In the book of Mosiah, when Alma the Younger was confronted by the angel in his visionary chastisement, he was admonished with words that manifested the power of earnest family and community prayer for loved ones.
The angel proclaimed to Alma, “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.” Mosiah 27:14 (italics added)
We learn that the prayers of the people of Nephi, more specifically the faithful prayers of Alma Sr. for his son, were primary factors in the Lord sending his messenger. The angel was specifically sent so “the prayers of his servants might be answered.” Surely not every faithful prayer of a worried parent for their wayward child is so directly fulfilled, but to know from scripture that such an intervention is possible, certainly should provide hope and instruction.
Many years ago, when one of my daughters confided to my wife and I the struggles that she was having with her faith and her waning belief in the principles of the gospel and in the structure of the church, we were saddened and disappointed, but not overly worried.
We loved our daughter and wanted what was best for her, both from an immediate and an eternal standpoint, and we knew her questions were part of her growth and maturity. We provided encouragement and we prayed and counselled.
Later, as I pondered on my daughter’s faith and on my own, I read this scripture. My initial thought was, ‘Perhaps this is a trial of my own faith. … If I were faithful enough, and if I prayed for my daughter with the faith of Alma, my daughter could recognize the Spirit in her own life and receive that figurative angelic proclamation that would help her return to the fold.’
I prayed with faith, read and studied and pleaded, and six years later my daughter had finished college, gotten married, and moved away to begin a life with her new husband. But she had not returned to a state of testimony and belief. She was married civilly and maintained a friendly and static relationship with the church.
My prayers for my daughter’s full return to church activity and testimony strength were not answered in the way that I expected or yearned for. But neither do I believe that my prayers were ignored.
Her journey, now meshed with her husband’s, was not over. It had just begun. And my prayers for my daughter to feel and recognize the promptings of the Spirit had also, in an eternal sense, just begun.
One can’t know how long Alma Sr. prayed for his son. It could have been months, six years or even decades before the Angelic visit.
It really doesn’t even matter because the comparison isn’t about whose prayer had an effect the quickest. The comparison is simply about prayer for others. Prayers can be heard, can be answered and can have dramatic effects. That is enough for me.
In addition to my own paternal prayers, there is power in the prayers of others in the community. When the angel spoke to Alma Jr., he mentioned his father specifically, but also mentioned others. He used the words “the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people” and later said “that the prayers of his servants might be answered.”
Instead of just one father praying for Alma, there were multiple people praying for him, perhaps very many. There were ‘people’ (plural) and ‘servants’ with an ‘s’ praying for him.
There are likely many praying for my daughter and son-in-law right now, and a united front can be a more effective prayer to the Highest. There are siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who can be brought together in common purpose in prayer and fast for the spiritual growth of our loved ones.
I can and will continue to pray for my eldest daughter and for all of my children. I can and will seek out unity in purpose and prayer with the people involved in my children’s lives. I will pray for them to seek for the Lord for help in their lives. I will pray for them to be blessed to receive and recognize answers to their own prayers as they seek out the hand of the Lord in their lives. I will pray that they can reconcile their developing and maturing political, social and environmental attitudes with eternal truths of the gospel. And I will pray that when they encounter questions and conflict, they can exercise patience and faith and soldier on contentedly with unresolved concerns.
I’m grateful for the example of Alma Sr and his community when they prayed for Alma the younger. I trust that my prayers will be answered according to the Lord’s will, and in the Lord’s time, and according to our communal faith. And we just might even get an angelic visit.
