Alma 8:10 - "Nevertheless Alma labored much in spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer..." How often do I 'wrestle' with God in 'mighty' prayer? Not often. I'll be honest. and when i do pray like that, it's usually because i really want something or some crisis has happened. as a bit of a justification to this, alma really wanted something too. continuing in that verse, "...that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who weer in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance." I would call that a worthy thing to pray for. I should have prayed like that every day on my mission for my investigators. Now I probably should pray every day like that for my family, or my loved ones, or people I actually hope to see in the Celestial Kingdom who aren't quite on the path that will take them there.
Guilt aside, I have indeed wrestled with God a time or two in mighty prayer, and I can testify that wrestling is never in vain. I've always received the answers I needed. One time i received one of the clearest answers i've ever had and no wrestling was involved. Twice, actually. Once when I learned I was supposed to serve a mission, the other time when I learned I was supposed to marry Nick.
So Alma meets Amulek and they go testify to the people and preach repentance unto them. Alma makes the point that, "...If this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them." The point being that the Lamanites are wicked because they don't know any better. Those he is preaching to have received knowledge and should know how to behave and that they need to repent. comparing the two, he basically is saying the higher you go, the further you fall.
Guilt aside, I have indeed wrestled with God a time or two in mighty prayer, and I can testify that wrestling is never in vain. I've always received the answers I needed. One time i received one of the clearest answers i've ever had and no wrestling was involved. Twice, actually. Once when I learned I was supposed to serve a mission, the other time when I learned I was supposed to marry Nick.
So Alma meets Amulek and they go testify to the people and preach repentance unto them. Alma makes the point that, "...If this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them." The point being that the Lamanites are wicked because they don't know any better. Those he is preaching to have received knowledge and should know how to behave and that they need to repent. comparing the two, he basically is saying the higher you go, the further you fall.
RSS Feed