We Trust God Will Deliver Us

I have a vague recollection of a conversation I listened to on my mission among a few people regarding the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. I believe we were visiting with some members of the Church who were no longer active in their faith, and they were criticizing how boring and distasteful they found the parts of the Book of Mormon that tell the story of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites. I don’t recall exactly what they said but I remember the sense of disdain with which they spoke of this part of the book. I did not have a chance to really respond to their criticisms then, but I have thought about their complaints over the years since. I think at a certain level, reading the Book of Mormon simply as a story, I can somewhat appreciate their perspective. But when we spend a little effort looking for symbolism and spiritual meaning in these passages that speak of battles and stratagem and faithfulness to God and country, I think we find a fountain of wisdom and inspiration for our own lives. I am confident that these stories were indeed meant for us in our day—which is also a time of war in the world—and if we humbly search for personal messages in these stories we will not come up empty.

                One of my favorite chapters among the war stories in the Book of Mormon is Alma 58, and I think in this story alone we can easily find inspiration for tackling our own challenges. This was part of a letter from Helaman to Moroni, and he told of their struggles to maintain the part of the land he was trying to defend with his stripling warriors. He described his precarious situation this way: “And they were so much more numerous than was our army that we durst not go forth and attack them in their strongholds. Yea, and it became expedient that we should employ our men to the maintaining those parts of the land which we had regained of our possessions; therefore it became expedient that we should wait, that we might receive more strength from the land of Zarahemla and also a new supply of provisions” (v2-3). He was vastly outnumbered by the Lamanites and was not receiving the help from the government that he expected. Though they received some aid, it was not enough, and Helaman recorded, “And it came to pass that we did wait in these difficult circumstances for the space of many months, even until we were about to perish for the want of food” (v7). They again received a little food, but it was not enough “to contend with an enemy which was innumerable. And now the cause of these our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us, we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear, lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and utter destruction” (v8-9). So here he was, desperately trying to save the lives of his army and defend the cities of his people, and he could not get the help in food or additional men from the government that he needed. He was facing not only a challenge that he felt was insurmountable, but the blame was largely on others who could have helped him but did not. Surely we all at times also face challenges in our lives that make it seem as if we are facing an “innumerable” foe and where we could easily place the blame on others for our problems. What Helaman wrote next provides a model for us all to follow in these kinds of difficulties.

                After candidly describing this trying situation, Helaman then stopped focusing on the problem and turned with his whole heart to the Lord for help. I love these next two verses: “Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. Yea, 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” (v10-11). He and his army did pour out their souls to God, knowing that they could not depend on others to help them. Helaman knew that he would not find deliverance from his government who had failed him, but instead of turning bitter or giving up he turned to God for “deliverance in him.” That is how we should face all of our challenges: when things seem unfair, when we feel our difficulties are not our fault or are too hard to overcome, we should pour out our souls to God and seek reassurance and deliverance from Him. And He will help us! Because they turned to the Lord, they were able to find hope and determination to continue: “And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty” (v12). He came up with a plan to retake Manti—no doubt inspired by the Lord—and it was truly miraculous how they were then able to take the city without the shedding of blood. The Lord clearly intervened as the Lamanites were tricked into leaving their city unarmed. Helaman described after telling this story: “Behold, we trust in our God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained those cities and those lands, which were our own” (v33). It was trust in God that saved them. After again mentioning the lack of support from the government, he stopped focusing on that and looked to the Lord: “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” (v37). I love that attitude: no matter how unfair our situation seems, when we can’t change it then we simply turn to the Lord with complete trust in Him that He will not fail us. When others don’t come to our aid like we expect, when we feel we are alone and can’t accomplish what is required of us, we too can say “it mattereth not—we trust God will deliver us.” We can always turn to the Lord for strength and He will never leave us alone. This is one of the great lessons from this chapter and many other war stories in the Book of Mormon. No matter what kind of challenges we face, when we put our trust fully in the Lord, He will deliver us.