginning of the chapter, the verbiage of Isaiah becomes much clearer. We learn that Isaiah 53 is about the Messiah and His willingness to offer Himself to atone for transgressors. Visit this link to check it out for yourself.
Another example can be found in the Old Testament book of Hosea. In Hosea, chapter 12, we read about wind and lies and oil. It all could be pretty confusing. But We then can see that the prophet Hosea is teaching us that God uses prophets to guide us, but that many refuse to listen.
Yes, indeed the scriptures can guide us to greater peace – if we will but read them. And chapter headings make the process of understanding a lot easier.
Would you like to try it? Click here to get started! You can choose to start reading in the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, or even the Pearl of Great Price. They all contain the word of God and all will enrich your life. Enjoy!
