The Power of Deliverance; The Power of Touch (Alma 14–16)

This morning I sat with Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. They were persecuted, beaten, and imprisoned for preaching the gospel. They suffered many days. (Alma 14:23)

When I read accounts like this, I always ask: What do I learn—and where is Jesus in the story?

Alma and Amulek had faith in Christ. When the persecution reached its fullness, they stood and professed that faith. The Lord delivered them. The earth shook, the prison walls fell, and those who had rejected them were destroyed. It is a vivid reminder that deliverance may not look the way we expect, but it always comes by the Lord’s hand.

They were commanded to depart and traveled to Sidom, still clearly on the Lord’s errand. There they found those who had fled Ammonihah—believers who knew they were in danger and had left their homes. In Sidom, Alma and Amulek testified of the “power of deliverance.” (Alma 15:2) What other power could it be? Only Jesus works this way.

Then there is Zeezrom.

He had believed. He had even tried to secure Alma and Amulek’s release. Now he lay in Sidom, burning with a fever, his mind harrowed by guilt and sin. I’ve commented on this before: when we carry guilt, it often shows up physically. The mind is powerful, and torment weakens us.

When Zeezrom saw Alma and Amulek, he reached out to them. They took him by the hand and asked if he believed in the power of Christ unto salvation.

That detail matters to me.

Years ago at Girls Camp at Mia Shalom, I learned how powerful simple touch can be. As part of the stake Young Women presidency, we had a teaching moment with the girls and gave them a small item to remind them of the lesson. The first group came through and everything went well enough—but something was missing.

When the second group arrived, I changed one thing. Instead of simply placing the item in their hands, I held each girl’s hand, placed it there, closed her fingers around it, and looked into her eyes. As I did, the Spirit washed over me in a way I will never forget.

I imagine something similar happened as Alma held Zeezrom’s hand. Touch can invite the Spirit. It can communicate love, safety, and sincerity in ways words alone cannot. When we serve the Lord, it may be worth finding ways—quiet, reverent ways—to express His love.

Christ can touch us. His Spirit can wash over us in unmistakable ways. And when that happens, it becomes a rock we can return to again and again.

Jesus is in the details of our lives. And when we are on His errand—loving His children—it becomes easier to see that we are never alone.