"And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.
And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: 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.
And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."
Mosiah 24:11-14
This is part of a story about a group of people that had gone through a lot... and here, they still were. They were basically enslaved, and were treated badly just for fun, which I guess you could call torture, and they were commanded that they couldn't even pray. ... And in one way, you could blame it all on their religion. If they didn't believe in God or the gospel, they would have never gotten into this situation in the first place. And it is possible, that if they had denounced God, that they could have joined with their captors rather than being their slaves. I imagine that it could have been a source of bitterness... but instead, they kept praying in their hearts... and God promised to deliver them. I want to be clear on this though. He didn't prevent them from being enslaved, and after they were he didn't deliver them right away. First he lightened their burdens, so they were happier... but still slaves. It was only after they had endured this for a while that God delivered them.
Our lives are sometimes like this as well. Bad things happen... and sometimes we have to deal with it for a while. Sometimes we have to deal with it our whole lives. But God can, and will, lighten our burdens as we seek him with patience and faith. And he will also deliver us, whether in this life or the next, from *every* pain and heartache and burden.
Today, because we have the freedom to do so, let's raise our voices *and* pour out our hearts to God. Let's thank him for his amazing blessings and ask him to help us with our burdens. God does indeed visit his people in their afflictions, and as we pray in faith, he will lighten our burdens.
And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: 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.
And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."
Mosiah 24:11-14
This is part of a story about a group of people that had gone through a lot... and here, they still were. They were basically enslaved, and were treated badly just for fun, which I guess you could call torture, and they were commanded that they couldn't even pray. ... And in one way, you could blame it all on their religion. If they didn't believe in God or the gospel, they would have never gotten into this situation in the first place. And it is possible, that if they had denounced God, that they could have joined with their captors rather than being their slaves. I imagine that it could have been a source of bitterness... but instead, they kept praying in their hearts... and God promised to deliver them. I want to be clear on this though. He didn't prevent them from being enslaved, and after they were he didn't deliver them right away. First he lightened their burdens, so they were happier... but still slaves. It was only after they had endured this for a while that God delivered them.
Our lives are sometimes like this as well. Bad things happen... and sometimes we have to deal with it for a while. Sometimes we have to deal with it our whole lives. But God can, and will, lighten our burdens as we seek him with patience and faith. And he will also deliver us, whether in this life or the next, from *every* pain and heartache and burden.
Today, because we have the freedom to do so, let's raise our voices *and* pour out our hearts to God. Let's thank him for his amazing blessings and ask him to help us with our burdens. God does indeed visit his people in their afflictions, and as we pray in faith, he will lighten our burdens.
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