Alma 38:3-5 -- On Patience and Lift

"I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.
For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.
And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
Alma 38:3-5


I like the hint here that patience comes as the Lord is with us, so cultivating the Spirit and praying and reading our scriptures and all those things that help us to have the sweet, peaceful calm of the Spirit, even if things around us are crazy. That's the key to patience. A hard one for sure, and one that I haven't mastered yet. The rest of the verse helps us understand that God will meet our effort though... so even if we are only doing a little, he'll still help us a little. The more we work at it, the more he will help. More trust = more deliverance. Trust takes practice and mental effort, and practicing the gospel takes effort as well. Like maintaining a relationship, working on a project, or even binge watching a favorite show. Reading the scriptures is not that hard. We have to move our eyes, take the time to listen to it as an audiobook or something. Mental effort to pay attention and know the plot though. :) And more effort to think about it, remember, and apply the lessons in our lives.

Whatever level of effort we put forth in trusting God and doing what he says, God will bless us and deliver us to the same level of effort... sometimes more, of course, but right here he promises that much. If we put a tiny glimmer of thought into thinking about and talking to God today, then we will have a tiny glimmer of hope. And the more we pour into it, like most things, the more we will get out of it, but with God, multipied by grace and mercy. :) Today, let's put in the effort, so that we can learn some patience, be lifted up, and so many other things, and see the blessings of God in our lives as we learn to trust him more and more.