Prayer

Helaman 6

There seems to be a role reversal among the Lamanites and the Nephites.  It is now the Lamanites who are righteous and teaching those who have strayed.  The Nephites have embraced the wickedness that use to belong to the Lamanites.  The Gadianton robbers are running rampant and seeking power and gain. 

It is verse 40 that hit me – the wording.  “And thus we see that they were in an awful state, and ripening for an everlasting destruction.”  As I have prayed for specific loved ones in my life who have done as the Nephites, i.e. embraced Satan’s lies, these are the words I’ve felt to say: That they might see their awful state.  It is a frightening thing to watch a loved one turn away from righteousness and embrace the ways of the world.  What is even sadder is to see that they view themselves being liberated when their very actions are in fact holding them hostage.  I see no joy being generated in any degree. 

What is to be done?  The Lamanites did an interesting thing in this chapter.  I’ve noticed it before, as I commented in my margin.  In verse 37: “. . .hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.”  There has never been any doubt in my mind that those who get lost in the mist of darkness that becomes the ways of the world do not understand the “word” being talked about here.  The examples I’m aware of are they don’t find time to read and don’t understand it when they do read.  It was like swimming through mud to them and they gave up.  The Lord has promised us to keep reading until we do understand.  I’ve experienced this phenomenon for myself.  It used to be laborious for me, but I look forward to reading now.  We don’t have to understand all of it; we only need to keep trying.  It does come with perseverance.

So the Lamanites hunted the robbers of Gadianton.  Who were they?  Apostates, people who had become disenchanted with righteousness for whatever reason and embraced darkness.  How do we see that the word is preached to them?  I know of no other means except by my living example as preaching my beliefs brings the opposite results.  And there is prayer.  I pray fervently for a friend to be found who will want to teach and hang in there.  As a mother, it is out of my hands.  But the Lord knows their needs and I have faith in the power of a mother’s prayer.  Some day, these prayers will be answered.

So my marching orders for today.  Keep praying for loved ones who have let go of the iron rod.