Divine Signatures

I know I started reading Divine Signatures by Gerald N. Lund when it first came out, but I couldn’t remember if I finished it or not, so I decided to read it again since it was the next book on the shelf. I really enjoyed reading it a second time, and I’m glad I had a pencil nearby this time to take notes and highlight favorite passages.

Lund’s book talks about the Lord’s tender mercies that come in such a way and at such a time that it is almost as if we can see God’s signature telling us this experience came from Him. The author uses many true stories to illustrate how these experiences come, and what purpose they serve. Rarely, indeed extremely rarely does a tender mercy take away a trial or tribulation. Most often, these experiences help us endure these tribulations and keep our faith in the Lord. They let us know the Lord is aware of us, and that He has not abandoned us to anything we cannot endure.

I also particularly enjoyed a quote that Lund shared by George Q. Cannon: “If [God] requires [His children] to endure present privation and trial, it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing, it is that He may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by-and-by.”

This book teaches in a wonderful way that God really does want to bless us with the maximum blessings He is capable of, while giving us the smallest possible punishment He can. My favorite part about this book is how it helped me think of my own experiences with “divine signatures.”