Reasons to Read the Scriptures

This week I have been thinking a lot about why we are asked to read the scriptures. I made a pretty good list and thought I would share a few of the things I learned.

• It can be so easy to feel distant from our loving Heavenly Father. This relationship is different from others, because we can not talk to Him face to face. But, he has given us the ability to pray which allows us to communicate to Him, and receive guidance through the Holy Spirit. Elder Hales once said, "He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. For when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets." The scriptures provide us with a way to hear His voice, and receive council for our personal lives. Ardeth G. Kapp described her scripture reading in this way, "The holy scriptures are like letters from home telling us how we can draw near to our Father in Heaven. He tells us to come as we are. No one will be denied. He loves everyone."

• The scriptures provide us a means to get to know our Savior and God better. We learn of their character, and nature through the scriptures. We start to understand who They are and we can trust Them.

• Have you ever been reading the Book of Mormon and become frustrated that the Nephites and Lamanites are in another pride cycle? You end up asking yourself, "How did they allow themselves to lose themselves in pride, again?" Well, the scriptures allow us to learn from other people's mistakes. There's a saying that goes "An intelligent person learns from their own mistakes, but a genius learns from the mistakes of others." In Psalms 77 it says, "I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old." We are told to remember the Lord in the present, and in the past. Heavenly Father has given us many tools, like the scriptures, so that we might feel his love, and feel remembered by Him. Elder L. Tom Perry said, "I guess one of the greatest mysteries of mortality is why mankind fails to learn from history." Heavenly Father has no doubt put obvious patterns of behavior in the scriptures for our benefit and learning, to help us avoid the same problems in our own lives. Through the scriptures we can find trials similar to ours, learn from others' lives, and find ways to overcome challenges.

I know that the Book of Mormon, and the Bible together are the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and through studying them we can find peace that heals the wounded soul. I echo the words of Sister Kapp, "I ask you, will you open your scriptures and read them every day? Why? Because the glorious promises will then be yours. You can have a sure testimony of our Father in Heaven’s love for you. You can know the gospel plan and the blessings that come through obedience and right choices. The verses you mark will become anchors to cling to when the voices of the world try to confuse you or discourage you. They will lift you up in spirit when you’re down, and you can experience the feeling of being close to our Father in Heaven."