Succor His People

President Oaks taught, “In mortality we have the certainty of death and the burden of sin. The Atonement of Jesus Christ offsets these two certainties of mortal life. But apart from death and sin, we have many other challenges as we struggle through mortality. Because of that same Atonement, our Savior can provide us the strength we need to overcome these mortal challenges.” He suggested that the scripture which teaches this the clearest is this passage from Alma: “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11). President Oaks commented, “Think of it! In the Savior’s Atonement, He suffered ‘pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind.’ As President Boyd K. Packer explained: ‘He had no debt to pay. He had committed no wrong. Nevertheless, an accumulation of all of the guilt, the grief and sorrow, the pain and humiliation, all of the mental, emotional, and physical torments known to man—He experienced them all.’” In modern revelation the Savior described numerous possible afflictions from tribulation to false brethren to robbers to enemies to the very jaws of hell opening its mouth, and then said this: “The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:5-8). Again, the word all is used to describe what the Savior suffered, highlighting the universality and unending reach of His sacrifice for all mankind.

                President Oaks, speaking of these words from Alma that the Savior took upon Him the pains and sicknesses “of his people,” said: “Who are ‘his people’ in this promise? Is it all mortals—all who enjoy the reality of resurrection through the Atonement? Or is it only those select servants qualified through ordinances and covenants?” He answered his question this way: “The word people has many meanings in the scriptures. The meaning most appropriate for the teaching that the Savior will succor ‘his people’ is the meaning Ammon employed when he taught that ‘God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in’ (Alma 26:37). That is also what the angels meant when they announced the birth of the Christ child: ‘Good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’ (Luke 2:10).” I love this interpretation: the Savior’s atonement can bless all people in the world with strength, even those who have not yet made covenants with Him. But, as President Oaks suggested, there is a general condition to receive that help: “Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He does so only for those who seek Him and ask for His help…. We qualify for that blessing when we believe in Him and pray for His help…. We might even say that having descended beneath it all, He is perfectly positioned to lift us and give us the strength we need to endure our afflictions. We have only to ask…. His Atonement also provides the opportunity to call upon Him who has experienced all of our mortal infirmities to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality…. The healing and strengthening power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is for all of us who will ask…. I pray that we will all understand the hope and strength of our Savior’s Atonement: the assurance of immortality, the opportunity for eternal life, and the sustaining strength we can receive if only we will ask” (emphasis added). He repeated multiple times at the end of this talk that we need to ask for the Savior’s help in our lives. He can help all people who seek out His help through sincere prayer.

                When we share the restored gospel with others, we usually invite them to follow Moroni’s invitation to read and pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. People, though, will often not initially see the need for such a course. Why should they care to know if the Book of Mormon is true? Perhaps another invitation that we should give at the same time is to pray for help from the Lord in their particular problems. Everyone may not understand the need to know the truth of the message of the Restoration, but everyone does have problems that they need divine help with. We can share verses like the one from Alma and testify that as they pray—just as President Oaks invited—they can receive help through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that as we plead with Him in prayer, He does indeed succor us and come to our aid. Thus I can say that I know Alma’s words in the Book of Mormon are true: “He will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12). All can gain that same witness as they seek His divine aid in whatever their trials.