My mission president taught us that you can count the seeds in an apple, but you cannot count the apples in a seed.
Alma's glorious prayer of faith led him and his companions to great success among those in the land of Zoram. The contrast between the two prayers in chapter 31 are stark - the arrogance of the Zoramite prayer in comparison with Alma's humble entreaty. It speaks to the relationship the each had with the Almighty. The Zoramites thanked God that they were chosen, better than their brethren. Alma prayed that their brethren might be restored to the true knowledge, that their souls were precious, and that he knew that the Lord could help him.
And help He did.
Chapter 32 is probably the best discussion on faith as it applies to each of our lives found anywhere. The only place I can think of where faith is more excellently discussed and analyzed is Lectures on Faith by the Prophet Joseph Smith. While these two discussions are complimentary, I would not recommend that book to the beginner. Chapter 32 has enough gems really to last a lifetime.
As we contemplate the meaning of faith, Alma compares it to planting the seed of the word in one's heart - even if we can give but a place for a small portion of a desire to believe. If we allow this seed to grow, we will find that our faith becomes dormant because we know that it is a good seed - it grew, after all! We will find that these swelling feelings in our heart will cause us unspeakable joy, and we will find it to be desirable and wonderful. (What stark opposition to the phony and empty promises and feelings of the Adversary!) Alma notes that this is real, because it is light and discernible. As I've discussed before, this may be the most real thing in our lives. Our eyes and understanding about the world around us may be deceived. Emotions and experienced can be attenuated and falsified. But these feelings from God, these expansions of the heart, cannot be faked. It is real. It is truth. It is the very power of God coming to bear in our lives. And as the seed grows, if we will nourish it with love, care, diligence, and desire, always looking forward with hope (thus faith and hope are inexorably linked) and the eye of faith to the fruit of the tree, we will find that in time the tree will bear fruit. It is that fruit which Lehi and Nephi saw which is white, sweet, and desirable - the fruit of eternal life.
I know of myself that these things are true and real. I have experienced both the initial swellings of knowledge as a result of my faith and I have seen the fruit that I now share with others bless them in their efforts to begin to understand. What a blessing it is to share this love! In this way, our knowledge of God's goodness, reality, and interest in our lives personally becomes real. We KNOW that God lives and loves us because of these indelible and unmistakable feelings in our hearts.
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