If We Turn to the Lord, Trust Him, and Serve Him, He Will Deliver Us
Mosiah 7:19, 33
19 Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. . . .
33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.
Elder Ulisses Soares said:
“In the Book of Mormon, we read about a man named Ammon who was sent from the land of Zarahemla to the land of Lehi-Nephi to inquire concerning his brethren. There he found King Limhi and his people, who were in bondage to the Lamanites. King Limhi was encouraged by the things Ammon shared with him about his people in Zarahemla. His heart was filled with such great hope and joy that he gathered his people to the temple and said:
“‘Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God. . . .
“‘. . . If ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, . . . and serve him with all diligence of mind, . . . he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage’ [Mosiah 7:19, 33].
“The faith of King Limhi’s people was so profoundly affected by the words of Ammon that they made a covenant with God to serve Him and to keep His commandments, regardless of their difficult circumstances. Because of their faith, they were able to devise a plan to escape from the hands of the Lamanites [see Mosiah 21:32; 22:1–14].
“Brothers and sisters, please consider the importance of the invitation King Limhi gave to his people and its relevance to us. He said, ‘Lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God.’ With these words, Limhi invited his people to look to the future through the eyes of faith; to replace their fears with the optimism of hope born of faith; and to not waver in placing their trust in God regardless of circumstance. . . .
“If we are steadfast and do not waver in our faith, the Lord will increase our capacity to raise ourselves above the challenges of life. We will be enabled to subdue negative impulses, and we will develop the capacity to overcome even what appear to be overwhelming obstacles. This was what enabled King Limhi’s people to make a spectacular escape from their Lamanite captivity.”
(“Confide in God Unwaveringly,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 33, 35.)
