Encircled in the Arms of His Love

I was reading a talk tonight entitled "Encircled in the Arms of His Love", given by Neil A. Maxwell in 2002 and I wanted to share some of his points with you. He has so many points that are way over my own head, but some really touched my heart. Here are just a few of the ones that struck me:

• "God, who oversees the interlacings of galaxies, stars, and worlds, asks us to confess His hand in our personal lives, too (see D&C 59:21). Have we not been reassured about the fall of one sparrow and that the very hairs of our heads are numbered? (see Matthew 10:29–30; D&C 84:80). God is in the details! Just as the Lord knows all of His vast creations, He also knows and loves each in any crowd—indeed, He knows and loves each and all of mankind! (see 1 Nephi 11:17).

  Consider His tender salutations to Moses—"I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight" (Exodus 33:12)..."

• "Ignoring the revelations about God's astounding capacity is like playing aimlessly and contentedly with wooden blocks featuring the letters of the alphabet, without realizing Shakespearean sonnets were created using that same alphabet."
• These words of Anselm are thus such good counsel: "Believe in order to understand," rather than "understand [in order to] believe" (St. Anselm, trans. Sidney Norton Deane [1903], 7).

• "Mighty" changing, however, is mighty hard work, a labor made more difficult by heeding the unflattering urges of the natural man. Too often our possibilities have been muted by the mundane. We are scarcely ready for the vaulting revelations. Imagine—a spirit portion of each of us is actually eternal and that we were with God in the beginning! (see D&C 93:29, 33).

  Of course we cannot fully comprehend all this right now! Of course we cannot know the meaning of all things right now. But we can know, right now, that God knows us and loves us individually!"

Aren't those amazing quotes? I love that he says "God is in the details." I know that to be true. I am amazed on a daily basis how much I feel the Love of a Heavenly Father who knows me personally. I am so very thankful to know that prayer is a conduit for me to speak to Him and that he loves and knows me enough to influence me on what I need to do. I know we aren't all the same religion, but I wanted to share that I truly do have a strong testimony that:

• Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, and they are in charge of this world.

• They know me.

• They love me.

• They have a plan for my future.

• I will obey the commandments, work hard, and trust in their plan. Sooner or later, everything will be okay.

(Virginia H. Pearce, “Faith Is the Answer,” Ensign, May 1994, 92)