Music & the Spoken Word: On good days and bad

Editors note: The Spoken Word is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, July 30, 2023. This week, the Spanish pilot of Music & the Spoken Word is scheduled to air.

Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, July 30, 2023. This week, the Spanish pilot of Music & the Spoken Word” is scheduled to air.

We are blessed to live in a world of ups and downs, light and darkness, good and bad. We rejoice in the good, but it can be a bit disorienting when, despite our best efforts, accidents happen, mistakes are made, and bad things happen to good people.

Sometimes we might be tempted to conclude from all this that life is meaningless, haphazard or chaotic. At such times, we need the reassurance that the Tabernacle Choir just expressed, with words adapted from the Psalms: “He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps” (see “Elijah,” by Felix Mendelssohn and also Psalm 121:4).

Yes, much of life is unpredictable, but we can count on this: the God of the universe notices us, cares about us, and is willing to guide us along the winding path of life. That doesn’t mean He determines every detail or outcome. He’s not the Great Micromanager. But He is the Great Parent, who loves His children and wants us to learn and grow. So He sends us to a world of ups and downs, light and darkness, good and bad, and He lets us choose.

Along with this power to choose, God has given each of us a spark of hope, an inner light of truth and goodness. It’s a reminder that He’s there, even when life is hard, and that because of Him, everything will ultimately be made right.

Of course, with the power to choose comes the possibility of making both good choices and not-so-good choices. But the Lord never gives up on us, even when we make mistakes. If we turn to Him, He will help us. Although He doesn’t take away all our problems, He also doesn’t leave us to face them alone. Even during dark times, we can trust Him and know that He desires to lead us to happiness and love. His all-encompassing love can breathe hope into even the darkest moments of our lives.

Just as a parent stays up late waiting for teenage children to come home — anxious to know that they’re safe and eager to hear about their experiences — our Heavenly Father is always watching over us, on good days and bad. Because He “slumbers not, nor sleeps,” we can rest assured of His constant love and care.

Tuning in …

The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143),  tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.

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