The Book of Mormon's Promise of Help

One of the questions that President Nelson asked in his last conference talk about the Book of Mormon was this: “What would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? …. What would you not have?”  As I thought today about what I would not have without the Book of Mormon, one of my answers was this: confidence in the power of the Lord to help me in my own challenges.  All throughout the Book of Mormon we see examples of how the Lord helped the faithful overcome very difficult challenges.  Usually He doesn’t take away the challenge but rather empowers people to work through their difficulties successfully.  For example, when Alma went face to face in combat with the wicked Amlici, he prayed, “O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people.”  We read that “when Alma had said these words he contended again with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword” (Alma 2:30, 31).  Because of his faith the Lord gave Alma the strength he needed to defeat Amlici and preserve the freedoms of his people.  The Book of Mormon teaches over and over that as we trust in the Lord and exercise faith, he will strengthen us to successfully navigate our individual challenges. 

               Many of the important figures in the Book of Mormon testified of the Lord’s power to help us overcome our challenges.  For example, Nephi testified after his own difficult journey in the wilderness, “And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them” (1 Nephi 17:3).  King Limhi testified to his people, “But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage” (Mosiah 7:33).  Lamoni expressed this same kind of faith when he said to Ammon, “I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things” (Alma 20:4).  Alma told his son Helaman how the Lord had helped him, “I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me” (Alma 36:27).  Later Helaman expressed that same faith when he was leading the stripling warriors in a difficult period of the great war between the Lamanites and Nephites: “But, behold, it mattereth not—we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies” (Alma 58:37).  He was in serious difficulties in the war, but he trusted the Lord and through faith overcame them all.  Moroni, in his account of the brother of Jared and when he was feeling overwhelmed by his own difficulties, gave us this promise of the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).  This is the Lord’s promise to all of us, and the Book of Mormon stands as a witness that “whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3).