< ALMA 31 >
v. 22 Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the self-same prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him...
The problem with their prayer: Same words every time, public performance, self-congratulatory tone, emphasizing election and superiority with no repentance, humility, or petition.
But the problem wasn't just the liturgical nature of their prayers it was the fact that they were full of pride, a performative religion that lacked private sincere devotion, and they used the prayers to declare their superiority.
The counsel here is that prayer can't become rote, prideful, or performative, it has to be from the heart.
The Zoramites used their religion to signal belonging and superiority rather than seek transformation.
See Matthew 6:5 - thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
God wants real hearts, not religious theater.
The problem with their prayer: Same words every time, public performance, self-congratulatory tone, emphasizing election and superiority with no repentance, humility, or petition.
But the problem wasn't just the liturgical nature of their prayers it was the fact that they were full of pride, a performative religion that lacked private sincere devotion, and they used the prayers to declare their superiority.
The counsel here is that prayer can't become rote, prideful, or performative, it has to be from the heart.
The Zoramites used their religion to signal belonging and superiority rather than seek transformation.
See Matthew 6:5 - thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
God wants real hearts, not religious theater.
v. 30 O Lord God, how long wilt though suffer that such wickedness and infidelity shall be among his people? O Lord, wilt though give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities, For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul.
Infirm: The weakness and frailties that come with mortality. Truly, this was a prayer in humility of soul: O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm...O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my sould in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength.
Infirm: The weakness and frailties that come with mortality. Truly, this was a prayer in humility of soul: O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm...O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my sould in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength.
v. 31 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.
Comfort my soul in Christ: Comfort comes from the Latin word confortare - which means to strengthen greatly (com - together, with / fortis - strong - like in fortress) While in our usage it means to soothe, console, or reassure, in the volgate confortare was used to mean strengthening, to bring strength in times of grief.
Alma isn't saying, comfort me with success, comfort me with results, he says le my identity be setteled in Him, give me strength through Christ.
He's saying:
- When I'm overwhelemd - remind me who I am.
- When criticized - steady my identity
- When tired - renew my inner strength
- When outcomes are uncertain - anchor my hope
It's not escape, it's grounding. It is anchoring your identity somewhere deeper than the outcome. In real terms it means that your worth is settled before you perform. In real life that means:
- You pause before reacting
- Remember who you are
- Separate outcome from identity
- Lead from conviction instead of anxiety
Being comforted in Christ doesn't mean becoming soft or passive, it means you are are:
calm under pressure, steady when criticized, focused when overwhelmed, not reactive when provoked.
Comfort my soul in Christ: Comfort comes from the Latin word confortare - which means to strengthen greatly (com - together, with / fortis - strong - like in fortress) While in our usage it means to soothe, console, or reassure, in the volgate confortare was used to mean strengthening, to bring strength in times of grief.
Alma isn't saying, comfort me with success, comfort me with results, he says le my identity be setteled in Him, give me strength through Christ.
He's saying:
- When I'm overwhelemd - remind me who I am.
- When criticized - steady my identity
- When tired - renew my inner strength
- When outcomes are uncertain - anchor my hope
It's not escape, it's grounding. It is anchoring your identity somewhere deeper than the outcome. In real terms it means that your worth is settled before you perform. In real life that means:
- You pause before reacting
- Remember who you are
- Separate outcome from identity
- Lead from conviction instead of anxiety
Being comforted in Christ doesn't mean becoming soft or passive, it means you are are:
calm under pressure, steady when criticized, focused when overwhelmed, not reactive when provoked.
v. 32 ... Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ.
Betrayal: How do you pray when you are betrayed?
First: Start with Honesty in your prayer
God can handle direct language. Honest prayer is more faithful than sanitized prayer. Betrayal produces real, strong emotions: anger, hurt, disbelieft, a desire for justice or revenge. Tell God how you really feel. Betrayal produces real wounds, real hurt. Let God know this hurt you. Healing begins when you tell God your pain.
Second: Ask for clarity before Justice
The instinct is to want God to make ir right, fix it, expose their wrongdoing! It is better to ask for help to see clearly, to ask for protection from acting rashly, ask for strength to be wise in your response and approach.
Third: Don't force forgiveness too early.
Pray to prevent bitterness from owning you. Seek freedom from bitterness so that you can be free to forgive.
Fourth: Ask for strength not softness:
Comfort (as noted) means to strengthen. Ask for strength to respond with dignity, strength to deal with confrontation if needed, strength to set boundaries, strength to not let fear control you.
Fifth: Protect you identity, release yourself from the outcome
Pray to anchor your identity in Christ. Strength to know that this does not define you.
You may want vindication, apology, restoration, but this may never fully come to your satisfaction. Pray to help yourself act rightly even if you never get the closure you want.
Christ gets it:
We can be comforted in Christ, becuase he understands betrayal intimately. His friends left, they mocked him, he was betrayed by his friend to his humilitation and ultimate death. So being comforted in Crhist means you are not alone in that experience.
In practicum:
1) Name the hurt
2) Ask for clarity
3) Ask for strength
4) Ask to be protected from bitterness
5) Release the outcome
Betrayal: How do you pray when you are betrayed?
First: Start with Honesty in your prayer
God can handle direct language. Honest prayer is more faithful than sanitized prayer. Betrayal produces real, strong emotions: anger, hurt, disbelieft, a desire for justice or revenge. Tell God how you really feel. Betrayal produces real wounds, real hurt. Let God know this hurt you. Healing begins when you tell God your pain.
Second: Ask for clarity before Justice
The instinct is to want God to make ir right, fix it, expose their wrongdoing! It is better to ask for help to see clearly, to ask for protection from acting rashly, ask for strength to be wise in your response and approach.
Third: Don't force forgiveness too early.
Pray to prevent bitterness from owning you. Seek freedom from bitterness so that you can be free to forgive.
Fourth: Ask for strength not softness:
Comfort (as noted) means to strengthen. Ask for strength to respond with dignity, strength to deal with confrontation if needed, strength to set boundaries, strength to not let fear control you.
Fifth: Protect you identity, release yourself from the outcome
Pray to anchor your identity in Christ. Strength to know that this does not define you.
You may want vindication, apology, restoration, but this may never fully come to your satisfaction. Pray to help yourself act rightly even if you never get the closure you want.
Christ gets it:
We can be comforted in Christ, becuase he understands betrayal intimately. His friends left, they mocked him, he was betrayed by his friend to his humilitation and ultimate death. So being comforted in Crhist means you are not alone in that experience.
In practicum:
1) Name the hurt
2) Ask for clarity
3) Ask for strength
4) Ask to be protected from bitterness
5) Release the outcome
v. 38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.
Praying in faith: Faith isn't "If I pray hard enough, I'll get the outcome I want".
Faith is trust in God's character, confidence in His goodness, willingness to act based on that trust. So prayinf in faith isn't about controlling the result, it's about trusting in the relationship.
A prayer of faith says, "I desire this..but I trust Thy will, stengthen. me even if the trail remains, change me if needed"
Faith means you are willing to act after praying. You're open to correction. Your're prepared to accept guidance. You'll follow through on the Lord's will, even if it's uncomfortable.
How to pray in faith when the stakes are high?
First: What am I afraid of losing?
High stakes situations usually trigger fear of: loss of control, status, money, security, identity, letting other down. Naming the fear brings it into the light. Faith begins where honesty begins.
Second: Separate responsibility from control
Praying in faith means releasing control while retaining responsibility. That's hard.
Third: Shift the prayer itself
Usually we pray for results, "please make this work!" Faith based prayer sounds more like: Help me act with clarity, keep my motives honest and pure, help me make decisions grounded in faith not fear, strengthen me regardless of the outcome.
Fourth: Reduce panic, not effort
Faith without works is dead. Praying in faith does not make you passive, you still have to prepare thoroughly, think strategically, execute to the best of your ability, have difficult conversations.
Fifth: Know who you are, regardless of the outcome
If this goes poorly, who am I? If the answer is a failure, less respected, exposed, ruined, then that's where faith needs to anchor you. If your identity is settled before the outcome, you're freer to act wisely. (See the talk Repentance doesn't burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy by Sister Tamara Runia)
The hardest part is that faith does not guarantee success, fairness, or immediate justice.
It guarantees that you are not alone in carrying the load, that your worth is not tied to the outcome, your actions matter independent of the outcome.
When the stake sare high, it activates the sympathetic nervous system, adrenaline, tunnle vision urgency. Prayingin faith slows that down and puts things into perspective.
Praying in faith: Faith isn't "If I pray hard enough, I'll get the outcome I want".
Faith is trust in God's character, confidence in His goodness, willingness to act based on that trust. So prayinf in faith isn't about controlling the result, it's about trusting in the relationship.
A prayer of faith says, "I desire this..but I trust Thy will, stengthen. me even if the trail remains, change me if needed"
Faith means you are willing to act after praying. You're open to correction. Your're prepared to accept guidance. You'll follow through on the Lord's will, even if it's uncomfortable.
How to pray in faith when the stakes are high?
First: What am I afraid of losing?
High stakes situations usually trigger fear of: loss of control, status, money, security, identity, letting other down. Naming the fear brings it into the light. Faith begins where honesty begins.
Second: Separate responsibility from control
Praying in faith means releasing control while retaining responsibility. That's hard.
Third: Shift the prayer itself
Usually we pray for results, "please make this work!" Faith based prayer sounds more like: Help me act with clarity, keep my motives honest and pure, help me make decisions grounded in faith not fear, strengthen me regardless of the outcome.
Fourth: Reduce panic, not effort
Faith without works is dead. Praying in faith does not make you passive, you still have to prepare thoroughly, think strategically, execute to the best of your ability, have difficult conversations.
Fifth: Know who you are, regardless of the outcome
If this goes poorly, who am I? If the answer is a failure, less respected, exposed, ruined, then that's where faith needs to anchor you. If your identity is settled before the outcome, you're freer to act wisely. (See the talk Repentance doesn't burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy by Sister Tamara Runia)
The hardest part is that faith does not guarantee success, fairness, or immediate justice.
It guarantees that you are not alone in carrying the load, that your worth is not tied to the outcome, your actions matter independent of the outcome.
When the stake sare high, it activates the sympathetic nervous system, adrenaline, tunnle vision urgency. Prayingin faith slows that down and puts things into perspective.