Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
Alma and his people became subjects of the Lamanites. The Lamanites placed the former priests of Noah as task masters over them, who oppressed them and forbid them to pray out of spite. The people of Alma continued to pray in their hearts, and because of their faith, they were delivered from bondage and returned to the land of the Nephites.
The leader of king Noah's former priests, Amulon, forbid Alma and his people from praying vocally on punishment of death. "And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts" (Mosiah 24:12). Whether under duress or not, God has commanded us to "pray always" in our hearts (D&C 10:5). As the prophet Amulek taught, "when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you" (Alma 34:27). I like to think of this as the spritual equivalent of texting God. When we direct our thoughts to God and "counsel with him in all our doings" we are promised that "he will direct us for good" and that "we will be lifted up at the last day" (Alma 37:37). "36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord" (Alma 37:36).
The other benefit of praying constantly in our hearts is the help we gain from the Spirit to ask for things that are aligned with God's will. We all experience emotions and desires that cannot be fully voiced with imperfect language, and we are limited in our capacity to know the will of God. But "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27).
Because of their prayers of faith, their suffering associated with their pain was lifted, they were strengthened to bear their burdens, and eventually they were delivered from them. "And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:13-15). The blessing that Alma and his people derived from this experience was unshakeable faith in the Lord and a certainty the the Lord "visits my people in their afflictions." Often the reward of trials and suffering is a deepened testimony and closeness to God. Because of their confidence in the Lord obtained through prayer they were able to be cheerful and patient in the middle of deep trials long before they were able to escape from them.
Application Questions
How often do you direct your thoughts to God? Do you feel like you have an ongoing chat session open with Him?
How can you find comfort in the midst of challenges, trials, and pain?
What beliefs held you remain cheerful and patient while going through something extremely hard?
How have your trials helped you grow closer to God?
Image Credit: Terrell Clemmons
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