Prepared to Meet Them

As we prepare to send our kids back to school today, and especially as we send our oldest to junior high, it is a bit like we are sending them off to war. The negative influences they will encounter, particularly for the older ones, are numerous as they will be among those with very different values and perceptions of right and wrong. Last year, for example, we were shocked at the bad language they heard even in elementary school and which the adversary was clearly trying to get into our children’s vocabulary. The materialism and sense of entitlement running rampant in the rising generation they are among also has given skewed ideas to our children about what is important, what makes one happy, and what we should be worshipping. So how do we “protect our nestlings” from this evil and help keep them on the straight and narrow path of the Savior?

I read this morning from Alma 43, and I think two things that the Nephites did in particular help us see how we best protect our children from their spiritual adversaries. The first way in which Moroni protected the Nephites as they went up to battle against the Lamanites was in the physical preparation he did. We read, “the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon…. [He] had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing” (Alma 43:15, 19). They were prepared with their armor to go against the Lamanites, and this played a major part in their ultimate victory against a foe who vastly outnumbered them. We too must prepare our children by helping them put on the whole armor of God. The Lord invited us in our day: “Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor… having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,… Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:15-18). We need to fill our children with truth through the words of the scriptures and living prophets; we must help them in our home to choose righteousness so that their heart is protected by their righteous choices; we can shield them from the attacks of the adversary by instilling faith in Jesus Christ in their spirits; we should fill their minds with the things of salvation so they can tell the difference between that and the empty vanities of the world; and we must most importantly help them cultivate the Gift of the Holy Ghost so they will have the Spirit to protect them in whatever situation they find themselves in.  

The second thing that the Nephites did was to seek revelation and strength from the Lord through prayer. When they didn’t know what the Lamanites were going to do, they inquired of the Lord through Alma who revealed where the enemy was going to attack so they could be there to defend themselves. Perhaps I need to pray more earnestly to understand in advance what challenges my children will face so that I can help defend the most vulnerable areas. Even with all this preparation and being led to the right place to take the Lamanites by surprise, as the battle commenced the Nephites still almost gave in to this terrible enemy. We read, “And it came to pass that when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they were about to shrink and flee from them. And Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their freedom from bondage. And it came to pass that they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.” It was at that moment, when they pled with the Lord in prayer, that “And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them” (Alma 43:49-50). Surely we too must earnestly prayer for the Lord’s protecting hand over our families and help our children to do the same each morning as they head off to school. I know that as we pray with the same fervency of those Nephites fighting for their lives, we will have the Lord’s power to help and protect us.  

I know there is power in praying together as families, and I was touched by this story I ran across in the For the Strength of Youth magazine this morning from a youth in British Columbia: “My family went on a sailing trip and didn’t see land for over three weeks. After the first two weeks, we were hit by a crazy storm. Our sails broke in the wind, and waves crashed onto the deck, completely submerging the front of the boat. On top of all that, we were almost out of drinking water—so if we survived the storm, we still had that to worry about. My family crammed down into the only dry part of the boat and prayed for almost an hour. I didn’t know if we’d survive the night, but I knew that, no matter what, I would be with my family because we were sealed together. When we finished the prayer, we saw that the wind had settled down and the waves had stopped. Soon after, it started pouring rain, which is extremely rare in that part of the ocean. We used a tarp to fill our tanks and miraculously got enough water to finish the trip. That experience showed me how powerful prayer can be and how much Heavenly Father cares about us.” The image of that family huddled together praying earnestly for their lives is a poignant one and is a reminder of how much my own family needs that same help and protection through prayer each day. I hope that we can adequately prepare our children with the full armor of God and the power of fervent prayer as they go into the world and face their own spiritual dangers.