Faith & Perserverance

She said:

It's been a while. Consistency is a virtue I have yet to master. Anyway I am just trying to get back into it...starting from where I am now.

Today I read Alma 8. These were the things that impressed me:

• Verse 10: "Nevertheless Alma Labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer"- At this point Alma is discouraged by the wickedness of the people of Ammonihah. They have rejected what he is saying and kicked him out of their city for teaching the gospel, yet Alma continues to pray to God and do things to keep the spirit with him.
• Verse 14: Alma is :"weighed down with sorrow... (and) tribulation and anguish of soul, and an angel appears to him telling him, "Blessed art though, Alma; therefore, lift up they head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God". I really liked this verse because it reminded me that God allows us to face hardships and discouragement in our lives, yet he never forgets us and sends us comfort when we need it. We don't typically get heavenly angels like Alma did, but we do receive angels in the form of friends, family, and strangers who heed the voice of the Lord and follow through on promptings to uplift us. 
• Verse 17 talks about the people of Ammonihah as people who "do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of the people (for thus sayeth the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people". This reminds me of the time in which we live right now. Without getting into politics right now, I fear we face the same problems today. Our government seeks to take away our freedoms, which is contrary to the way of God since agency is an essential root of the gospel. 
• In verse 18, after Alma is commanded to return back to Ammonihah despite them rejecting his words, Alma doesn't hesitate or try to talk his way out of going. He accepts the Lords will and "He returned speedily". 
• In verse 20 Alma meets a man Amulek who takes him in. I am impressed with Amulek as a man who was close enough to the spirit to hear the Lord tell him that he would take in Alma. He expected him and was pleased to take him in.