"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 24:13-14
Note here that the Lord came to them in their afflictions. God didn't prevent them from being forced into slavery. We know he could have, as at other times, warned them to flee or blinded their enemies, or confused them so they would get lost, or whatever, but in this case that wasn't part of the plan. The Lord tried their patience and their faith first, and then later delivered them, at least in part, so they could stand as witness of his miraculous works.
I wonder sometimes if we even notice miracles up front, where the Lord helps us avoid something bad. I have had a few times in my life where I've gotten a bad feeling about what was about to happen, and then been saved from the situation, but there could have been many times when the circumstances weren't as dire where God smoothed my path and helped me... and I think he does that frequently. Other times, like Alma's people here, I have been in trouble, and had to learn to endure it before being delivered. Probably all of us have had similar experiences, to a greater or lesser degree, because God does visit his people in their afflictions. He can't always save us from them up front, especially when we bring them on ourselves, but even then he still cares, and is willing to help us if we turn to him.
The other thing that stands out to me is the covenant on both sides. The people covenant to serve the Lord, and God offers a covenant in return, to deliver them. Sometimes I think we misunderstand covenants as contracts that we're trapped into forever, but in spiritual terms I think they are more like commitments of love. Sort of like marriage... marriage is both a contract and a covenant, a legal document, but spiritually a statement that you love this person and are committing to love them always. Covenants are like that, but with God. We commit that we accept God as our Lord, and that we always will, and God commits to watch over us in love as our God, and that he will forever.
Today, let's covenant with God and make that permanent commitment to Him. As we do, we will see his commitment to us more and more in our lives, as he delivers and helps us in all things. In return, we can stand as witness to others about the beneficial covenant that God offers to all people if they will commit to him as well.
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