Trust in God ... to tase of exceeding joy (Alma 36-38)

In October 2018, President Henry B. Eyring acknowledged the trying times we face now and ahead, but also offered some comfort. He said:

"All of us live in a world where Satan's war against truth and against our personal happiness is becoming more intense. The world and your life can seem to you to be in increasing commotion. My reassurance is this: the loving God who allowed these tests for you also designed a sure way to pass through them. Heavenly Father so loved the world that He sent his Beloved Son to help us." (Try, Try, Try, by Henry B. Eyring).

President Eyring is certainly not the first or the last to offer such reassurances. They build upon the words of Alma the Younger to his son Helaman in Alma 36:3:

".... whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

Remember, Alma wanted to teach this to everyone he knew with all of his heart because he once preached against his father's words. He was very lucky that his father prayed for him, that because of his father's great faith, an angel came to visit him, and that he listened. There were others before him, like Laman and Lemuel, who were too hard-hearted to listen to an angel of God.

As Alma the Younger recounts his history to Helaman, he shares what his life has been like since that moment when the angel reprimanded him, and when he realized he had been preaching against truth.

"Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." - Alma 36:24

We need God in our lives more than ever. We need to be reminded that our afflictions are but for a small moment and that if we endure it well, we shall triumph over all of our foes (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9).

We also read in Alma 37:30 of prophets of the Lord who were murdered for crying repentance to the people. We know that the Lord sent these prophets because it hurts him to see a single soul turn away from him. He gave people every opportunity to repent and turn to him, and in doing so, some of his most beloved followers died for him. Our adversity here on earth isn't simple and the ending isn't always as we might wish, but in Alma 37:46 Alma says: "... The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever."

Alma then talks to his son Shiblon, and this is one of my favorite, most quoted passage of scriptures, the entire chapter of Alma 38. Alma praises Shiblon for being steadfast and faithful in God but explains that this steadfast didn't happen when it was easy to be steadfast, but under trying times.

"I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of they faithfulness and they diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.

 

"For I know that thou was in bonds; yea, and I also know that wast stoned for the word's sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.

 

"And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 38: 3-5)

One of the most impactful talks I have heard in my entire life, that resonated deeply within me, is this talk, "Truly Good and without Guile," given in April 2015, Elder Michael T. Ringwood. I quote it often so if you've ever heard me speak, you've probably heard me talk about Shiblon, the son of Alma the Younger, in the past. You should go back and read the whole talk. I felt then that if we would heed his words, many of the problems we face would melt away. Too often, we let pride stand between us and turning to God. Pride is not always a bad thing but when it takes the shape of self-righteousness, it can do a lot of damage. I don't ever want to be wracked with the grief that Alma the Younger faced for his past mis-deeds when he fully repented.

 Elder Ringwood states of Shiblon:

"It appears that Shiblon was a son who wanted to please his father and went about doing what was right for right's sake rather than for praise, position, power, accolades, or authority." 

"Shiblon was truly good and without guile. He was a person who sacrified his time, talents, and effort to help and lift others because of a love for God and his fellowmen. ... In a world where praise, position, power, accolades, and authority are sought on every side, I honor those wonderful and blessed souls who are truly good and without guile, those who are motivated by a love of God and their neighbors, those great women and men who are 'more anxious to serve than to have dominion.'" 

Elder Ringwood goes on to share a story about a young missionary who misjudged by others his age that should have known better, who thought he wasn't as good or diligent of a missionary because he had was not skillful at learning a new language. When his new missionary companion (the much younger Elder Ringwood) discovered this, and wanted to correct the misperception, his wise mission president reminded him that Heavenly Father already knew. Says Elder Ringwood, 

"This wise mission president taught me what was important in service, and it wasn't praise, position, power, honor, or authority. This was a great lesson for a young missionary who was too focused on titles."

It is so easy to get caught up in the world, after all, we live in it. However, as I read these ancient scriptures, I am reminded, over and over again, that history repeats itself. The prideful enjoyed small moments of pleasure but ultimately fell. The humble were persecuted and suffered many afflictions but were ultimately blessed. The scriptures were diligently recorded and passed on from generation to generation so that we could learn from our ancestors, and from men who spoke to God. Through the scriptures, we can remember, remember (Alma 37:13), and we can know that by "small and simple things are great things brought to pass." (Alma 37:6). We can look to the Lord for exceedingly great joy as we work on the small acts of faith, the simple acts of service, and turning our hearts to Him.

Alma 32-35: Alma Taught the Zoramites Faith, Humility, and Prayer

Ten days ago, a six-year-old boy threw himself in front of his four-year-old sister when a German shepherd began charging them. They had just entered the backyard of the home that their family was visiting when the dog began to charge them. The six-year-old successfully protected his sister, while being bitten in the face, a wound that required 90 stitches to close.

I first read this story on KSL News, where it stated that in the account repeated by his father, the boy, Bridger Walker, said that “after the dog bit him, he yelled for his sister to run away; and when the dog released his grip, he ran to his sister, leading her to a safe part of the yard.” 

I thought of this boy’s bravery and sacrifice as I read Alma 32-35 in the Book of Mormon. If I were to summarize each of the four chapters of Alma 32-35 in one word per chapter, the words I would choose are: humility, prayer, prepare, and faith. In summary, these chapters are about Alma preaching to the poor among the Zoramites who had not been allowed into the synagogues to worship. Alma taught that if we humble ourselves before God, if we understand that we can pray to him anytime, anywhere, and if we listen and prepare for the day when we will one day meet God and be held accountable for how we have lived this life, our faith will make us whole. In these chapters, many people turned away from the incorrect beliefs they had been following in order to turn to God. They were persecuted for their beliefs and had to leave their homes to find somewhere to worship safely.

Faith

I compare these themes and stories to this boy’s faith and how he had been taught. His family had studied the scriptures and in a Sunday discussion shortly before the attack, talked about personal sacrifice and service. Bridger knew what was important to him, his family. His sister was smaller than him, and he made his decisions without hesitation.

Remember, Bridger was only six, and while suffering from a wound that required 90 stitches, his top-most thought wasn’t calling for help, or how much he hurt, or if he was scared, it was making sure that his sister was safe. The heroism is even more significant when you realize that the boy thought he might die. In the hospital, the boy explained to his father, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.” 

The faith that leads to sacrifice and service comes in all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t always have to be a big, grand gestures, and it is often thankless and unnoticed, like Alma and the sons of Mosiah that earnestly taught about God in lands where they weren’t always welcome and like the followers of God that had to give up their homes to worship safely.

Alma 32:21-22 says, “21. And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. 22. And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.”

The worshippers of God showed faith that by choosing the right way they would be doing the right thing, and that was what what mattered the most. Little Bridger showed faith in the stories of sacrifice and service that his father had taught, and did what he felt was the right thing, and that was what mattered the most.

Humility

One of the big themes of this set of scriptures is humility, and how we are blessed for our humility, even more so when we are humble by choice instead of by circumstance. Alma 32:16 says, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” The poor had become humbled in these scriptures because they were deprived of the right to worship, and while that humility led them to the truth, Alma taught that it would be even better if they were humble out of choice.

The story about Bridger’s heroism was first shared by family members on social media but as the story has gained momentum, people have reached out to contribute to bills. I admire the humility of the family in stating that they weren’t seeking gain, and instead prayerfully identifying three charities that they asked people to consider donating to instead (Mission 22, Operation Undergroud Railroad, and The Wounded Warrior Project).

Prayer

At no point did Bridger’s family blame the family friends whose yard Bridger and his sister entered before the dog attacked Bridger. Instead, they asked those reading about their story to include the owners of the dog in their thoughts and prayers, expressing their love for that family.

Alma 33 focuses on prayer and how it is welcome to all. It quotes the prayer of the prophet Zenos, as he recounted to the Lord in prayer that he was able to prayer to him in the wilderness, in his field, in his house, in his closet, and no matter where, the Lord heard his prayers. 

The scriptures are of great hope. They share that even if we have just a little bit of hope, a little bit of faith, if we nurture it like a good seed, it will grow. In Alma 33:23, Alma concludes the chapter, “And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.”

Alma 30-31: The Word of God and Leading with Our Hearts

When we reach Alma 30, we're in the 16th year of the reign of the judges. That means 16 years since King Mosiah passed away at the age of 82, and 16 years since he made sure to establish a system of judges to protect the people from unrighteous rulers, since he knew that his four righteous sons had chosen to travel to preach the gospel of God rather than become the next king. It astounds me how much happens over those sixteen years.

Many tried to take over as unrighteous rulers, so King Mosiah was very wise, and led by the Lord. Nehor introduced priestcraft, Amlici led people away that became the hard-hearted Amlicites, and  thousands upon thousands died by the sword, both the righteous who became martyrs, and those who chose to follow the devil. Yet, during all those times of darkness and trial, we can see the hand of God in all things. There were prophets and men of God to stand as his witnessses and to give people a choice, and the faith of the righteous was a powerful thing, as people were given the choice, in Zarahemla, in Alma 30:8, to "choose ye this day, whom ye will serve." The Lord was constantly giving people the opportunity to hear the Word of God and to choose to serve him, through Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, the converted Zeezrom, the converted Amulek, the converted hand-maiden to King Lamoni's wife, the righteous judges that upheld peace in the land.

All Things Denote There is a God (Alma and Korihor), by Walter Rane

In Alma 30, Korihor made several attempts to lead people away. Korihor's attempts to cast doubt for the followers of God are powerful because they are some of the same prevalent messages we hear today. He asks, "How do ye know of their surety?" in Alma 30:15. I love Alma's response in Alma 30: 44, "... Thou has had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethern, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; ye, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

With these words, Korihor first went to Zarahemla where he was successful in creating some doubt. Then, he went to Jershon, where these men and women had refused to lift up arms to protect themselves and many had died as martyrs. Their faith had been recently tested and was strong. In fact, it says in Alma 27:27 that they were "distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also toward men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end."  The people of Ammon, or the Anti-Lehi-Nephites, or the former Lamanites, could not be deceived by Korihor.

Korihor also tried to deliver his anti-Christ message to the people of Gideon but Alma had visited them in Alma 6 and preached to them to remind them to remember their God. He said to them in Alma 7:17, "... Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy." He saw they were receptive to the Spirit and gave them more tools to stay strong, to be humble and not tempted, and that the Lord would bless them.

It was some of the original Nephites in the land of Zarahemla that fell victim to Korihor's words. I want to point this out because some people perceive that our labels and titles, or our past or our heritage, denote who is righteous or good. Remember, in 1 Samuel 16:7 in the Bible it says, "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." The people of Ammon, also known as the Anti-Lehi-Nephites had been Lamanites and probably most of them had sinned against God but once they converted to God, they changed, and it says in Alma 27:30, "they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord." That is, because as we know, the Lord looked at their hearts and found it pleasing. What their ancestors had done before them, or their label as Lamanites, didn't rule what they did with their hearts.

When in doubt about what is good and righteous and what is disguised as good, Alma's advice in Alma 7:23-25 comes to mind:

In a message from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on June 9, 2020, he says, "Somehow, these challenging times helped us to be more open about the feelings of our soul. We realized even more clearly how special it is not to hide or mask the feelings of our hearts from those we love most. ... I can sense the sorrow and burden so many of you have to live with. And I can also feel your joy and enthusiasm as you focus on the many good things you can do in life. It is amazing to see how you help and uplift each other by word and deed." The Lord looks upon our hearts, and how our words and deeds suit the desires of our hearts - to serve God or Mammon.
(See Matthew 6:24).

In Alma 31:21, Alma was dismayed to see that the Zoramites in the land of Antionum had built a tower called Rameumptom, where they repeated the same memorized saying to God one at a time (that they were the elected, and there was no Christ), then "returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner." (Alma 31:21-23). Alma felt, "exceedingly sorrowful," begging the Lord and saying "their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethern." Again, the hand of God in all things - he blessed Alma for this great faith and sincerity with an overwhelming feeling of the Spirit of God and "gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith." (Alma 31:38). We'll see in Alma 32 when I blog next, on how the Lord sought to bless all of his children through faithful leaders like Alma.

I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the Bible and how the examples of the people that were willing to repent and change, and the leaders who loved so deeply fought, and sacrificed and worked alongside their people (Alma 30:33-35), helps strengthen and guide me.

The Book of Alma 23-29: In His Strength, I Can Do All Things

Alma 23-29 contains some of the most beautiful individual verses amid a lot of war and death.

A quick summary of some key moments leading up to these chapters
If you'll recall from Alma 20, while Ammon was having some success in converting people to God in Ishmael, his brothers, Aaron, Omner, and Himni were having a rough time in jail in Middoni. It says in Alma 20:29 that they "suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in their sufferings."

These men could have become great kings of their land, and in fact, turned down the role, one by one. They were so determined to turn people to God the way they had been turned. Yet, they were reviled by a very hard-hearted people that might have reminded them of themselves many years ago.  We see this theme replay over and over throughout history, not just the history of the Book of Mormon and the Bible but in the history of the world. We have the same basic vices, and we fall on them again and again, which is why the Lord constantly reminds us through prophets to watch ourselves, and focus on Him.

Ammon, fortunately, had King Lamoni on his side, and after the benevolent way that Ammon treated King Lamoni's father, he also had the King of all Lamanites protecting him, and enabling him to get his brothers out of jail, and allowing them to preach under his protection.

Throughout it all, the brothers did not give up courage. Aaron reveals in Alma 26:27, "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst they brethern, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

Their faith resulted in thousands of converts to God
In Alma 23, after escaping prison and rejoining with Ammon, the four brothers were able to preach freely and as a result, the Lamanites in seven different lands were converted and renamed themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies. This is thousands of people that were so committed to their conversion, and so grieved by the sin of their past and their ancestry, that they covenanted in Alma 24 to put away their weapons forever, even though these weapons were also their source of protection.

Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni were patient and they trusted in the Lord. Between the four of them, they were responsible for the conversion of THOUSANDS of people. Remember, it says in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15, "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" And then it follows in Doctrine and Covenants 18:16, "And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"

Aaron truly understood that their afflictions had been great for potentially great reward, as he says in Alma 26:30, "And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some."

We see this joy in Alma 26, where Ammon and Aaron use the word "joy" a total of nine times as Aaron talks about why it's not boastful to be grateful that they have been responsible for so many conversions to Christ. Aaron says powerfully in Alma 26:12, "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

I love this message of hope that they surely understood as they fought the tide against the hard hearted, in Alma 26:6, "Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them."

Martyrs softened hearts
The interesting thing about the last verse that I quoted, which gives me so much hope and peace, is that it comes after we learn in Alma 24:22 that the Lamanites that would not listen took up arms against their brothers. Since the Anti-Nephi-Lehites refused to pick up their weapons, they became1005 martyrs. It would seem that the storm DID penetrate them, yet, we learn that despite this sorrowful circumstance, these men and women "are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God"(Alma 24:22). They may not have intended this, but as they died, they brought more souls to Christ. How great was their joy as they returned to their Father!

We also see that two things happened:
1. The wicked ones were mad that they had killed their fellow brothers, and instead of feeling regretful for their terrible mistake, they actually blamed the Nephites and crossed into Ammonihah to kill more people! (Alma 25:1-4).
2. The ones that still had some heart left realized they had made a terrible mistake, and sought out those that had converted in the lands of Ishmael and Nephi, and joined them. They also promised to bury their weapons of war and, "they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statues." (Alma 25: 14).

Return to Zarahemla
I have observed this several times in the past, but Zarahemla was once again a gathering place in Alma 27. The land had been ruled peacefully and inhabited by people of God, and the people of God were guided to return there again and again. This diagram I put together was at the end of a video talk I shared a couple of months ago to drive that point home. Click to view larger image:

The Lamanites that were Amalekites and Ammunolites were so wicked and so evil that their hard hearts could not be pierced, and they were a murderous people. Eventually, after talking to King Anti-Nephi-Lehi, Ammon consulted with the Lord and was directed to go to Zarahemla, where they were given the land of Jershon (Alma 27:22) and renamed themselves from Anti-Nephi-Lehi to "the people of Ammon" from that time forward.

I love that their distinction was in Alma 27:27, "... they were also distinguied for their seal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end."

Peace in the Lord
I have talked about this theme a lot, but I think we are in a time of great distress and we need the Lord more than ever. In Alma 28, we are reminded that there were many wars throughout the land, the wicked slaughtering the righteous. It wasn't that just because they repented, there were no deaths. Yet, in says in Alma 28:12, "While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promise of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of neverending happiness."

I want to end with these powerful scriptures in Alma 29:1-2:

"O that I were an angle, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow up all the face of the earth."