TO SHOW GOD'S LOVE
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.
Alma 36:20-22
And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory....And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world. And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.
Helaman 5:42, 46-58
The Story Behind the Song
A few years ago, I was flipping through my old set of seminary scriptures. I had such an amazing Book of Mormon seminary teacher, and this particular set of scriptures was rather dog-eared and very well marked. I noticed in particular the pages of Helaman, chapter five. Not only had I outlined almost every word in highlighter, I had also drawn musical notes around the margins of the entire page. I'm not sure what music I had been hearing all those years ago, but as I re-read the familiar verses, I knew that this was a song I was meant to write.
I have always loved the story of Alma and Amulek surrounded by fire, converting all the Lamanite guards in the prison as they realized to which source they needed to look to dispel the darkness. The description of the voice they heard as being "a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper," was such an acute description of how I have felt the Spirit's quiet promptings in my own life. The other words came unbidden to my mind as I realized the other scripture references which also fit so well with this moving story. This was a song that took months to get started, but once the music started coming, it never stopped.
I love the message in these scriptures of the Lord's plan of Happiness for us, His children, to show us how much He loves each of us.
LYRICS
The Savior of the world, God’s own begotten Son
Come to earth from heaven, a perfect, sinless man.
But His life was given to fulfill the Father’s perfect plan.
He sent His son to prepare the way for men
That through Him we might return to God again
In a world of sin and sorrow, there could be no other way.
So a Savior would come To show the world God’s love
The Spirit calls to me, a pleasant, whispered voice
I lift my eyes to heaven and feel a fire within.
His love can reach and raise me up, if I come unto Him.
I cry to Him and find peace within my soul
His light and joy fill my heart and make me whole
I will praise His name forever, give my life to follow Him.
For the Savior has come To show the world God’s love.
I cry to Him and find peace within my soul
His light and joy fill my heart and make me whole
There will be an end to sorrow, God shall wipe away all tears
When the Savior comes again To show the world God’s love.