Alma 45

(October 20, 2014)

                In our modern society, with the facts (and spin on those facts) available at our fingertips, we tend to think knowledge and information is always a good thing.  Thus when President Packer spoke about some things being true but not particularly helpful, there were those even within the Church who spoke out against him and sought occasion to attack him as being repressive and a fallen Apostle.

                But look at what Alma does with his son Helaman.  He gives Helaman a truth, but instructs Helaman to hold this truth back.  It is clearly understandable why he holds this truth back – seeing the destruction of our posterity (or those who do not defect) who clearly steal a great deal of hope from those on the edges of the Gospel.  In my own mind, I realize that in a couple billion years everything on this planet will be destroyed, and I find that hard to deal with at times (irrational, I know).  Something more immediate would be even harder to deal with.

                So that is important to remember in our relationship with the General Authorities and our local Priesthood leaders – there may be truths that they do not tell us because it would not be helpful for us to know them.  Likewise, there are times when we pray for information that we think we ought to know, but the answers don’t come.  Sometimes it might be because the Lord is testing us, and sometimes it might be because we are unready or unworthy of His answer, but sometimes it might be because knowing the truth would not be helpful in us becoming who we need to become.