Deliverment from Bondage

Is "deliverment" really a word? Don't know; I kind of made it up. But when you're suffering from bondage of any kind, does it really matter as long as it comes?

I was reading today in the Book of Mormon (specifically Mosiah 24; link included below) about Alma and his people. They were victims under harsh treatment from their enemies. Alma had been present during the martyrdom of Abinadi. Alma had heard Abinadi witnessing of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Alma accepted that witness, and because he believed faced certain death. As a result, Alma fled to preserve his life and to witness to others the good news of the gospel. He sought out the honest in heart in his society and together formed a small band of believers who worshipped in quiet safety. Later on, when discovered by the wicked, they all fled to a new land to build a new life.

But enter in the deceiver through the form of an old friend (and still wicked priest), Amulon. Amulon discovered Alma and his people while lost himself with the dreaded enemy people, the Lamanites. Being placed in a position of power over Alma and his people, Amulon soon grew tired of Alma's (and the other's) great faith in Christ. He ordered death to any who prayed.

Can you imagine being cut off from prayer? If you can't pray one way, you can pray another. So this small band of believers continued to importune the Lord - not by raising their voices, but by pouring out their hearts to Him. Thus, the Lord blessed these people as they struggled under anti-Christian bondage. His response came:

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.

As I think of the events of the past few weeks, banks failing, "Feds" rushing in, the government now owning pieces of what used to be free enterprise, mortgages failing, people beginning to bear crushing burdens of financial mishaps, the weight of it all is difficult to bear. The scriptures state that in the last days, "men's" hearts (referring to mankind in general) will fail them.

What is the definition of bondage, after all is said and done? Dictionaries will state bondage to be: involuntary servitude, being subjected to external power or control, or loss of personal power due to the control of a superior. (This all sounds an awful lot like something Lucifer would be interested in!)

Regardless of the type of bondage referred to (whether physical bondage or emotional such as addictions to porn, etc.), the Lord never intended His children to be slaves to others. And so when this occurs, He of course is interested in aiding His children. But He will not force Himself on others, because to put others under "external power or control" is contrary to His nature. No, instead we must petition Him for aid ... and He will hear and bring that aid.

In the course of Alma and his people's situation, as soon as they petitioned Him for help [i.e. "...so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God..." and in another verse "...[they] did pour out their hearts to him..." (Mosiah 24:10, 12)] what was the result? That result can be found in the verse listed above, where the Lord states that He accepts all those who would covenant with Him. He not only strengthens His children during the time of difficult bondage, but He is happy to aid "deliverment" to lost souls!

The important thing that Alma and his people remembered was that the Lord had (and has) a perfect plan and a perfect timetable. We must remember, like Alma's people did, that He can be perfectly trusted. For some reason in the Lord's infinite goodness and wisdom, He did not deliver them immediately from the bondage wherein Amulon forced them to serve. But He did deliver them. To see how, read Mosiah 24.

I guess my point in all this is that our scenarios in 2008 may not be much different in overall impact from that felt by Alma and his people. Oh, we may not have actual Amulon's in our lives (but then again we might). We may not have guards surrounding us to ensure our captivity continues (but then again we might). The point is that emotional or physical bondage of any kind is a non-Godlike thing ... and the Bible with the Book of Mormon together contain such powerful accounts of the Lord's willingness to rescue us - if we will just turn to Him and then be willing to wait for His rescue.

Scriptures Contain Such Potent Insights

Some amazing scripture this morning. I was reading in D&C 82 and the very first scripture struck me from the get go...

(Verse 1) Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you.

And I thought how reflexive life is. What we do to others can come back to us. And with regards to forgiveness, the measure of mercy we extend toward others, the Lord reveals back to us in perfect mirror form.

An example just occurred yesterday between my children. My sweet teenage daughter felt frustrated with her younger sibling. Why? Because he was mirroring faces she hadn't made to him that day exactly, but they were the exact faces she used to make to him a year ago.

"But mom, I don't make those faces at him anymore!" she cried.

"I know, honey, but guess what? This seems to be a good example of 'what you do comes back to you.'" I said, smiling wanly. Then I went off to talk to my youngest.

The Lord taught this principle during His sojourn on the earth. The Old Testament also states it. And today I was reading it in the Doctrine and Covenants. Yesterday, I was looking at a perfect modern example of it from my kids. I've seen it in other experiences, both unfortunate ones and positive ones. It is a principle that functions in this life, a truism.

But that truism generally takes time to become apparent as a truth. That is why, I guess, so many people think they can "do-to-others" whatever the heck they want, not thinking that some day it will come back to snarl at them. "But man, I don't do that to others any more," they might say. Or better yet, "How dare you!" when someone else clips them off on the highway.

This life seems to be one big compassion test. And the scriptures are full of both compassionate counsel and stern warnings as to mortality and the wise use of it. D&C 82:1 is a perfect example of one of the compassionate phrases in the scriptures..."Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you (emphasis added)." He doesn't need to forgive us. But He does, if we forgive others.

Of course, not all bad things come as consequence of something "bad" we did. There are freak incidences of crime (for example, I had a dear friend whose husband was beaten and left for dead on a remote highway without him ever having done this to someone else.) Mortality, after all, would not be a test in faith if everything were functioning as a perfect equal sign.

But there are some things we can avoid or even select to receive through choice. And apparently, forgiveness is one of them. The Lord appears to waits first to see if we will manifest towards others what one day we might very much hope for - even plead for - ourselves: forgiveness.

Scriptures contain such potent insights.

Being Contrary

I was reading today in the Book of Mormon about corrupt judges railing against a man who spoke for the Lord. The man's name was Nephi. He was witnessing about Christ, goodness, and also against the destructive evil that was present in their society (and in the judges' hearts). If you want to read more about the story, it is in Helaman 8.

But the part that struck me within this whole account was this verse, especially the bolded part:

For behold, Nephi had spoken unto them concerning the corruptness of their law; yea, many things did Nephi speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God.

And I thought about my own verbiage. Do I ever say things which would displease the Lord or which would be contrary to what He would say or do? Most importantly, what are the interactions like with the people closest to me...my family.

I remember as a young kid, my mother saying to all of us kids, "Why is it easier for you to be nice to your friends than to your family?" That really stuck with me. And so through the years, I noticed this seemed to be a prevailing issue with many people. Who they were outside of the home was sometimes different than what might be inside their home.

And so ever since those young years, when my mother said that comment, I started noticing...and trying to change. And that's why today, when I read the scriptural reference to Nephi's strength and valor regarding his verbiage, it was one more clarion call to make sure my words please the Lord and are in alignment with His will.

I love the scriptures and how they teach such pure principles. Not easy-to-live-principles, but truly awesome ones!

Idols Unto Ourselves

I was studying in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith manual this morning. On page 252 in chapter 21 I read a reference to Habakkuk 2 in the Old Testament. The reference actually was to verse 4, referring to "the just shall live by his faith." But as I continued onward in that particular chapter, I was struck with how easily men and women can become idols unto themselves. How our choices--ones we think are so wise or great--are really short-sighted...and if we'd counseled with the Lord in the first place, we would have chosen differently.

For example, verse 9:

Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil.

Instead of looking to God for deliverance, this verse refers to humans who believe they know best and set about their pre-determined tasks/beliefs in order to deliver themselves. Yet it is Christ who has the power to deliver us completely from evil!

Instead of creating self as deliverer or things as deliverers, the truth of the matter is in the final verse of Habakkuk (verse 20):

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.

Sometimes I feel so sad how easily I begin making my own plans, setting my own distances for trodding the day, instead of always referring to and conferring with the Lord. Perhaps, as Habakkuk suggests, I should keep more silent in my way and look to the Lord first to see what His counsel might be; I think my days would go much better!

Oh, how I love the scriptures. They point out to me my errant ways. And rather than be discouraged when or how I might err, instead to remember Habakkuk 2:1:

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

I'm learning that attitude when corrected shows much. :0)

Continue in Supplication

This morning I was reading in Alma 31 in the Book of Mormon and was struck by this verse:

"Neither would they observe the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily, that they might not enter into temptation."

This verse was speaking of a particular group of people who had once worshiped the Lord, but then had rejected Him and His gospel. And I thought how peculiar it can be that the human heart will reject all that is good for it.

Supplication simply means a humble request, or to plead humbly, or to ask for earnestly. What prevents humility? The answer to this I suppose could be multiple things, and for me, I find that many things can harden a heart, leading to the antithesis of humility: pride.

What is wrong with prayer and supplication? I have felt at times the struggle to not pray. I've experienced how hard it can to bring oneself to a point of humility, kneeling before one's Maker. But when I've waged that battle and won, it has been in that precise moment that I have found the most tender feelings possible in my life. I'd pushed through my own stubbornness and yielded to the Lord's gentle peace.

It almost seems paradoxical. But I've felt it in my own life. When we kneel before God and give up our soul for Him (in all other forms of service, too, for His children) it seems we stand tallest in His eyes. The peace that comes in such a moment is one I cherish and hope to continue in!

These individuals mentioned in Alma 31:10 had strayed into paths of pride. It's a journey I hope never to follow. The best preventative measure is precisely found in the antithesis of their actions, instead to keep myself kneeling "in prayer and supplication to God daily, that [I] might not enter into temptation." How easy it might be to forget, which is why I continue this blog.

Finally Landed...

Our move is nearly complete. We're unboxing and dealing with trying to find pieces and parts that belong to other pieces and parts. Amidst it all, I'm so grateful to the Lord for His kindness in moving us to this part of the vineyard.

Today I was reading in 1 Nephi 17 from the Book of Mormon, and I read these verses:

Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.

And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things."

These words struck me with impact as I thought of the tempest of an announcement in today's news of Lehman's collapse and other finance institutions threatening to do the same. I daresay that the financial horizons will look quite different over the next few years. So what is an ordinary person to do during the tempest of it all?

Nephi's words hold great import and teaches a mighty principle. He was building a boat; something he'd never done. It was at the request of the Lord. That boat was to take Nephi and his kin to safety across the waters of the great deep to the promised land. But what a request it was! How did Nephi handle the intimidation of it all? Through praying "oft", as he put it.

Today the economic conditions are mirroring the frightening winds and rains of Hurricane Ike which just created devastation in the south-central portion of the United States. Whether the winds that blow are physical ones, economic ones, or otherwise, the answer of what to do during the storm will come--in a still small voice it will come--as we follow Nephi's pattern: "pray oft."

When Elijah from the Old Testament heard the Lord's voice, it was a still small one--not found in the crashing noises of the storms he'd encountered. It can be the same for us. In spite of all the economic, physical, or social storms beating themselves about us, we too like Nephi (and Elijah) can pray oft and be guided by the still small voice of the Lord. We are His children after all; He will not leave us too long in those cold winds of change.