The word “order” appears 14 times in Alma 13. That’s far more times than any other chapter in the Book of Mormon. Add to that 7 appearances of the word “ordain” (to set in order) and three appearances of “ordinance” (the process of putting something in order), and you can see that order is a major theme in this chapter.
“Mine house is a house of order,” the Lord told Joseph Smith, “and not a house of confusion” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:8). On another occasion, He invited us to “establish…a house of order” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119; see also Doctrine and Covenants 109:8, 15-16).
It’s clear that God wants our lives, our homes, and our discipleship to be organized, not impulsive, inconsistent, and unpredictable. What I find fascinating and comforting in Alma 13 is the degree to which God is willing to do the ordering, as long as we are willing to be guided by Him.
For example, Alma says that some people, because of “their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness,” are therefore “called after this holy order,” and “sanctified,” and “their garments [are] washed white through the blood of the Lamb” (Alma 13:10-11). As disciples of Christ, our role is to trust Him (faith) and to be willing to change (repent). He then invites us into His order, which is much better than anything we could design on our own:
…which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things.
Alma 13:7
The high priest Melchizedek is an instructive example of his process. His people were disorderly. “They had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness” (Alma 13:17). To counter this, Melchizedek “exercised mighty faith” and “did preach repentance unto his people.” And they responded to his message: “They did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days” (Alma 13:18).
Today, I will strive for greater order in my life by exercising faith in God and being willing to repent. I will remember that God’s order is better than my own, and I will strive to follow His guidance in order to find greater peace and calmness.