Isaiah 63:7-9

I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

For he said, Surely they are my people: so he was their Saviour.

In all their affliction he was afflicted, in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Isaiah 61:1-4

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

I love this passage! All teaching and preaching should be directed by the Spirit and should be focused on healing, joy and comfort. I especially love the focus on exchanging joy for mourning. That where we have ashes, mourning, and the spirit of heaviness, we may receive beauty, the oil of joy, and the garment of praise.

Beauty, joy, praise - these are tools of nurturing. How appropriate it is that the image then is used of trees of righteousness, "the planting of the Lord." Truly we are the Lord's "pleasant plant" (Isaiah 5:7) and it is with these gifts that we flourish when we are children, and why not as adults?

Isaiah 49:22

They shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Abraham 3:17

There is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.

Doctrine & Covenants 75:3

Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might

1 John 2:15-17

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

--
This scripture is significant because in addition to giving a commandment, it explains the reasoning behind it - in this case why we should not love the world. I find it interesting that the passage does not underscore sin or wickedness (though it implicitly condemns them with words like "lust" and "pride"), but the final line seems to plead instead that love of the world is simply vanity. That worldly things are loved and relied upon and sought after in vain. Those things pass away and all of the efforts we give to them will have been to no purpose ("you mean all of that time/work/money was for nothing?!"). Love of and obedience to God, however, is not idleness, is not vanity, but is truly lasting and "abideth for ever."

Doctrine & Covenants 64:13

And this ye shall do that God may be glorified—not because ye forgive not, having not compassion, but that ye may be justified in the eyes of the law, that ye may not offend him who is your lawgiver.

Exodus 13:21-22

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Doctrine & Covenants 127:4

Let ... all the works which I have appointed unto you be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts. And if they persecute you, so persecuted they the prophets and righteous men that were before you. For all this there is a reward in heaven.

How Firm a Foundation

I only recently started contemplating the beauty of this hymn's verses. That our faith can be founded in God's word - that the word (as we read in Isaiah and throughout the scripture) is that he will succor us in every condition, sanctify our distress, and refine us. It is so beautiful. I especially love verses 4 and 5 (which, unfortunately, are rarely sung as they are 'optional' verses).

1

How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word! What more can he say than to you he hath said, who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

2

In every condition - in sickness or in health, in poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, at home or abroad, on the land or the sea - as thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

3

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

4

When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow, for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

5

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all sufficient, shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

7

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

[Attr. to Robert Keen]

Doctrine & Covenants 123:17

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Ezekiel 3:1, 4, 6

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

1 Corinthians 3: 8-15

Now every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Isaiah 54:7-8

For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Doctrine & Covenants 46:30

He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God.

James 1:4

Let patience have her perfect work.

2 Sam 12:22

While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

Ephesians 4:29-32

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but [only] that which is good . . . [and] edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God. . . .
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you. . . .
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

John 20:29

blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed