How Can Humility Affect Our Reaction to Adversity?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Alma 53-63 in a lesson titled “Preserved by His Marvelous Power.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

When compared with the Lamanite armies, Helaman’s “little army” (Alma 56:33) of young men shouldn’t have stood a chance. Besides being few in number, Helaman’s soldiers “were all … very young,” and “they never had fought” (Alma 56:46-47). In some ways, their situation might seem familiar to those of us who sometimes feel outnumbered and overwhelmed in our latter-day battle against Satan and the forces of evil in the world.

But the army of Helaman had some advantages over the Lamanites that had nothing to do with numbers or military skill. They chose Helaman, a prophet, to lead them (see Alma 53:19); “they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47); and they had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught.” As a result, they were protected by “the miraculous power of God” (Alma 57:26). So when facing life’s battles, we can take courage. Helaman’s army teaches us that “there [is] a just God, and whosoever [does] not doubt, [will] be preserved by his marvelous power” (Alma 57:26).

This lesson contained a powerful story about how Helaman’s young soldiers who had great faith in God. (See Alma 53:10–22; 56:43–49, 55–56; 57:20–27; 58:39–40.) Their faith in God gave them great courage, and they fought in such a way that the Lamanites feared them. All of the young men received wounds, but none of the 2060 warriors died from their wounds. The story tells us that having faith in God helps us to overcome fear. We can learn from their story to help us to win our spiritual battles with the power of Jesus Christ.

Another powerful story told in this lesson is how followers of Jesus Christ are not easily offended. (See Alma 58:1-12, 31-37; 61.) Helaman and Pahoran had good reasons to be offended. Helaman was not receiving support for his armies, and Pahoran was falsely accused by Moroni of withholding that support. Elder David A. Bednar pointed to Pahoran as an example of meekness and taught that “the most majestic and meaningful examples of meekness are found in the life of the Savior Himself” (“Meek and Lowly of Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 32).

A third principle taught in this lesson is that each of us has a responsibility to lift the people around us. (See Alma 60:7-14.) Moroni wrote that God would hold Pahoran responsible if he knowingly neglected the needs of the Nephite armies. The scripture block teaches us how to be more aware of and meet the needs of other people.

The principle that I hope to emphasize is found in Alma 62:39-51 “If I am humble, life’s challenges can turn my heart to God.” Life is interesting in that two people who share identical experiences – such as soldiers in war – can come out of those experiences in diverse ways. For example, we can put a raw egg and a potato in a pot of water and boil them. The potato will get softer, while the egg becomes firmer.

After the wars were over, the prophet Helaman went back to teaching the gospel and organized the church again. For some of the people, the war had softened their hearts, while the hearts of other people were hardened. The difference comes from individual choices. If we choose to stay humble during adversities, we can keep our hearts soft and in tune with God.

 

Why Do We Have Weaknesses?

             This week I studied Ether 11-15 for my Come, Follow Me lessons. Ether 11, 13-15 are all about the final wars and destruction of the Jaredites, but Ether 12 contains great doctrines and principles. The principle that I will discuss tonight is humility.

            It seems that Moroni took a break while summarizing the chapters about the wars and destructions and wrote about faith, hope, and charity. While writing about those three principles, he dropped some information about humility. Moroni shared his concerns about his writing ability with the Lord in Ether 12:23-25.

23 Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them.

24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.

25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.

            Moroni had great strengths and attributes, but he felt inadequate when he compared his writing to that of the brother of Jared. I believe that Moroni recognized his weakness and worried that people in the latter days would condemn his record because of his writing ability. I have read Moroni’s writing, and I find his words to be beautifully written. Was he worried about his penmanship or his writing ability? We do not know, but we know what the Lord answered in Ether 12:26-29.

26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope, and charity bringeth unto me – the fountain of all righteousness.

29 And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted….

            The Lord packed a lot of information in His answer. He seemed to acknowledge

            Moroni’s weakness before assuring that the Gentiles would not use it against him. The Lord then explained that He gives us our weaknesses to keep us humble. It may be difficult for any of us to stay humble if we had no weaknesses. The opposite of humility is pride, and we know that pride is not a good thing.

            In addition to keeping us humble by giving us weaknesses, the Lord promised that He would turn our weaknesses into strengths if we stay humble and exercise faith in Him. Elder Neal A. Maxwell had some additional insight into these verses. “When we read I the scriptures of man’s ‘weakness,’ this term includes the … weakness inherent in the general human condition in which the flesh has an incessant impact upon the spirit (see Ether 12:28-29). Weakness likewise includes, however, our specific, individual weaknesses, which we are expected to overcome (see Doctrine and Covenants 66:3; Jacob 4:7)” (Lord, Increase Our Faith [1994], 84).

            We can conclude from Elder Maxwell’s words that some of our weaknesses are just part of being human, while others are personal weaknesses. President Henry B. Eyring gave additional insights into these verses. “Moroni said that when he ‘heard these words,’ he ‘was comforted’ (Ether 12:29). They can be a comfort to all of us. Those who do not see their weaknesses do not progress. Your awareness of your weakness is a blessing as it helps you remain humble and keeps you turning to the Savior. The Spirit not only comforts you, but He is also the agent by which the Atonement works a change in your very nature. Then weak things become strong” (“My Peace I Leave with You,” Ensign, May 2017, 16).

            We know that other prophets had weaknesses also. Enoch wondered why the Lord would call him as a prophet because he felt that he was too young – at age 65. Moses had a weakness with speaking, so the Lord made Aaron his spokesman. If we knew particulars about all the prophets, we would probably learn that all of them had a weakness or two. Even though they are prophets, they are also human.

            When we look at ourselves and see our weaknesses, we should remember that God gave them to us to keep us humble. However, He expects us to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and humbly ask for help in overcoming our weaknesses.

            Moroni had not quite learned the lesson because he asked the Lord to give grace to the Gentiles “that they might have charity” (Ether 12:36). The Lord assured Moroni that he did not have to worry about the Gentiles in verse 37.

37 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

            These verses clearly tell us that we have weaknesses to keep us humble, but we are supposed to work at overcoming our weaknesses. However, we do not need to concern ourselves with how other people see our weaknesses. If we are faithful, we can be assured that the Lord will give us what we deserve.

Humility

                Have you ever wondered about the difference between humbling ourselves and being compelled to be humble?  I have been intrigued for a long time about the experiences of Alma and his people compared to those of King Limhi and his people as found in the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Mosiah 19-24.

                The prophet Abinadi visited the people of wicked King Noah to call them to repentance; he told them that they would come under bondage if they did not repent (see Mosiah 11:21).  When Abinadi returned after two years and found that the people had not repented (see Mosiah 12:1), he delivered an even stronger warning.  This time he told the people that many of them would be slain, suffer famine and pestilence, or be destroyed if they refused to repent.

                This time Alma believed the words of Abinadi and wrote them down.  He began to teach the people; those who believed him repented and became righteous.  This group was forced to separate themselves from the majority of the people who remained wicked.  Both groups eventually came under bondage because they did not repent with the first warning, but there were great differences between what happened to the two groups.  One group voluntarily repented, and the other group was compelled to repent.

                The majority of the people rejected and killed Abinadi; they continued in their wickedness.  They were divided, contentious, and brought into bondage by the Lamanites.  Many of them were killed including King Noah; his son Limhi began to reign.  The smaller group listened to Alma, who believed the words of Abinadi; they developed faith, repented of their sins, and were baptized.  The Lord warned them to flee into the wilderness to escape King Noah’s soldiers.

                King Limhi’s people endured bondage and went to war with the Lamanites several times in attempts to gain freedom; they eventually accepted their bondage.  Alma’s people prospered and built a city; they lived in righteousness and prospered exceedingly.  While Alma and his people continued to live in peace and prosperity, King Limhi and his people recognized their plight; they repented and turned to the Lord.  They were compelled to be humble and to accept their bondage.  As they became more righteous, the Lord blessed them by degrees.  They gave wine to the Lamanite guards and caused them to be drunk.  Limhi and his people escaped under the cover of darkness.  The next day they were pursued by a Lamanite army but were not overtaken.

                The Lamanite army discovered Alma and his people and put them under bondage.  Alma’s people stayed faithful and endured their trials patiently.  The Lord eased their burdens and strengthened them; He eventually delivered them out of bondage.  The Lord caused a deep sleep to come over the Lamanites, and Alma and his people escaped during daylight hours.

                From the experiences of these two groups of people, we can plainly see that it is better to humble ourselves than to be compelled to be humble.  President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) taught the following about humility:

“Humility, of course, is not a sign of weakness.  Humility does not mean timidity.  A person can be humble, powerful, and courageous.  The Prophet Joseph is a good example.  Humility is an acknowledged recognition of our dependence on a higher power.” (See The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 369.)

Humility and Prayer

Families are strengthened when individual members walk in humility and prayer because doing so invites the power of God into their lives. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of humility and prayer. He said, "I can of my own self do nothing…. I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). He freely admitted that His strength came from Heavenly Father. Humility is not a sign of weakness or fear because a person can be both humble and fearless or humble and courageous. Humility is a grateful acknowledgment of the blessings from God and of a person's need for God's support. "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers" (Doctrine and Covenants 112:10). Prayer is the formal or informal act of communicating with God and is the act of a child speaking with a Parent. The Bible Dictionary explains, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matthew 7:7-11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings" (pp 752-753). President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, "There is no place for arrogance in our lives, no place for conceit, no place for anything of that kind. We are very ordinary people in many respects. We must walk our own way. We are here to do a work, to make something of our lives, and God our Eternal Father will bless us in so doing if we will walk in humility and prayer" (Stand A Little Taller, p 363). Humility and prayer as individuals and as groups give added strength to families.