He is My Salvation –by Lindsay Chandler

No matter where I go in life, or what happens to me, I always know that the Savior is guiding me. One of my favorite hymns is #89, “The Lord is my Light” [1]. The first few lines read,
“The Lord is my light, then why should I fear?
By day and by night his presence is near.
He is my salvation from sorrow and sin.
This blessed assurance the spirit doth bring.”
I love this message because the knowledge that I have a loving Savior always by my side is incredibly uplifting. He is the light that guides us all, and with him we need not fear the uncertainties of this world. A similar message is found in Psalms 27:1, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” [2] It takes a great deal of courage and faith, but when I trust the Lord, I know that I need not fear any mortal being or temporal problem. I often wonder how people can go through life without having a testimony of Christ. I think that if I did not know my Savior, I would feel awfully alone and defenseless.

I believe that the Lord can be our salvation, and wants to be our salvation, but we need to open the door for him to enter our lives. I am reminded of an experience that I had at my family’s ranch in the Utah mountains. Without electricity and nearby city lights, night is darker than anything you could imagine. Sometimes I would stay in the main cabin until they turned off the electricity for the night, and I would be forced to find my way to my family’s tent in the vast void of night. Even though I’m not afraid of the dark, this blindness was frightening. When I was really young, my family would sometimes sleep in a room in the cabin instead of the tent, and I was sure to have a flashlight by my bed in case I ever woke up. One night, I reached over to pick up my flashlight and accidently knocked it to the ground. I was startled, and suddenly the darkness seemed so much more intimidating. Frightened, I began crying to myself. I felt so helpless and alone, powerless against the all-encompassing darkness. Finally, my dad heard my cries and came over to help me find my source of light and comfort. This can be like our relationship with the Savior. At many times in our lives, we feel like we are sinking in the endless darkness, alone and without a source of light. But if we reach out to our Savior, he will help us find the light, and bring us back where we need to be. He is always willing, and always capable of saving us, if we allow him to.

Salvation is a simple thing to say, but such an amazing blessing. In fact, this is such a profound blessing that Heavenly Father has made it possible for all of his children to receive it. The scriptures say that “in the fullness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men. The way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free” [3]. Salvation is free! Heavenly Father is not saving salvation for a specific number of righteous individuals. He may require great sacrifices on our part, to ensure that we are ready for the blessings, but he will never deny salvation to a willing soul. In fact, “his salvation [is] offered to every soul, without exception” [4]. It is terrible to think that there are so many souls that are not taking advantage of the miraculous blessing of Christ’s salvation, when it is offered without exception. But at the same time, this gives me hope, that if I ever feel myself slipping away from the Lord, he will not deny my cries for help. Another verse in 2 Nephi illustrates this idea, that Christ “commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.” He says, “Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price” [5]. Christ is the ultimate giver. He has already sacrificed so much and given us so much, but he offers the incredible blessings of salvation at no cost other than our faith and obedience.

If salvation is such a desirable blessing, then it should be the desire of our hearts to extend this gift to as many as possible. The fist presidency issued a statement on March 26, 1907, saying that “we contemplate the human race-past, present, and yet to come-as immortal beings, for whose salvation it is our mission to labor; and to this work, broad as eternity and deep as the love of God, we devote ourselves, now and forever” [6]. Salvation is not something to hold onto for ourselves, it is something to share. Heavenly Father has not restricted these blessings to us, and he will offer them to those who did not receive the message on earth, but it is still our responsibility to share his gospel with the world. I believe that in these last days, it is of the upmost importance that we extend the blessings of God’s salvation to all the world. Whenever I go to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead, or share the gospel with those around me, I feel like I am contributing to a great work. I hope and pray that someday I can say, as it says in Psalms 40:10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation” [7]. This is our mission, and I believe that the salvation that we extend unto others will also be offered to us. By saving our brothers and sisters, we inevitably save ourselves.


Christ is our salvation. It was his mission to come to Earth and save us from the chains of spiritual death, and that mission did not end with Calvary. He still saves us today. While reading Exodus 14:13 in the Hebrew Bible alongside the English-translated version, I noticed that the Hebrew word for salvation (yeshû‘ath) is very similar to the Hebrew word for the Lord (yehvah) [8]. I believe that the reason for this is that Christ is the provider of salvation. If we believe in his name, and keep his commandments, we will be saved. After all, it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do. Christ’s sacrifice and atonement will make up the difference that we cannot, so we must rely on him if we desire eternal life. I am eternally grateful for Jesus Christ’s atonement and that it provides us with the opportunity to partake of his salvation and live forever with our loved ones. I know that he will guide and bless our lives if we are receptive to his spirit.

Works Cited:
[1] LDS Hymnal. (89, the Lord is my light)
[2] Psalms 27:1
[3] 2 Nephi 2:2-3
[4] “The Redemption of the Dead and the Testimony of Jesus,” D. Todd Christofferson, Liahona, Jan 2001, pg 10-13.
[5] 2 Nephi 26:24-27
[6] Improvement Era, May 1907, p. 495
[7] Psalms 40:10
[8] Exodus 14:13
The Holy Bible. King James text: LDS version. Salt Lake: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979.
The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.
Painting: Forgiven by Greg Olsen