Alma 24

Praising God Through Trials

In this part of the Book of Mormon, the people of Ammon--or the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's--were facing the Lamanite armies. Because these people had been washed clean through repentance they refused to defend themselves. The scriptures state, "...when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace" (vs.19). They placed God as their top priority--even if doing so meant that they would die. And that is exactly what they did. As the angry Lamanites came into the borders of their lands, these Anti-Nephi-Lehies went to meet them, and "prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude as the Lamanites began to fall upon them..." (vs. 21). A thousand and five of them were slain that day. What has touched my heart today is the phrase in the scriptures, "they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword" (vs. 23).

This phrase caused me to think of my own life and my own responses to my trials. How do I respond when I am faced with trials and challenges? What do I do? Is my first response to praise God for the opportunity to struggle? Absolutely not. Nor, do I think God would expect this exact same response from me; however, it does teach a powerful perspective on our attitudes despite our trials. I do think that as we struggle we should seek God's hand, we should alter our perspectives to His. And possibly if we do that--we may find ourselves praising God through our trials.

I want my heart to be His. I want to align myself in such a way that I can be called blessed at the last day. In order to do so, I think I need to push the world aside a bit more often and seek Him a bit more often.

Joy

Happiness

I skipped  ahead in my scripture study today, because I wanted to read about the sons of Mosiah meeting up with Alma. I just love that part of scripture. In Alma 27:17 it states, "Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth." And then in 18 it reads, "Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness."

What does it mean to be a humble seeker of happiness?

I looked up happiness in the topical guide and--of course--the topical guide is  series of scriptures that all deal with happiness; however, in just scanning through the scriptures there were a few phrases that carried heavy meaning for me. For example:

-Psalms 146:5 Happiness is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help.
-Prov. 3:13 Happiness is the man that findeth wisdom.
-Prov. 4:21 Happiness is he that hath mercy on the poor.
-John 13:17 If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
-Romans 14:22 Happiness is he that condemneth not himself.
-James 5:11 We count them happy which endrure
-2 Nephi 2:13 If there be no righteousness there be no happiness.
-Mosiah 2:41 Look on the happy state of those that keep the commandments.
-Alma 41:10 Wickedness never was happiness.
-Alma 40:12 Righteous are received into a state of happiness.

Almost every single one of these phrases deals with finding joy and happiness through our Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Sometimes in life we can allow our circumstances that surrounds us to overshadow the gift of that we have been given. I truly believe that as we cling to the gospel, we will find joy--even amidst our trials. At this moment in my life, I am struggling. My vision is clouded by cares and worries of the world; however, I believe that if adjust my focus just a touch...focusing on the things of God, I will find peace and joy amidst my trials. Happiness can be found even in the darkest of moments, but only in and through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Suffering of Amulek

I was reading the account of Alma and Amulek today, and I was touched by the sacrifice that Amulek made. In the account, we are not entirely sure if his wife and children were killed with the other women and children in the scorching fire; however, we do know that he left Ammonihah alone with only Alma as a companion. Therefore, we can assume that his family either chose to turn their back on the teachings of the Lord, or they were also consumed by the fire. We do know in Alma 15:16 that his kindred and father turned their backs on the teachings as it states that he was rejected of them. Still, I wonder about his immediate family--his wife and children. Either way--Amulek's sacrifice to the gospel is one to be recognized. As I read this morning, I couldn't help but think if I were in his situation, would I have responded similarly? Is my testimony strong enough that the Lord would come first despite the sacrifice? Our families are our everything--as well they should be; however, the Lord should be even more.

Another thought I had this morning was the comparison of the women and children in the fire and that of Zeezrom and Amulek's perception. What if Amulek's family was amongst the women and children burned? And then to come to the city of Sidom and see Zeezrom "scorched with a burning heat" because of his sins. A group of people scorched without any sin, and then a man scorched that had grave sins hanging over him. The group of people without sin were not saved by the Lord, but then Zeezrom was saved by the Lord. I can't imagine the thoughts that Amulek must have had to process as he contemplated the differences. I think it would be difficult to not desire the same result for those women and children as Zeezrom received. With that being said, in the account, Amulek held to the course. At the end of chapter 15, the scriptures states that Alma strengthened Amulek in his tribulations.

I am grateful for Amulek and his example. To hold true to God despite not only being ridiculed by his loved ones, but also after watching those same people be destroyed in one way or another--would take great spiritual fortitude. I want to be strong in the Gospel, so strong that the every day little mundane experiences cannot and will not pull me away. What Amulek faced was far greater than anything I have ever faced, and yet he held true. There are so many other smaller situations that seem to cause us to lose sight of what matters most. I want to have the spiritual fortitude to never lose sight of my God.

Doubt Your Doubts

In October 2013 General Conference, President Uchtdorf said, "It’s natural to have questions--the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith--even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters--my dear friends--please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

We all have doubts. Some of our greatest battles occur within our own minds. It's what we do with those doubts, which will determine the direction of our lives. While I'm a Sunday School class I was taught about a disciple of Christ who also doubted:

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

As Peter looked around at the boisterous sea, he was reminded of his doubts rather than his faith. As he took his eyes off the Savior, his carnal understandings took control of his reactions. He was a fisherman. He knew the properties of water and knew that walking on water wasn't meant to happen. And so it is with us--many things that require faith cannot be understood through our carnal understandings. Believing there is a God cannot be proven simply by science. Faith takes leaping away from the edge of understanding. It takes trust. It takes seeking God and then applying the feelings of the heart. It cannot be proven by science, but it can be felt within ourselves.

How many times in our lives do we take our eyes from the Savior? How many times do we allow ourselves to be tossed by the boisterious sea rather than taking hold of the truths of the Gospel? Sometimes it is easy to take in our circumstances without allowing the Savior to play an active role.

When my little brother died, it was these verses of scriptures that helped my daughter finally put her trust in God. It was through realizing that Peter took his eyes from the Savior, which caused him to struggle. This lesson encouragesd her to keep her focus on the Savior, which then helped her to overcome.

1 Nephi 3

TRUST IN THE LORD

When Nephi and his brothers were sent to get the plates, even though the Lord commanded them to do so--it still wasn't easy. They attempted to get the plates from Laban twice with complete failure and nearly dying in both of those attempts. It wasn't until their third attempt that Nephi actually obtained the plates. This experience causes me to reflect on our own lives. I think I mistakenly assume that when I am on the Lord's errand, the circumstances surrounding that errand will become easy. I assume that He wants me to accomplish the task; therefore, any or all difficulty will be avoided. However, this just simply isn't the case. We are taught that there must be opposition in all things. Understanding that opposition comes even when we are doing good is crucial in our success with whatever it is that we are endeavoring to accomplish.

As we understand the opposition we may face, it gives us the strength to preserver in faith. Believing that God truly is with us, and as we preserver he will create an opportunity for us to succeed. But faith isn't just a hope it requires action and the Lord can't help us unless we are continually moving our feet "acting" as He would need us to do so. As we "act", He will guide those actions into our accomplishing the task. It won't be easy. It won't necessarily happen on the first attempt; however, as we trust that He truly will help us despite the opposition we face, we will succeed.

I have been attempting to write a book for several years. I think I have been allowing the opposition to win. I trust in the Lord; however, my trust is lessoned as the enormity of the task overwhelms my senses. Only through faith and trust in Him will this goal be accomplished.

Ether 2

The brother of Jared is chastised in this chapter for not calling on the Lord more through prayer. It always hits me to think how important it is to pray to our Heavenly Father. It is easy for us to go about our daily lives and neglect that divine communication. And yet... the Lord speaks of this as a sin.

Verse 14 states:
"And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a could and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

Reading this is a chastisement to me. I know that I need to pray more often to my Father in Heaven. It is not my intention to neglect communicating with Him; however, I know that I do. I am going to pray for help to pray more .

Ether 3

PRAYERS

In verse 9, the Lord explains that because of the faith of the brother of Jared, he was able to see the Lord's finger. He then said that "never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast..."

I think about my own life and my quest for faith. Sometimes I think I have great faith, but then I realize just how far I have to go. It definitely is a quest of a lifetime that I am willing to continue to endeavor. When I was newly married, I remember believing that God was there, and believing that
He helped His children; however, I struggled to believe that He would directly help me. Then, one day I was in need. I knelt down and prayed. I told Him that I knew He was real. I knew He could hear me. And then I told Him how I desperately needed help.

I had promised to bring a meal to a family in need that day. I had thought I had the materials to prepare the meal, but as I began the task, I realized I did not. I was without a car, and the nearest store was miles away. If I walked to the store, I would not be home in time to prepare the meal for the family. I searched through my pantry for something different, but I was low on groceries. It was at this moment, I knelt in prayer. I desired to help the family in need, but I had no idea how I was going to accomplish it without help.

As soon as I finished my prayer, I began calling people in the ward. I hoped to find someone who had the ingredient; however, nobody seemed to answer my phone call. Then while I was still on the phone, the operator came through the line (I didn't know that happened), and asked if I was willing to accept a call from someone. This person was in my ward. I didn't know them well, but I knew of them. I immediately accepted the call to hear what this person may need wondering if there something I could do to help them and curious to find out why they would use an operator to get a hold of me. To my surprise, this person was calling as an answer to my prayer. She said that she did not know why it was so important to get a hold of me, but that she knew I was in need. She asked what she could do to help me? As I heard her explanation, I felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude. I knew the Lord had heard my prayers. I immediately knelt down and thanked my Heavenly Father for hearing my need.

From this moment on, I knew the Lord was aware of me individually. My faith began to grow in this thing and it continues to grow to this day. Someday, I want to have the faith of the Brother of Jared.