Stand Fast in This Liberty

Current events in Ukraine—with the first time since WWII that one European nation has invaded another one—remind us of the truth of Mormon’s comment as he told the story of Amalickiah’s dissension from the Nephite: “Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men” (Alma 46:9). We are also soberly reminded of the fragility of peace and freedom everywhere and that to preserve them we must be as dedicated to maintaining them as was Captain Moroni who “rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.” He then “took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren” (Alma 46:9,12-13). We too must pray earnestly to God to preserve our freedom and our peace in the midst of those who would destroy it and gain dominion over others. And we pray that peace might be restored in Ukraine and that this people might be strengthened by the hand of God as they seek to defend their liberty in an unjustified war.

                After Alma and his people escaped King Noah and settled in Helam, he said to them, “And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free” (Mosiah 23:13). I love this encouragement he gave them and to us: stand fast in our liberty. The word fast here in this context means firmly, and we certainly must stand firm in the defending the liberties that we hold to be self-evident and given by God. This people soon found that liberty was taken from them when the Lamanites put them under bondage, but they did not lose their trust in God who ultimately delivered them as He said: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage” (Mosiah 24:13). Alma’s grandson Helaman similarly told of the sons of the people of Ammon whom he led in battle: “But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free” (Alma 58:40). Despite their wounds and great struggles in battles against the Lamanites, these young men who fought to preserve “the liberty of their fathers” were miraculously preserved by the hand of God as they held fast in defending freedom (Alma 56:47). In that same war Pahoran wrote to Moroni with these words, “My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free,” and he encouraged his great captain: “Tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free” (Alma 61:9,21). Despite the dissenters like Amalickiah, and the near takeover of his government, Pahoran and Moroni did stand fast in their liberty and were ultimately able to drive out the Lamanites from their lands with the help of God. We pray today that Ukrainians too can stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free and that He likewise will deliver them as they turn to Him for strength.