Thus closes the story of the people that Alma converted after being converted
himself by the prophet Abinadi. For many Latter Day Saints, the focus of this
chapter is the actual experience of the people when they were baptized and the
covenant they made with God. However, the other day I was reading this chapter and
I got to thinking about the above verse. I started to ponder on why the forest
of Mormon and the waters of Mormon were so beautiful to the people. The verse
tells us they came to know their Redeemer but what was involved in the
experience of coming to know and developing that relationship? Is there a way
for us to apply this process to our own lives that we may draw closer to Christ
and like the people of this chapter, “come to know [our] Redeemer?”
Perhaps the best place to start is a brief summary of what occurred
leading up to this chapter. Essentially, like many prophets of old, the Lord
commanded Abinadi to go preach among a people that was ruled by an evil king
named Noah. After one failed attempt he returns many years later and once he is
discovered he is arrested and brought before the king. Abinadi preaches the
truth, claiming that if the king and the priests do not repent they shall
suffer the same death that they will cause him to suffer. He preaches of faith
and repentance, declares that they do not teach the Law of Moses, and above all
that “redemption cometh through Christ the Lord…” (Mosiah 16:15). After Abinadi
does this he is executed by fire; prophesying as he dies that the day will come
when King Noah’s life will also be consumed in fire, which does in fact occur.
Just like many missionaries Abinadi did not witness the fruit of
his efforts. Yet there was one man among the priests, named Alma, who was moved
by the spirit and fled from the presence of the king. While in hiding he came
to know God, in a sense he experienced his own “Waters of Mormon Moment”. He
then preached to the people in private, all that would hear. After some time he
lead them to the Waters of Mormon where he baptized them, having received
authority from God to do so. Here most Latter Days Saints focus on what we will
refer to as the “requirements of baptism” but in this post we are going to look
at five points that brought about these peoples’ “Waters of Mormon Moment” in
which they came to know God.
I. Demonstrated a Desire to Follow God Regardless of Consequences
Growing up I was always
reminded that it is easy to stand for God in a crowd. It is when we must stand
alone that our faith is tested and our testimonies refined. The people that
gathered at the Waters of Mormon knew perfectly well that the soldiers of King
Noah were hunting down anyone who claimed to believe in the words of the now
deceased Abinadi. They knew that it was possible that they would be martyred
just like him for what they were choosing to do. It is something to be admired
and emulated. President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Thomas S. Monson has counseled Church members “an individual testimony is
necessary to be strong enough to withstand all the forces pulling us in the wrong
direction or all the voices encouraging us to take the wrong path." In
order to be like the people of Mormon and have our own “Waters of Mormon
Moment” we must develop our own testimonies strong enough to stand up for what
we believe. As Alma teaches the people we must stand for God “at all times and
in all things and in all places that ye may be in, even until death,” (Mosiah
18:9). I think the question to ask ourselves is “am I willing to stand for God
not matter the cost to me?” Recall what Christ said: “whosoever will lose his
life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt. 16:25). Seek ye first the things of the
Eternities my dear readers that when Christ returns to claim His people we
shall know Him for we will be like Him.
II. Experienced a “Spiritual Rebirth”
It was Jesus who stated “Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God” it is through this rebirth both of water of the Holy Ghost
that we are transformed from natural man to saint. King Benjamin taught “For
the natural man is an enemy to God…” (Mosiah 3:19) Yet the rebirth that I am
speaking of is neither of these. It is a rebirth that comes with our everyday
choices, the kind of rebirth that occurs each time we pray or choose to study
our scriptures. It helps us put off the desire for the things of the world and
enables us to focus on the eternal. We no longer yearn for the temporal, pride
causing, and materialistic whims of the flesh. Christ said “if any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me” (Luke 9:23)
I would like to draw your attention to another example of a “Waters
of Mormon Moment “in the scriptures; specifically, the conversion experience of
King Lamoni’s father. Upon first meeting Ammon and his son Lamoni, the father
of Lamoni declares “I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to
half of the kingdom” (Alma 20:23). However later on after Aaron (Ammon’s
brother) teaches Lamoni’s father of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Lamoni’s father
prays to the Lord “I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18).
This change is a product of the “spiritual rebirth” of turning one’s heart to
God and through that transformation of the heart and coming to know Him in a
way that one has not previously. It is like walking out of a dark room into the
bright light of day. Everything becomes more beautiful, more enriching, and
further understood. My dear reader, choose the things of God, choose to follow
Him, and one day you will look back and wonder how you ever lived any
differently. Elder David A. Bednar has declared “Through faith in Christ, we
can be spiritually prepared and cleansed from sin, immersed in and saturated
with His gospel, and purified and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.” Such
is the spiritual rebirth that each of us can experience, I invite each of you
to partake of His redemption and live.
III. Personified Their Faith By Their Actions
I have done quite a few posts on the need for works not to secure
our salvation but to validate it. Our actions coupled with our faith act as a
testament before God that our heart is truly turned to him. So I will not argue
the necessity but rather the blessings of righteous works. For the people at
the Waters of Mormon they sealed their faith with a full immersion baptism,
just as Christ was baptized in the New Testament. (See Matthew 3) Think of many
of the parables Christ gave including the ten virgins, the good Samaritan, the
sheep and the goats, and even the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in which
he “seeing the multitudes… went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his
disciples came unto him” (Matt. 5:1). Christ readies Himself and then the
people come unto Him. He didn’t idly sit at the base of the mountain and teach.
He wanted only those willing to navigate the slope to hear His words; only
those which were prepared to work for it. Coming unto Him implies that we must
do something. We as children of God plead for Christ to come unto us, I cannot
recall a time that He has not answered my desperate appeal. Is it not only fair
that we return the favor?
In personifying their faith by their actions the people at the
Waters of Mormon came to know God because they strove to DO what He wanted them
to DO. Recall the verse in James 2:2 that says “faith without works is dead”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said “we are truly spirit children of God and
therefore should act accordingly.” The word I would like to draw your attention
to is the word act. It does not say “speak” or “think” or even “believe” it
says act. To me that implies the need for more from us. As the hymn “More
Holiness Give Me” pleads “more holiness give me; more strivings within; more
faith, gratitude, and purity; more fit for the kingdom; more purpose in prayer;
and more trust in the Lord” (Hymn #131). These things cannot be obtained
without action, without evidence of our devotion to God found in all that we
do, not just what we say in front of a congregation at Church or upon our knees
before God. He asks us to pick up our crosses and follow after Him, do it.
IV. Took Steps Forward on the Path of Discipleship
Though this concept somewhat ties into the previous in many ways,
it deserves a brief discussion of its own. The people that gathered at the
Waters of Mormon and that were then baptized by Alma took numerous steps on the
path of discipleship before reaching this climactic moment. They believed on
his words, they listened with open hearts, they learned with a desire to know.
Every little thing that we do that brings us closer to Christ propels us
forward on the path of discipleship. Every day we make decisions that can cause
us to move forward, backwards, and some decisions even result in a brief detour
to enticing worldly pleasures. In another General Conference address President
Dieter F. Uchtdorf assured us “the first step on the path of discipleship
begins in the exact place where we stand! We do not have to prequalify to take
that first step.” The step does not have to be huge either. It can simple be a
conscious choice. A choice to pray every morning before you leave the house, a
choice to read a little bit from the scriptures every night before bed, a
choice to be kinder, more patient, or more humble.
Many of the steps we take
will not be acknowledged or noticed by others. I submit to you that the most
monumental (at least for me) have been the steps I have taken that only God has
known. Praying for the desire to serve others more selflessly, to love God more
deeply, and to find greater joy in my journey are just as a few. The smallest
righteous act can be the first step you will take on the road to your eternity
with a loving Heavenly Father who waits. So what are you waiting for? The only
person holding you back, is you.
V. Aligned Their Will With God’s
Perhaps one of the hardest things to do in my opinion is to
understand the will of our Heavenly Father and then to faithfully trust in it.
A well-known scripture reads: “Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean
not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Yet it is difficult to do.
Many people find it testing to trust in something when it causes them to take a
few steps into the dark. Yet that is what the people at the Waters of Mormon
did and in order to have a similar experience as them we must do the same. They
did not know if their actions would cost them their lives. That at same point
it would bring them into bondage to wicked people who roamed the land. Yet they
faithfully trusted, knowing that what they were doing was right before God,
heeding not to the worries of what man could do. Christ taught “fear not them
who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28).
This life is not meant to be easy because it was not easy for Him.
If we are to be disciples of the Lamb of God who was scourged and bruised for
the sins of the world we take a slight sip from the bitter cup that He had to
drink for our sakes. As I have previously mentioned remember Christ promised
“he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 10:39). One’s life
has not been fully lived until that life is lost in a love for the Savior and
for His fellow men. The will of God will not make us miserable. Though at
times, when we must sacrifice, when we must walk away from what we deem is the
“best” for us, it may seem that way. Yet God’s job is not to make His children
agonize over lost opportunities. He loves us too much to do that. His goal is
to “ bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Seek
God’s will, whatever it might be, in prayer, in fasting, in study, and in
faith. Life as you know it will end, for yours will become a life for God,
there can be no greater cause then this. Reach for it, it is there, you just
have to know where to look.
A Personal Experience and a Challenge
So as not to take away too much from He who is to be the center of
this post I will keep many of the personal details as private as I can while
still making my point. There was a time not long ago when I desperately wanted
something. I prayed earnestly for this desire of my heart. It was a righteous
desire as far as I could tell (yet who am I to know the ways of God?) Up to
that point God had not dissuaded me from my efforts to obtain what I longed
for. In fact, at times, it felt like He strengthened me and gave me patience to
do what I needed to obtain it. Then, one night, with a few harsh words, all
that I had hoped and prayed for was ripped from me. I walked in the dark for a
time and I suffered the growing pains of my affliction. I begged God for
understanding, for mercy, and above all, for relief. Yet it didn’t come in the
way I thought it would. No angel came from heaven to tell me why or to assure
me that the light would shine again. No angels from heaven anyway. Rather, God
sent them in the form of friends. People were there to help me realize that
beyond this deep rooted desire there was life. That I was not the product of an
individual’s words or insults but clay in the hands of God, being molded and
refined into something beautiful. Though at the time I did not realize it I now
know that the darkness that I wandered in was for me, a Waters of Mormon
moment. In the midst of that trial I came to know my Redeemer and how precious
are those moments of tearful prayers and sob-wracked pleas. How beautiful are
the lessons I learned and the understanding I gained. My challenge to you, my
dear readers, is to come to recognize these “Waters of Mormon Moments” as they
come. Recognize your trials as a furnace to fire you into a beautiful
instrument for God’s use. I leave you now with the same words that Mormon left
with his son ““Be faithful in Christ … [and] may [He] lift thee up, and may his
sufferings and death … and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his
glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever. And may the grace of God
the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who
sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject
unto him, be, and abide with you forever” (Moroni 9:25-26) and as always, may
God never cease to bless you until you read again.
(you can also view this post on scripturenews.com)
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