Courage to Go Forth

Some of the most courageous figures in all of scripture must be the sons of Mosiah. These four brothers, heirs to the throne of the Nephite nation, each refused the crown in order to move to a hostile nation and preach the gospel. They left without knowing when they would return-- it ended up being about fourteen years later-- and without means to sustain them or connections in the foreign land.

Many talks and lessons have cited the quality of the sons of Mosiah's character to explain why Ammon, Aaron, Omner and Himni would go as missionaries to the Lamanites:

They had waxed strong in the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with the power and authority of God (Alma 17:2-3).

Although this verse comes before the account of the challenges of their respective missions-- everything from imprisonment without food and water to witnessing others be killed for their faith-- it is a narrative description of the sons of Mosiah after they had returned from their mission. Fourteen years earlier, they were very aware of the danger of the mission they had chosen and the hardness of the hearts they felt called to teach.

With some anxiety, they began their journey through the wilderness to the mission field. The scriptures say that the sons of Mosiah, and those that were with them, "fasted much and prayed much" as they traveled, asking that "that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring... the Lamanties to the knowledge of the truth" (Alma 17:9).

And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls (Alma 17:10-11).

The Lord responded to the sons of Mosiah's pleadings with three things: comfort to calm their anxieties, instructions for success, and a promise that following the instructions would bring the outcome they had fasted and prayed to receive.

When we pray for blessings from our Heavenly Father, sometimes we can make the mistake of stopping our progress when the comfort comes. None of us likes to be troubled or anxious, so when we are worried or struggling we fast and pray diligently until we are comforted. Then, somehow, when comfort comes we seem to think that the blessings we desire will be delivered with minimal effort on our part. We say things like, "we just need to have faith," or "the Lord will deliver on his timetable," and we wait for a miracle.

Faith in the Lord, and in His timetable, is, of course, important. Miracles do happen. And sometimes there is nothing we can do but stand still, like the children of Israel trapped by Pharoah's armies against the Red Sea, and behold the Lord's mighty power. But most often, genuine faith requires us to act and do all we can do to realize the blessings we desire. The Lord then magnifies our faithful efforts, and helps us learn and grow along the way, until we obtain the things we desired from Him.

Acting with faith can cause a little anxiety, even if we're not on a mission to an enemy country. It can be hard to share the gospel with a friend, heal a relationship, stop a bad habit, move to a new place, accept a new calling, or whatever else we feel called to do. We need courage to keep moving forward.

In the moment of comfort, the Lord instructed the sons of Mosiah. First, he confirmed that they should go to serve the Lamanites. Next, he commanded them to establish his word by their example and admonished them to be patient in affliction. Despite the moment of comfort they were enjoying, the blessings they desired could only be achieved through a great deal more discomfort. Finally, he promised that if they would keep this commandment, he would grant them the blessing they desired.

And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God (Alma 17:12, emphasis added).

Like the sons of Mosiah, we can fast much and pray much to know from the Lord whether we are on the right path. We can learn what we need to do to receive the blessings we desire and receive assurances that, if we will be faithful to the commandments the Lord gives to each of us, the Lord will ensure our success.

With the Lord's assurances, and trust that God will prepare the way, we can find the courage we need to save the kings flocks from marauders, endure an unjust imprisonment, or overcome whatever other obstacle we may face in pursuit of our desired blessings. As we do, the Lord will make us his sons and daughters-- strong in the knowledge of the truth, armed with spiritual gifts and the power and authority of God to do his work.

Journeys of Faith

Sometime in the three years following the birth of Christ, a group of travelers arrived in Jerusalem from an unnamed eastern country. The group, which had likely come over 1,000 miles by camel or on foot, was notable for the noble men who were their leaders-- considered wise either because of royal status or education or devotion to the gospel-- and journeyed because they recognized a new star in the heavens that testified of the birth of the Messiah.

That heralding star had likely not appeared for some time, possibly even years, when the group finally arrived in Israel's capital city. Scripture does not say exactly how long the star shone over Bethlehem nor how long this group of easterners had been traveling, but it is clear the wise men, or perhaps one or more of their wise wives, found it necessary to pull over in Jerusalem and ask for directions. Knowing they sought the King of the Jews, they inquired at the palace.

King Herod was apparently not aware of the star and its prophecy, but he certainly knew of the political threats posed in the prophesies of the Messiah. He consulted with his advisers to direct the travelers to Bethlehem and, attempting to compensate for his own unpreparedness, petitioned them to do a little scouting for him and report back to the palace.

As they walked down the palace steps, the wise men would have had every reason to question the legitimacy of their voyage. It had been so long since they saw the star-- and since then they had faced the numerous challenges and fatigues inherent to a journey across the desert without a notable confirmation that they were on the right path. When they finally reached the palace, there was confusion and little knowledge about the prophecied King of the Jews they sought. Even if the Christ child would be born in Bethlehem, as they had just learned from the king's advisers, there was no way to know which house in town to go or whether he was still in Bethlehem at all. Maybe this was a dead end or just a wild goose chase. Or maybe they hadn't really seen or understood the prophecied star. Wouldn't things be easier if it was right?! Maybe they would be better off turning around and going home-- or at least searching less diligently to mitigate the risk of disappointment.

Thousands of miles away in the Americas, those kinds of doubts had quickly dominated the public discussion. They had also seen the star, but some small groups immediately began to persuade the masses that they had not really seen the star or that, if they did see a star, it was not the prophesied sign of Christ's birth (3 Nephi 1:22). Most of the people did not listen at first, rejoicing in the birth of the Savior; but within a few years the people, 'began to be less and less astonished at a sign or wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen' (3 Nephi 2:1-3).

That would not be the case with the wise men, who wasted no time listening to foolish doubts or pondering potential failures. Instead they set out immediately from the palace, traveling the five-mile road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in the darkness. Somewhere along that path, 'lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him’ (Matthew 2:9-11).

As we seek the Savior in our journey through life, at Christmastime and throughout the year, we will face many of the same kinds of trials as the wise men did. The Lord will give us revelation that we will need to trust and believe absolutely even when the special feelings have long since faded. Sometimes it may seem that we've hit a dead end or that there is no possible way the Lord could keep His promises. We may question ourselves and whether God has really spoken to our minds and hearts or if He is really guiding our path. Certainly the world around us will question our devotion and mock our reliance on the revelation they ignorantly see as strange or only imagined.

We will be tempted to quit, to trust in only what we can calculate or see for ourselves, to believe that we have reached a dead end or that God has not dealt fairly with us, or to hesitate and shy away from hard things. And if we give in to those temptations, we will most often find that we are giving up on finding Christ when we are nearest to Him, giving up the miracles and blessings we have just worked so hard to make possible, and giving up our chance to worship at His feet and live in His presence.

In the story of the wise men we see a wiser path for our lives. Journeys of faith, like journeys through the desert, simply do not happen without exertion, endurance through fatigue, and determination to press forward despite our doubts and fears. But then, if we will 'press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men', the Lord will confirm our faith and guide us to our goals; He will purify our hearts and we will know Him; and we will learn for ourselves that 'whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day' (2 Nephi 31:20, Alma 36:3).