14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
These verses should be a comfort to parents with wayward children who stray. They should also comfort all those who as missionaries, or friends helped another come into the Church only to see them leave.

For me, these words resonate deeply. I have seen a lot of friends leave or consider leaving the church lately. And I have seen many or most of those I taught as a missionary leave as well. My heart is heavy as I think about those that I care so much about drifting away from Christ and his Gospel. 

And so it means so much to me to read the words of the angel as he tells Alma that the Lord has heard his father’s prayer. God does hear and is mindful of those we love. He may not miraculously send an angel every time. Many will leave and no angelic vision will stop them.

But when we see those we care about drift away, we can have confidence that the Lord hears or prayers. We can know that he loves and cares about those that we love and care about. We can trust that he will give them the experiences and opportunities needed to help them one day return to Christ and to his Church.



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