(Isa. 52:7; refer in this text to Mosiah 12:20–24)
Ultimately it is Christ who is beautiful upon the mountain. And it is His merciful promise of “peace in this world.” …
The search for peace is one of the ultimate quests of the human soul. We all have highs and lows, but such times come and they usually always go. Kind neighbors assist. Beautiful sunshine brings encouragement. A good night’s sleep usually works wonders. But there are times in all of our lives when deep sorrow or suffering or fear or loneliness make us cry out for the peace which only God Himself can bring. These are times of piercing spiritual hunger when even the dearest friends cannot fully come to our aid.
Perhaps you know … courageous people who are carrying heavy burdens and feeling private pain, who are walking through the dark valleys of this world’s tribulation. Some may be desperately worried about a husband or a wife or a child, worried about their health or their happiness or their faithfulness in keeping the commandments. Some are living with physical pain, or emotional pain, or disabilities that come with age. Some are troubled as to how to make ends meet financially—and some ache with the private loneliness of an empty house or an empty room or simply empty arms… .
They are tired in brain and body and heart, they wonder if they can get through another week or another day or sometimes just another hour… . We declare to all the world that for real and abiding peace to come, we must strive to be more like that exemplary Son of God… .
In seeking true peace some of us need to improve what has to be improved, confess what needs to be confessed, forgive what has to be forgiven, and forget what should be forgotten in order that serenity can come to us… .
If one of you has made a mistake, even a serious mistake, but you have done all you can according to the teachings of the Lord and the governance of the Church to confess it and feel sorrow for it and set it as right as can be, then trust in God, walk into His light, and leave those ashes behind you… .
Closely related to our own obligation to repent is the generosity of letting others do the same—we are to forgive even as we are forgiven. In this we participate in the very essence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Surely the most majestic moment of that fateful Friday, when nature convulsed and the veil of the temple was rent, was that unspeakably merciful moment when Christ said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). As our advocate with the Father, He is still making that same plea today—in your behalf and in mine… .
It is one of those ironies of godhood that in order to find peace, the offended as well as the offender must engage the principle of forgiveness… . Life has its moments when uninterrupted peace may seem to elude us for a season. We may wonder why there are such times in life, particularly when we may be trying harder than we have ever tried to live worthy of God’s blessings and obtain His help. When problems or sorrows or sadness come and they don’t seem to be our fault, what are we to make of their unwelcome appearance?
With time and perspective we recognize that such problems in life do come for a purpose, if only to allow the one who faces such despair to be convinced that he really does need divine strength beyond himself, that she really does need the offer of heaven’s hand… .
Praying for peace, pleading for peace, seeking peace in any way that would not compromise union, Abraham Lincoln said in those dark, dark days of his First Inaugural, “Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory,” he said, “will yet swell … when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
The better angels of our nature. That is much of what the Church and general conference and the gospel of Jesus Christ are about. The appeal today and tomorrow and forever … to seek peace and always be believing.
(Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, Nov. 1996, 82–84.)
In Hebrew, “how beautiful” is mah na wu. From this phrase the Prophet Joseph Smith derived the name Nauvoo, which he interpreted as “place of rest” or “beauty.”
(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 182.)
I am satisfied that a man cannot do well in his work unless there is peace in his home. You recall that when the Prophet Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon, he quarreled with his wife and discovered that “the gift and power of God” left him. Brethren, be true to your wives. Wives, keep faith with your husbands. Parents, admire and respect your children. Without peace and mutual respect in your homes, there will be neither peace nor proficiency in your labors.
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 424.)
The word peace appears frequently in scripture and has many meanings. In classical Greek the word refers to cessation, discontinuance, or absence of hostilities between rival forces. This definition is the antithesis of war and strife. The New Testament, however, has given a far wider range of meaning. This is partly due to the influence of the Hebrew word for peace, which is far more comprehensive of meaning. It was commonly used as a form of greeting when persons met or parted: “May peace be with you” (see Mark 5:34 and John 20:19–21) …
The peace for which the world longs is a time of suspended hostilities; but men do not realize that peace is a state of existence that comes to man only upon the terms and conditions set by God, and in no other way… .
Peace can come to an individual only by an unconditional surrender—surrender to him who is the Prince of Peace… . One may live in beautiful and peaceful surroundings but, because of inner dissension and discord, be in a state of constant turmoil. On the other hand, one may be in the midst of utter destruction and the bloodshed of war and yet have the serenity of unspeakable peace… .
This peace shelters us from the worldly turmoil. The knowledge that God lives, that we are his children, and that he loves us soothes the troubled heart.
(Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 2002], 171–72.)