Alma 58

(November 1, 2014)

                I had a pair of thoughts as I read through this chapter.  The first was to recognize the source of Helaman’s hope and faith in deliverance.  It wasn’t his underlying righteousness, or even the rightness of his cause.  In both cases, it was possible that he would be destroyed.

                But Helaman took his confidence from the peace that the Lord gave him when he prayed to the Lord for his deliverance.  We cannot expect the Lord to give us what we want, but once the Lord promises us something we can trust fully that He will provide what He has promised.  That is the difference between demanding and waiting upon the Lord.  We pour our hearts out in pleading to the Lord – expecting nothing but the privilege and trust in him to answer or needs. Then, if the Lord promises us a result, we can fully trust in Him to deliver.

                The second thought was on Helaman’s understanding and approach to others using (and misusing) their agency.  Helaman worried that the polity was splintered in a way that damaged the capacity of the Nephites, but he also recognized that though the had the duty to do what he could to fix the problem it ultimately made no difference in the plan the Lord had in store for him.

                Others have the capacity to bless us (through the Lord), but they do not have the capacity to hurt us.  The Lord is in charge – if one of our brothers or sisters lived their life completely dedicated to our destruction, the Lord has paid the price for those sins and born the cost of our suffering as a result of their actions, and in the end it will all work to our good.  By recognizing this, we can let go of our grievances and demands on others and instead look out for each other and try to bring out the best in each other.