It Takes Two to Tango

The Content:

Alma 43

Verse 25

Now Moroni, leaving a part of his army in the land of Jershon, lest by any means a part of the Lamanites should come into that land and take possession of the city, took the remaining part of his army and marched over into the land of Manti.

The Comments:

Moroni leaves part of his army in Jershon, which is good common sense/planning, and took the rest to Manti. All on the word of a prophet.

Think about that the next time the prophet asks us to do something. (I know I will.)

I can’t imagine the pressure of leading that many men and the way Moroni must have relied not only on the Prophet, but on the Spirit as well.  I can hardly get myself in order. Of course, the Lord gives power and blessings to those he calls. Which is a great comfort to me, and should be to all of us.

And don’t forget, the army needed a leader, but the leader needed good soldiers who trusted him, the Lord and their own testimonies

Covering Both Sides

The Content:

Alma 43

Verse 24

And it came to pass that the word of the Lord came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messengers of Moroni, that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness, that they might come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an attack upon the weaker part of the people. And those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.

The Comments:

The first time I read this and commented, I saw the word “might” and thought, “the prophet said the Lamanites might come to the land of Manti?” Moroni moved on the “might” from the prophet? (I’m not saying that’s bad, by the way)  But now that I read it again, it’s just a quirk of the translation.  No might about it. J

However, one other thing I noticed was that the messengers from Moroni waited for Alma to pray and receive an answer. I realize we don’t usually go through the prophet (okay, I don’t, but I could be doing it wrong) but do we wait for an answer? Maybe on our knees?

I think this illustrates a great lesson on how we can deal with trials in our lives—especially things that we feel helpless against.  We should send our spiritual side to Heavenly Father and wait for an answer to our prayers, while our physical side does everything we can about the problem.  I mentioned this last verse, but it feels more clear in my mind here.

Cover the Bases

The Content:

Alma 43

Verse 23

But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

The Comments:

I love this verse!

The second the Lamanites retreated, Moroni did two things:

1)    He sent spies after the Lamanites

2)    He sent someone to the prophet, Alma, to have Alma inquire of the Lord where to send Moroni’s armies to defend the land

The verse specifically states, “as soon as.” Moroni did not waste time. At all.

It reminds me of the saying (not sure where it started or who said it first) “Work like everything depends on you, and pray like everything depends on the Lord.”

I think it’s easy to get caught up in one or the other and forget to balance both. Or spiritual lives are on the line every day, and this is the perfect model for being proactive in that battle. Do everything you can, and beg for help with the rest.

I’ve often wondered if Moroni didn’t think he was worthy to ask the Lord himself, or if he deferred to the prophet on such matters. Moroni is a spiritual powerhouse, after all, but it does show us a nice line of authority. Like Nephi when he went to his father about where to go in the wilderness to look for beasts to kill for food. (See 1 Nephi 17:14-31)