I was drawn to this passage this morning in trying to comprehend the mercies of the Son of God upon me. So frequent are the powers of renewal that I have been able to access through faith on the Son of God, that it is amazing — truly amazing — that he would care enough for me to give me another chance. (I feel like I’m paraphrasing the hymn “I Stand All Amazed,” but this is precisely how I feel this morning.)
After explaining to the people of the Zoramites that they should plant the seed of faith in their hearts, the people inquired further as to how or on what should they place their faith. The bulk of this chapter then is used to show, through the words of other prophets, how their faith should be centered on the Son of God.It is interesting that in these verses that Alma references, not only do they illustrate that we should exercise faith on the Son of God, but they also show that because of their faith in Him, these prophets were able to obtain mercy.
The first prophet quoted, Zenos, illustrates how this mercy was obtained through his prayers. There are keys within this passage as to why his prayers were heard:
- Thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear them.
- Thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity.
- It is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me.
And then the prophet Zenos, in this passage that was quoted, concludes:
Therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.
I am now asking myself if I can do this. Last evening, I allowed myself to be weighed down because of a particular affliction that was purely circumstantial. Could I not have cried for help, and instead of judgments, obtain mercy?