Trust in the Lord

Alma 36

Alma tells his son, Helaman, his conversion story. I think I love this chapter more than any other chapter in the Book of Mormon. Why? Because I can relate so completely. One major difference between Alma and me is I don't feel I actively went about trying to destroy the church – just myself.

Alma starts this chapter with a theme that is throughout the Book of Mormon: If you keep the commandments of God, you will prosper in the land. If you don't, you will be cut off from the presence of the Lord. In other words, you're on your own, kid.

There are several things Alma says that I relate to.

• V3 “. . .whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, . . .” We all have these experiences. Why would you want to go through life without trusting that God has a plan? Sometimes life gives you a real head scratcher. Trusting in God helps to make sense of anything.
• V4 Alma knows these things not only temporally (just with his brain), but through the spirit as well. Then he clarifies what he's just said by saying “. . .not of the carnal mind but of God.” The Spirit has made these things known to him.
• V5 “. . .not of any worthiness of myself;” This is so powerful to me. I have never felt worthy of the love Heavenly Father has shown me. What on this earth could I possibly have done to deserve the life I have lived? Well, actually nothing on this earth really. I believe I must have been a very choice daughter of my Heavenly Father to have been delivered from the bondage I put myself in. The Lord had a plan for me just as he had a plan for Alma and each of us. He was quick to let me turn my life around when I cried to him in my extremities.
• V21 When Alma cried out to his Savior, his joy was as exquisite as his pain had been. Do we get the magnitude of this statement? He went from feeling “. . .encircled about by the everlasting chains of death” to “there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” This is huge to me.

All my life I've wondered why Alma's life was so amazing. What did he do? The key is in a few things he says in this chapter.

• V24 “Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing. . .” When we are saved from bondage, do we realize we have the obligation to continue moving forward? Do we realize it is going to be “work” and without ceasing? Or do we think we can just get up every Sunday and put our nice clothes on, enjoy the company of righteous people and their lessons taught and then return home feeling all warm and happy about life without any action the rest of the week? There is a price to be paid. Maybe we don't have to dedicate our entire lives to a mission, but our lives should be our mission. Each day should be filled with living as we are guided by the Spirit. That means we need to check in and find out the will of the Lord in our lives – aka pray.
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• V26 “. . .because of the word which he has imparted unto me. . .” What would that word be in my day? Of course it is the scriptures – especially the Book of Mormon, and the words of our latter-day prophets. These need to be read regularly – daily, if you will.
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• V27 “. . .I do put my trust in him, . . .” Trust the Lord that he has a plan for you and then work that plan.  

It is a bit offensive to me when I hear that I have daughters who thought just because they went to the temple they would live my life. Did they not see the other things I did? Did they not see that life was not always enchanted and that sometimes I had trials? We all have trials – even when life is good, there are trials. We must trust Heavenly Father that he has a plan for us and that if we are keeping the commandments, studying the scriptures and serving in whatever capacity we are called, we are fulfilling that plan. We will be blessed. Will it be the blessings we seek? Maybe not. Does it matter? The Lord loves those who love him and he blesses them. I could never have written a wish list that would have been as complete as my life has been since I had my own Alma experience. I believe this is something anyone can experience. Maybe I'm wrong; but I don't think so.