“Thou Hast Great Cause to Rejoice”

Alma was “weighed down with sorrow” (Alma 8:14), and for good reason. He had been spurned, reviled, spat upon, and kicked out of the city of Ammonihah, even after “wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city” (Alma 8:10-13). I imagine him being absolutely devastated, thinking, “What just happened? Where did I go wrong, and how can I prevent this from happening again?”

To Alma’s credit, he looked forward, not backward. He set his sights on the next city in his journey, Aaron, hoping for a better reception there. But the Lord had other plans:

An angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:

Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.

And behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them.

Alma 8:14-16

I wonder whether that last phrase was a response to an astonished expression on Alma’s face: “Yes, you heard that right. I want to you to preach to the exact same people who just persecuted you and ejected you from their city.”

In preparation for that instruction, the angel encouraged Alma to think about the reasons he had to feel joy. He had plenty of reasons to feel “anguish of soul” at that moment, but as the angel pointed out, he also had good reasons to “lift up [his] head and rejoice.” Specifically, his own faithfulness to the earlier rebuke from the angel—his own changed heart and enduring commitment to the gospel—was something to be grateful for.

It can be hard to patiently share gospel principles with people who are unreceptive to our messages, but as Alma learned, sometimes we need to give them a second chance, or a third one, or more. Elder Dieter F. Uchtorf observed, “The Lord works in mysterious ways. It may be that by your Christlike response to rejection a hardened heart could be softened.” He then identified three attributes which can help us in these situations:

As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you with the confidence to be a living testimonial of gospel values, with the courage to always be recognized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the humility to assist in His work as an expression of your love for Heavenly Father and His children.

“Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart,” General Conference, April 2019

Today, I will be patient with the people I serve. When I get discouraged, I will remember the many reasons I have to rejoice, and I will strive to move forward with confidence, courage, and humility.