I was reading Alma 29 yesterday morning and something struck me in this passage I hadn’t really thought about before. I’m sure you’re familiar with this one, but please read it again with me:

“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.”

“I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.” (Alma 29:1-4)

I’ve always thought this a rather sad passage, perhaps because I’ve felt a lot like Alma at times wishing I could say the words that would lead millions of souls to Christ. Alma explains why this is such a great desire of his heart in verse 10:

“When I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea even that he hath heard my prayer; yea then do I remember his merciful arm he extended towards me.”

I agree with Alma, there is no greater joy than watching people come unto Christ. When you’re a part of that process, you do feel the love of God for you and others. You remember God’s infinite mercy toward you. This intense gratitude fills you with an indescribably joy. It is that joy that Alma seeks. Again, I can relate to Alma, and this passage has always been bittersweet for me, knowing God will not infringe upon the agency of others, and that Alma (and I) must be grateful for the influence allotted to us.

BUT, something occurred to me yesterday that I never saw before. Notice how Alma insists that God grants to us according to our desires. What about Alma’s desires? Were they so horrible? So out of line? Did God ever grant Alma’s desires? I say He did. He just didn’t do it in quite the way Alma envisioned. If you read further in the Book of Mormon, you’ll see that Alma was translated just as Moses was. In other words, just as Moses became an angel, Alma also became an angel! Also, Alma wanted his words to be broadcast to the world at large. How many people have read Alma’s words in the Book of Mormon? Church membership sits at 13 million today. The Book of Mormon has been translated into over a hundred languages. Alma’s words have influenced and continue to influence the entire world!

In other words, God did give Alma the desires of his heart. It just came in a time and in a way slightly different than Alma envisioned. What do we take away from this? Don’t bury your righteous desires. Pursue them, believe in them, and KNOW that God grants the righteous desires of His followers in His own time and in His own way.

I think President Gordon B. Hinckley sums it up best:

“Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good things. Believe that no mountain is so high that you cannot climb it. Believe that no storm is so great that you cannot weather it. You are not destined to be a scrub. You are a child of God, of infinite capacity.

“Believe that you can do it–whatever it is that you set your heart on. Opportunities will unfold and open before you. The skies will clear when they have been dark with portent.”

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Life Purpose, lds beliefs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.