Day 208 God Delivers in Our Afflictions

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth, and in the same sentence offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life and ultimately you and I can be savory salt.

Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from. Thank you for joining me and know that I'm cheering for your every success. Remember the captivity of our fathers.

What an interesting phrase to look at. Welcome to day 208 on our 365-day journey through the Book of Mormon together. Today, you're going to be reading Alma chapter 35, verses 7 through 16.

You'll finish, and then dive into Alma chapter 36, verses 1 through 6, which is the beginning of Alma's advice to his sons. And that's really interesting because we see in Alma chapter 35, we see the beginning of what's going to be these war chapters, because the Zoramites seem to be this tipping point as they split and the repentant Zoramites joined the people of Ammon and the non-Zoramites joined the angry Lamanites. This is the beginning of that stirring of the war chapters.

And Alma gets done with his preaching in chapter 35. And you have these really interesting verses, 15 and 16, where he is so overcome with sadness at the hardness of the hearts of the people that he has preached to that have not listened to the message. It almost seems like that sorrow turns him to the last thing he feels like he can really have impact on, and that is his own family.

And then we get these amazing chapters that we're going to have here over the next several days as we dive into his advice to his sons. And that takes us to our verse for today, which is a verse that actually comes around quite often at the beginning of many of our great missionary chapters we have in the Book of Mormon. It is in Alma chapter 36, verse 2, actually.

This is what it says: "I would that ye should do as I have done in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions." I know we have talked about this one before, and I know that it is a vital one because it recurs over and over again in the Book of Mormon. On the front end of many of these great missionary chapters and many of these great prophets speaking, they implore us, they beg us to remember that there have been situations in the past where the people of God have been in situations where they are stuck and there's no way to get them back. All the way through, except through the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And He surely does deliver. This is such an interesting promise to me. I can think of times on my mission where I was really struggling.

I can think of times after my mission in my life where I've had dark, struggling thoughts and challenges and kind of see no end in sight. And yet these verses remind me to say, "Hey, Allan, number one, there is a Father in Heaven who loves you." He exists. And I want you to remember that His people, when they turn to Him and ask for deliverance, find deliverance.

He delivers them and He can do so for you as well. I want to testify that our Father in Heaven can deliver you from your challenges and struggles as well. When there seems no way out and no way through the challenges you're facing or the barriers, He can see us through.

The Atonement of Christ has made it possible for all of us to be delivered. I want to turn to Him more often in my challenges, in my good times and my bad times, and remember the deliverance that comes from God. That's all for today, my friends.

Remember that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow and I hope you are too.