it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.
I love how the same angel that initially delivered to Alma the younger a message of condemnation is now sent to give him a message of comfort and of good cheer. How reassuring must it have been to Alma to know that God was aware of his dilligence and hard work. How much more must this message have resonated because of the messenger.

In times of sorrow or trouble as a missionary and since, I have gotten messages of comfort from Heavenly Father. At times, I am aware that those messages come from particularly meaningful individuals such as my Mother or Father. These messages are always timed to come for those moments when I most need them. And the tenor is similar to that which Alma recieved. “You aren’t perfect, but we are proud of you for how you have embraced the Gospel and served with all your heart.”

I believe that God wants all of us to be of good cheer and will help comfort us in moments of need. And he will speak through those who mean the most to us.



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