27 But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them.
28 Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.
In the passage above, Mormon relates that the people of Alma in the land of Helam were frightened by the appearance of a large Lamanite army at their borders. Their leader Alma reminded them to trust God, and to believe in the power of His deliverance. In response to these words, the people “hushed their fears.” As David A. Bednar pointed out in a recent general conference, Alma didn’t calm the fears of the people. Instead, he reminded them of important principles, which empowered them to calm their own fears. In that talk, Elder Bednar taught us three things we can do when we are afraid:
- Look to Christ, just as Peter did while he walked on the water.
- Build upon the foundation of Christ, by receiving sacred ordinances and covenants and then being true to them.
- Press forward with faith in Christ, persistently and patiently following the path of discipleship in spite of the storms that may rage around us or the uncertainties we may face (See “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears,” General Conference, April 2015).
Today I will follow Alma’s counsel to remember the Lord my God. I will overcome any anxieties or nervousness I may feel by turning to the Savior and trusting in his delivering power.