Hope for Our Deliverance in Him

As Helaman struggled to maintain the cities that were in their control and to stand in the way of further Lamanite aggression, he received little aid from the government. He commented, “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.” In that desperate time as he tried to hang on with his army in the face of a much larger Lamanite force, he and his stripling warriors did this: “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.” I love the image of Helaman and his 2060 warriors all kneeling down together to plead with God for His help and strength, for His protection and guiding hand. They had nowhere else to go, and they turned to the Lord with all their heart. Their example shows us how we should face any challenge that confronts us—we should spend less time worrying and more time on our knees seeking the Lord’s strength and help no matter what the difficulty. After th poured out their souls to God, He did indeed strengthen and comfort them as Helaman described, “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” (Alma 58:9-11).

            But after they went to the Lord, Helaman and his army did not sit back and wait for the Lord to come in His power to save them. Rather, they did everything in their power to maintain their lands and prepare to go against the Lamanites. Helaman described their efforts: “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.” I love that resolution from Helaman and his warriors: surrounded by an innumerable army of Lamanites and running out of supplies to stay alive, they were “fixed with a determination to conquer” their enemies. The Lord had promised to help them and given them reassurance, but it didn’t mean that they could sit back and wait for something to happen—instead they did “go forth with all [their] might” to conquer. Through a brilliant plan, undoubtedly inspired by the Lord, they were able to get the Lamanites to come out of their stronghold and retake the city of Manti without the loss of life (Alma 58:12-13). As the saying goes, they prayed as if all depended upon the Lord and worked as if all depended on them. And with the faith they put into their efforts and the guiding hand of the Lord they were able to retake all their cities and cause the Lamanites to flee. We too can turn to the Lord in whatever figurative army we face and find “hope for our deliverance in him” just as the army of Helaman did.