Why Should We Put Our Trust in God?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Alma 13-16 in a lesson titled “Enter into the Rest of the Lord.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

In many ways, life in Ammonihah had been good for both Amulek and Zeezrom. Amulek was “a man of no small reputation,” with “many kindreds and friends” and “much riches” (Alma 10:4). Zeezrom was an expert lawyer who enjoyed “much business” (Alma 10:31). Then Alma arrived with an invitation to repent and “enter into the rest of the Lord” (Alma 13:16). For Amulek, Zeezrom, and others, accepting this invitation required sacrifice and even led to almost unbearable adversity.

But of course the story doesn’t end there. In Alma 13-16, we learn what ultimately happens to people who believe “in the power of Christ unto salvation” (Alma 15:6). Sometimes there’s deliverance, sometimes healing – and sometimes things don’t get any easier in life. But always, “the Lord receiveth [His people] up unto himself, in glory” (Alma 14:11). Always, the Lord grants “power, according to [our] faith … in Christ” (Alma 14:28). And always, that faith gives us “hope that [we] shall receive eternal life” (Alma 13:29). As you read these chapters, you can take comfort in these promises, and you may come to understand better what Alma meant when he spoke of entering into “the rest of the Lord” (Alma 13:16).

The principle for discussion for this post is found in Alma 14 “In times of suffering, we must trust the Lord.” Many people wonder why terrible things happen to good people, particularly people who are striving to live righteous lives. Alma 14 tells of horrible results for a group of people who listened to the Prophet Alma the Younger. The husbands and fathers were driven out of the city, and the women and children were put in a pit and burned to death. (See Alma 14:7-8.)

Amulek – whose wive and children could have been burned – wanted to use the power of God to save the women and children, but Alma declined.

9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire.

10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.

11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.

12 Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also.

13 And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.

Life is not fair because we are all born into different circumstances. We all make different choices when given the same opportunities – college or no college, candy or bicycle, how we spend our time and money. Elder Dale G Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke about the “Infuriating Unfairness” of life in his April 2021 General Conference address. Among other information, Elder Renlund said the following: 

In mortality, we can “come boldly” to the Savior and receive compassion, healing, and help. Even while we suffer inexplicably, God can bless us in simple, ordinary, and significant ways. As we learn to recognize these blessings, our trust in God will increase. In the eternities, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will resolve all unfairness. We understandably want to know how and when. How are They going to do that? When are They going to do it? To my knowledge, They have not revealed how or when. What I do know is that They will.

In unfair situations, one of our tasks is to trust that “all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ overcame the world and “absorbed” all unfairness. Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit. When it comes to how and when, we need to recognize and accept, as did Alma, that “it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case” (Alma 40:5).

We can try to old our questions about how and when for later and focus on developing faith in Jesus Christ, that He has both the power to make everything right and yearns to do so. For us to insist on knowing how or when is unproductive and, after all, myopic.

As we develop faith in Jesus Christ, we should also strive to become like Him. We then approach others with compassion and try to alleviate unfairness where we find it, we can try to make things right within our sphere of influence. Indeed, the Savior directed that we “should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27).