30 O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and infidelity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul.
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.
Alma offered this prayer after hearing the memorized prayer which the Zoramites offered on the tower which they called the Rameumptom. He was horrified at the arrogance of their prayer–thanking God that they were better than other people and that they would be saved while others would be cast down.
I can imagine Alma thinking, “I’m here to teach these people the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of love, humility, and faith. But how can I teach these people? They’re so hardened and so set in their ways. Why would they listen to me?” And so he offered a humble prayer, acknowledging his weakness and asking Heavenly Father to strengthen him. I notice that he didn’t ask God to take away the afflictions which he knew were coming, and he didn’t even ask God to take away his “infirmities.” Instead, he asked for strength to “bear with [his] infirmities” and to “suffer with patience these afflictions.” He was willing to endure the difficult challenges ahead, but he recognized that he needed to be strengthened in order to endure it fully.
Today, I will follow Alma’s example. When I face challenges which may take time to overcome, I will ask for strength so that I can endure them with patience.