Mosiah 23 - 24

The Divine Purpose of Adversity

Even when we are righteous, the Lord allows us to face trials to refine us. As the record states: "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith" (Mosiah 23:21). This aligns with the teaching on patience in Preach My Gospel - “Patience is the ability to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without getting angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is doing God’s will and accepting His timing with hope and faith." Under heavy Lamanite oppression, Alma’s people demonstrated this Christlike attribute by enduring their afflictions calmly, trusting in God's ultimate plan for their growth and their deliverance.

Strengthened Through Humble Submission

When Amulon banned open prayer under penalty of death, the people did not rebel; instead, they "did pour out their hearts to him" in silence (Mosiah 24:11–12). Because they submitted completely to His will, the Lord promised: "I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders" (Mosiah 24:14). This narrative illustrates how the Lord blesses those who develop the attribute of humility. As Preach My Gospel teaches: "Humility includes gratitude for God’s blessings and acknowledgment of your constant need for His help. He helps those who are humble." Because they acknowledged their constant need for Him, 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 24:15).

Through patience and humility, the "impossible" trial of captivity became a showcase of divine deliverance.

You have heard Sister Court and I talk about how this story impacted our lives. We were so sad. We had a problem we could not solve. This story brought us God’s light, patience, and a belief that the Lord would be with us! It all proved to be true and we ended up with our two beautiful girls!

The Book of Mormon has answers to questions of the soul and to real-life problems, Elders and Sisters. But what if we weren’t reading it? Or worse, what if we’d never heard of it?

As we fulfill our missionary purpose, let’s bear testimony and promise blessings of reading the Book of Mormon! It will bless the lives of any who read it!