December 14, 2010

I read Alma 58 which is a letter from Helaman to Moroni about how he and his small army obtained the land of Manti back from the Lamanites without shedding any blood. Reading this account left me smiling at their sheer ingenuity. I also really admire their example of faith and trust in the Lord. They had been waiting for a long time for provisions and more addition to their army, and when the help finally arrived, they knew it still wouldn't be a large enough army to go against the Lamanites. They were concerned and didn't understand when things didn't pan out how they were hoping, yet I love their response, which was to "pour out [their] souls in prayer to God, that He would strengthen [them] and deliver [them] out of the hands of [their] enemies, yea, and also give [them] strength that [they] might retain [their] cities." They received great comfort through their prayer and great peace. Their faith was strengthened and they were filled with hope and courage that the Lord would help them, even though by all appearances it seemed like it would be an easy win for the Lamanites. I think this is a wonderful story to remember when things aren't working out the way I may hope, and when the challenges facing me seem absolutely insurmountable. There is still hope for deliverance through the Lord. There is always hope, no matter what, and I want to always follow the example of Helaman and his armies in how they turned to the Lord in prayer for strength and deliverance. This is how miracles occur.