Helaman 13

I have been thinking about what I said concerning trust in my last post, which was basically:  Wouldn't it be wonderful if Heavenly Father could trust me as much as I trust him?

Well, I've been thinking that maybe he does.  I know I could do better about following the promptings that I receive.  I hesitate more often than I should and am sometimes "slow to walk in wisdom's path."  (Helaman 12:5)  Perhaps as I learn to trust Heavenly Father more readily and follow more speedily, his trust in me will grow.  I am forever grateful that he loves me so much even though I am not the most trustworthy being on the planet.

Samuel the Lamanite is a perfect example of one who follows the Lord promptly even when things get really hard.  In Helaman 13, it tells of how the Lamanite people are righteous and the Nephites have fallen into wickedness.  Samuel is sent to preach, and he does so until they cast him out.  He is about to head back to his own land when:

"...the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever thing should come into his heart.  And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart." (Helaman 12:3-4)

I love that!  They wouldn't let him in so he climbs onto the wall?  I am pretty sure I would be stomping away from the gates of Zarahemla muttering..."Well, I could have sworn that the voice said to go and preach some more, but obviously I was mistaken.  If I was supposed to go and preach I'm sure my path would not be blocked--for surely if I am supposed to do something, it will be made easy, right?"

I am immensely grateful for the patience that the Lord has with me.  It is awe-inspiring, and it gives me hope.  I have hope that I can learn to endure and follow in faith that which he asks me to do even when obstacles block my way.

And now I am left to ponder--why it is that the obstacles which have been blocking my way lately are my own character flaws?  You would think that I at least would be able to get out of my own way.  Apparently there are many more lessons I have yet to learn.

Helaman 10:5--Trust

Perhaps the reason I didn't notice all the success Nephi experienced in Helaman 5 is because it didn't last long.  He goes into the land northward to preach but is rejected.  When he returns the Nephites are wicked again and the Gadianton robbers are in the judgment-seat, having committed murder to get there.

Nephi is lamenting their wickedness in his garden tower which draws attention and eventually leads to him telling the people that their current chief judge has been murdered and is right now laying in his own blood.  Men are sent to check but never come back because they get thrown in prison for the murder.  The story continues but it's not what I want to focus on today.

After all the hubbub dies down, Nephi was walking home when "a voice came unto him" letting him know that "all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will." (Helaman 10:3-5)

When I was younger and I read this story, I marveled at the power given to Nephi.  Now I am amazed by the trust.  Heavenly Father has ultimate trust in Nephi.  It is humbling to think about.  What if Heavenly Father could trust me like I trust Him?  That would be truly wonderful.

Helaman 5--Wow

Helaman 5...this chapter is amazing!  It feels like this is the first time I have read it because there are so many details I have never paid attention to before.  This time an answer to a prayer was in the details so I really noticed a lot more than usual.

This is the chapter where Nephi and Lehi (the sons of Helaman) are thrown in prison and eventually surrounded by a pillar of fire.  But what I didn't notice before was that the Nephites were in a very bad place politically speaking.  Their country was going to pot even with Nephi sitting in the judgment-seat.  It says in verse 2:

"For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous then they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction..."

So what does Nephi do?  He delivers "up the judgment-seat." Huh?

It seems so illogical for him to do that when things are going so poorly that the Nephites have lost half their land to the Lamanites and they had abandoned their design to get it back.  But Nephi gives up the judgment-seat (I'm sure to someone he trusts and feels will rule righteously) and goes, taking Lehi with him, from city to city preaching the word of God.  It says in verse 18:

"...for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them-"

Through their obedience many Nephite dissenters along with 8,000 Lamanites were baptized.  Why don't I remember all of this?  It is pretty huge.  Anyway, the part of the chapter that has always stuck with me now comes into play, Nephi and Lehi are in prison and about to be put to death by the Lamanites when a pillar of fire surrounds them.  A voice speaks to their captors.  Not a thunderous voice, but "a still voice of perfect mildness."  About 300 people experience this and they go and "minister unto the people."  The chapter ends with the Lamanites laying down their weapons of war and GIVING the Nephites back their land!

It is just another example to me how important revelation is in our lives.  The last time the Lamanites were wreaking this much havoc, Captain Moroni fought with the sword to gain back their lands.  Captain Moroni was right.  Nephi was right.  And yet, they handled things differently based on the revelation they received.

Helaman 3:29--Dividing Asunder

Lately, I have been thinking about the iron rod in Lehi's vision due to preparing my part for a visiting teaching conference in Relief Society so when I read Helaman 3:29 it made me smile.  This scripture so perfectly describes why we need to keep a hold of the iron rod, or word of God.  It says:

"Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil..." (Emphasis added)

I so very much need something to divide the truth from the cunning twists that the devil makes of the truth here on earth.  It has been essential to me in my life, and I'm sure the word of God, whether contained in the standard works or given me by the mouth of a living prophet, will continue to guide me along the path towards my Father in Heaven.

Incidentally, my connection to visiting teaching is that we as sisters can bring gospel messages into one another's homes and therefore assist each other in keeping our focus on the iron rod, the path ahead, and the tree of life.  As distractions in the world are all around us, I feel that this is an important work.

It's All About Love

Alma 57 and 58 are continuations of Helaman's letter to Moroni.  In the beginning of Alma 58, Helaman writes about waiting in vain for help from the government.  They were in great need of both men and provisions, but they received only a small amount of each.  In Alma 58:9-11 Helaman writes:

"...therefore, we were grieved and also filled with fear...Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us...and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him."

I love this.  I love that Helaman doesn't charge right into the story about how they were delivered, but wrote about the wonderful feelings--gifts, really--given through the Spirit so that they no longer feared.  Helaman writes how Heavenly Father didn't just give them the answer to their prayer, he also gave them the faith they so desperately needed, the hope to carry them through, and peace, the total opposite of that horrible feeling of fear.

I know I have received these great gifts as well.  So many times.  But probably not as often as my Heavenly Father wished to give them to me, because I didn't think to ask.  I am so grateful for my testimony that Heavenly Father loves me and wants the best for me.  I think it is true, that the strongest testimonies of that nature are formed during the hardest trials of our lives.  It makes me grateful for those trials because knowing that he loves me is so very important to understanding all the rest of it.  The gospel is all about love.

Stripling Warriors

The story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors is by in large told in Alma 56 in a letter from Helaman to Moroni.  It is a great story...one of the "kid stories" of the Book of Mormon.  Kids love it, and it is often seen as a straight forward story about faith.  The 2,000 young men were taught to trust God and not one of them died.

I don't know why, but as I read that story this morning I did not see the faith and bravery of the young men, which is what I thought I would write about, all I could see was the way the two armies worked together.  Helaman and his sons marched speedily to lead away the Lamanites who pursued them with equal speed.  Antipus and his army followed, knowing that if they did not catch up, Helaman's army would be slaughtered.  They marched so quickly that it left little energy to fight by the time they did catch up and many men, including Antipus, fell quickly to the swords of the Lamanites.  But, it was then that Helaman's army returned, even though they were unsure about why the Lamanite army had stopped.  They were unsure if it was a trap or if Antipus needed their help and yet they turned back because unwillingly to stay away if it was the latter.

When Helaman's army arrived they found Antipus' men on the verge of scattering.  These young warriors fought with such vigor that the whole Lamanite army turned to fight them.  This gave the men of Antipus a chance to regroup and come again upon the rear of the Lamanite army, after which a victory was won.

Alone neither one of the Nephite armies would have survived.  Together, they conquered.  There is a lesson in that...It could be thought of in terms of ward members helping one another, families, spouses, or friends.  A chance to regroup is often all we need to face life's challenges head on.

I sometimes underestimate how valuable a chance to regroup is.  The Sabbath day is often a way for me to regroup.  Even some time spent with the scriptures, or cuddling with my kids makes all the difference.  But I suppose my point is that even when it feels like we are falling, or failing, we need not to give up.  Our Heavenly Father is aware of all of us and He will come to our aid if we reach out to Him, whether it is through other people or through the Spirit, the results are the same--we can conquer.

The Possible

In Alma chapters 51 and 52, we see the Lamanites gaining victories over the Nephites even though Moroni drew the line between himself and his enemy, fortified his cities, and prepared to the best of his ability.  I feel it is important to realize that this is true in our lives as well.  We, none of us, are perfect.  None of us have perfect children, perfect spouses, or perfect friends.

At times, our defenses fail.  The important thing is that we don't give up the fight.  We continue to fortify against Satan's bombardment.  We continue to defend the line between us and that which would eternally harm us.  It requires repentance, as well as forgiveness of ourselves and others.  It requires hope and persistence.  And it also requires that we recognize the difference between what a sin is and what is a choice of lesser consequence.

I have noticed a trend in myself lately as I try to find more peace in my life.  I find myself often thinking:  "Calm down.  What just happened is not a big deal.  It is not a sin.  Yes, you have disappointed another person because you couldn't accomplish what they wanted from you, but you have in no way done wrong."

I think as I have learned the great value of obedience in my life, I sometimes get caught up in wanting to please everyone.  I need to remember that obedience to Heavenly Father brings more faith, more understanding, and more happiness while obedience to the whims of all those around me brings stress.

I found a quote that I love that has helped me deal with this concept of continuing to strive and do my best even amidst what I often view as my failures.  It is from the American author, Sue Bender:

"My challenge was not to do the impossible--but to learn to live with the possible."

We know that Moroni, Teancum, Lehi, and Helaman don't give up when they lose a few cities to the Lamanites.  They rally.  They plan.  They pray.  They fight.  They are guided and blessed.  We will be also.  With faith in our Savior, winning the battle is possible.