6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—
After Ammon taught King Lamoni, the king was so overwhelmed by what he had heard and felt that he fell into a coma. For two days and nights, he lay motionless, and some of the servants thought he was dead. But Lamoni’s wife thought better and sent for Ammon to see if he could help her husband to recover.
In the verse above, we read about Ammon’s perception of the situation, which was quite different from the servants and family of the king. Rather than mourn his state, Ammon was delighted to see that the king had been overcome by the spiritual awakening which accompanied opening his heart to the message of the gospel. Perhaps Ammon recalled an earlier experience in which his good friend Alma had been similarly overcome and had also been unconscious for two days and two nights, during which time he had experienced a miraculous conversion and been “born of God” (Mosiah 27:23-26). I think Ammon’s view of what was happening in King Lamoni’s soul can give us some insight into our own spiritual growth:
- Ammon thought of Lamoni’s former unbelief as a “dark veil.” We all have a small flame of belief in our souls, like a pilot light. It is so small initially that it can be easily hidden by cynicism, anger, or anxiety. The first step in our conversion may be to eliminate those inhibitors which stand in the way of us choosing to believe.
- Because Lamoni had been willing to open his heart to the gospel, his mind had been filled with “the light of the glory of God.” That light “was lit up in his soul.” As Boyd K. Packer taught, “Just as sunlight is a natural disinfectant, the Spirit of Christ can cleanse the spirit” (“The Light of Christ,” General Conference, April 2005).
- One of the effects of the light of Christ on Lamoni was that it “infused…joy into his soul.” We may resist the Spirit of the Lord for many reasons, but when we are finally willing to open our hearts and experience it, we are happy. As Nephi told the angel in his vision, the love of God is “the most desirable above all things,” and the angel responded,”Yea, and the most joyous to the soul” (1 Nephi 11:22-23).
Today, I will open my heart to the light of Christ. I will seek to eliminate any bad feelings which might be clouding my ability to have faith. I will remember that the light of God can have a powerful effect upon me: cleansing my spirit and infusing my soul with joy.
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