Members of the privileged class take turns standing on a tall platform in the center of the synagogue and offering a memorized prayer, in which they thank God that they are better than other people. When Alma sees this blasphemous and arrogant ceremony, he is appalled. He gathers his fellow missionaries and offers a very different kind of prayer: humble, heartfelt, and unselfish.
Chapter Outline
- Alma organizes a missionary team to preach to the Zoramites (v. 1-11)
- The prayer on the Rameumptom (v. 12-23)
- Alma’s prayer for his missionary companions (v. 24-38)
My Takeaways
- When people are misguided, it is better to teach them than to attack them.
- Effective prayers are humble and personal expressions of love and faith.
- We should pray for the success of other people, not only for our own success.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Alma organizes a missionary team – Alma 31:1-11
Swords and Words
The Zoramites used words that demean and divide. Alma used words and uplift and unite. He knew that outreach and persuasion are more effective than combativeness and confrontation. Our words should recognize the value of others and bring them together.
It Was the Cause of Great Sorrow to Alma – Alma 31:2
2 For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceedingly sorrowful because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites. (Alma 31:2) I can think of a number of possible reactions when we see others doing something wrong. Depending on the…
“The Preaching of the Word”: Alma 31:5
Early in his ministry, when Alma was troubled by inequality among his people, he resigned his position of political authority and dedicated himself to his ecclesiastical role. “And this he did…that he might preach the word of God unto them…seeing no [other] way that he might reclaim them.” He had tremendous confidence in the power…
These Are the Names of Those Who Went with Him – Alma 31:5-7
5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just–yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them–therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try…
❖ The prayer on the Rameumptom – Alma 31:12-23
What Lessons Can We Learn from the Prayer on the Rameumptom?
In Alma 31, we read about an inappropriate prayer offered by the wealthy class of the Zoramites. When the prophet Alma and his team of missionaries heard it, they were appalled. Alma concluded from hearing this prayer recited multiple times that the people reciting it were “a wicked and a perverse people” (Alma 31:24). What…
“Never Speaking of Their God Again” – Alma 31:23
What is the role of church meetings in discipleship? I’ve been thinking about that question today, as I’ve pondered the religious observance of the wealthy Zoramites. According to Mormon, the Zoramites would gather at their house of worship one day each week and offer thanks to God. But after participating in this collective worship, they…
How Should I Express Gratitude?
When the prophet Alma heard that that group of people called the Zoramites were “perverting the ways of the Lord,” he assembled a team of missionaries to visit them and preach the gospel. When they arrived, their first stop was a worship service. Alma was horrified at what he saw: rich people gathering to congratulate…
❖ Alma’s prayer – Alma 31:24-38
Prayers and Pride
Alma lamented the memorized prayer of the Zoramites, which was an expression of pride. We can make our prayers more humble by thinking of others, acknowledging our weakness, recognizing context, focusing on service, and being receptive to guidance.
They Cry Unto Thee, and Yet… – Alma 31:27
27 Behold, O God, they cry unto thee, and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. Behold, O God, they cry unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness, with the vain things of the world. (Alma 31:27) In Alma 31, we read two prayers: one ineffective and…
“I Am Infirm” – Alma 31:30
Acknowledging our weakness may be a prerequisite to receiving the help we need from God. (See Ether 12:27, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). After hearing the arrogant and exclusive prayer of the wealthy Zoramites, in which they congratulated themselves on being better than other people (Alma 31:15-18), Alma offered his own prayer, pleading that he and his…
That We May Have Success – Alma 31:32-35
32 O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, and also my two sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ. 33 Wilt…
Take No Thought
Jesus taught that we should avoid distractions and focus on the things that matter most. He promised that God will help us meet our needs if we focus on doing His work. Alma and his colleagues did just that, and “the Lord provided for them”
Old Testament Foundations
“Not for Thy Righteousness”
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses warned them not to attribute God’s blessings to their own goodness: After the Lord your God has driven [the Canaanites] out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is…
New Testament Parallels
The Pharisee and the Publican
We don’t have to convince God that we are worthy of His love. He loves us and is eager to help us. If we are so focused on proving to Him that we are already good, we may miss the opportunity to let Him help us become better!
Church History Connections
How to Worship
In an 1833 revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord said: I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. Doctrine and Covenants 93:19, italics added Worship is an…
“Their Souls Are Precious” – Alma 31:35
As Alma prepared to preach the gospel to the Zoramites, a group of people who “were perverting the ways of the Lord” and who had separated themselves from Alma’s people (Alma 31:1-2), he began by praying that he and his missionary companions would have success: Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are…
Try the Virtue of the Word of God – Alma 31:5
5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try…
The Worth of a Soul
Remembering the infinite worth of each child of God affects how we treat each other, how we treat ourselves, and how we pray.
All Posts Referencing Alma 30
- The Heaven and the Earth (1/12/2026)
- Respecting One Another’s Beliefs (11/22/2025)
- Tradition! (7/5/2025)
- New Testament References in Doctrine and Covenants 63 (6/13/2025)
- “The Laborer Is Worthy of His Hire” (4/10/2025)
- Avoiding Deception (2/21/2025)
- Old Testament Prophecies of the Second Coming (1/24/2025)
- “I…Will Not Deny the Christ” (12/3/2024)
- Corianton and Korihor (8/10/2024)
- Faith and Unforced Humility (7/26/2024)
- A Lying Spirit (7/18/2024)
- Strictness (7/17/2024)
- Anti-Christ, Anti-Repentance (7/16/2024)
- When I Consider Thy Heavens (8/13/2022)
- Joshua and the Book of Mormon (5/26/2022)
- Performances and Ordinances (4/2/2022)
- Machpelah: Paying Full Price (2/18/2022)
- All Things (1/22/2022)
- Freedom of Religion (11/19/2021)
- “Strong Reasons” (6/30/2021)
- “Mine Ordinances” (5/21/2021)
- The Sound of Rejoicing (3/27/2021)
- King-Men and Freedom of Speech (1/14/2021)
- “I Have All Things as a Testimony” – Alma 30:41 (7/9/2020)
- Korihor and the Closing of the Nephite Mind (7/8/2020)
- “I Always Knew” – Alma 30:52 (7/7/2020)
- Why Are Ordinances Important? (11/9/2019)
- What Is a High Priest? (11/6/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
- How Much Power Does the Devil Have? (10/22/2019)
- How Can I Tell When Authority Is Being Used Improperly? (10/16/2019)
- How Can I Be More Hopeful? (8/25/2019)
- How Can I Recognize the Temptations of the Devil? (8/18/2019)
- Does Obedience Diminish Freedom? (7/3/2019)
- What’s Wrong with Seeking Signs? (5/22/2019)
- How Does God Communicate with Us? (4/16/2019)
- Is It Possible to Know Something but Not to Know That You Know It? (1/9/2019)
- The Devil Will Not Support His Children – Alma 30:58-60 (3/10/2017)
- All Things Denote There Is a God – Alma 30:44 (10/19/2016)
- They Were Strict in Observing the Ordinances of God – Alma 30:3 (6/6/2016)
- I Withstood the Truth – Alma 30:53 (5/24/2016)
- What Evidence Have Ye That There Is No God? – Alma 30:40 (7/10/2015)
- Alma 30:53 I Taught Them, Even Until…I Verily Believed That They Were True (11/12/2014)