"In Thee Is My Joy"

Have you ever studied Alma 33-34? If you have, you know how amazing these chapters are. If not, grab your nearest Book of Mormon, and study those chapters. Trust me when I say, they are so jam-packed with goodness that your cup will 'runneth over' with happiness!

A little background, before this, Alma had just been dealing with an Anti-Christ named Korihor. He taught all kinds of false things to the people which left them confused on what to believe or not. So in these chapters Alma teaches them the things they need to do to have faith in Christ.

First thing he teaches: Read your scriptures. When you read the scriptures, it is about God and Jesus Christ and you will come to know them.
Second thing he teaches: Pray to God, who is merciful! He will hear you no matter where you are! He will always, always listen to you. I love 34:11 "I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son."
Then Alma asks "Now... I would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?"

What I love about these chapters is the simplicity. We start at the very beginning: Do you believe in God? And then if you do the simple things it will lead to not only your belief in God, but coming to KNOW Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Alma and Amulek bear their testimonies to these people that if they will just do the simple things that we are asked to do, we will come to know Jesus Christ in a very personal way. They repeat it ELEVEN times! He is the 'Son of God'. He was born to bring about an infinite atonement that would save each of us, personally. He suffered both in Gethsemane, as well as on the cross, so that we can have eternal life!

In Alma 34:4 it says 'Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness.' Just give it the smallest amount of faith, even just to experiment to see if it is true, and in verse 31 'immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.'

There is so much good gospel doctrine in these chapters. It is all so wonderful. I'll end this forum with my favorite verse, the last one in chapter 34: "But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."