July 19, 2026
DIOS DE AMOR
MACK WILBERG
Conductor
RICHARD ELLIOTT
Organist
DERRICK PORTER
The Spoken Word
O CLAP YOUR HANDS
Music: John Rutter
Text: based on Psalm 47
LIGHT UNTO LIFE
Music: Mack Wilberg
Text: David Warner
CARILLON DE WESTMINSTER (ORGAN SOLO)
Music: Louis Vierne
THERE IS SUNSHINE IN MY SOUL TODAY
Music: John R. Sweney
Text: Eliza E. Hewitt
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
TUYA ES LA GLORIA (“TO THEE BE THE GLORY”)
Music and Text: traditional Latin American
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
THE SPOKEN WORD
“Dios de Amor”
GOD IS LOVE
Music: Thomas C. Griggs
Text: Thomas R. Taylor
HYMN OF PRAISE
Music: Mack Wilberg
Text: David Warner
DIOS DE AMOR
The Spoken Word
July 19, 2026
By: Derrick Porter
NOT LONG AGO, my wife and I were traveling in another country. As we drove, we passed a sign that read “Dios de Amor”—“God of Love.”
Later that day, we joined a small gathering of people and witnessed their humble expressions of faith. As they sang, spoke, and interacted, we couldn’t help but notice their exceeding joy. My thoughts returned to that simple phrase, “Dios de Amor.”
God is love. He is our Father in Heaven, and we are His children. Because of this truth, each of us—individually and collectively—matters so very much. Our Eternal Father loves us beyond expression. Our souls are precious to Him. We are His family.
Because God loves us, not only does He want us to be happy, but He also allows hard things to come into our lives. Sometimes these are the consequences of our own actions. At times, they come because of the choices of others. And at other times—simply because of mortality—bad things happen, even to good people.
It may seem surprising that God would allow difficult things to happen in our lives. When these things occur, sometimes our immediate reaction is to think that God is punishing us or that He isn’t really there. But even when we don’t fully understand why, we can trust that God—in His perfect wisdom—uses all things for our good.1 He knows that growth comes not only from sunshine but also from rain.
In our trying moments, God is aware of our struggles—and, in ways we may not fully understand, shares in our sorrow. Regardless of the trial or how far we may feel from Him, He is always there, ready to be called upon—ready to bless, to strengthen, to heal.
The Apostle Paul—no stranger to hardship—declared, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, … nor height, nor depth, nor any … creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.”2
The expansive nature of God’s love encompasses every challenge we face, reaching into every human experience and emotion. His love is measureless, unbreakable, everlasting, active, and deeply personal. It is a perfect love.
Dios de amor. God of love. His love is greater than all the sorrow and tragedy on this earth combined. His love overflows. His love is endless.
- See Doctrine and Covenants 122:7.
- Romans 8:38–39.