WITH THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL 1

As I started to write this Thought, I realized my heart was really feeling full. I think that is an expression which we have found convenient to use when we are unable to accurately express the sensations of joy we are feeling. Anyway, I had that wonderfulness come upon me because I would be opening The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ to gain inspiration on what to write about for this Sunday’s Thought. Likewise, it took but a quick glance as I lifted the ribbon to open the text to the next chapter I would be writing about, before I became aware that it was Chapter 29 of Alma, which to me contains some of the most wonderful passages in The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The verses in this chapter sing to my soul not only because of the wonderful message they contain, but also because of the beautiful way they are expressed. There is little wonder why the lyricist, Wanda West Palmer, used the words of Alma in this chapter to write a beautiful song.

Oh, That I were an Angel,
Oh, That I were an Angel,
And could have the wish, the wish of my heart
Could have the wish of my heart.

Oh, That I were an Angel,
Oh, That I were an Angel,
And could have the wish of my heart.

That I might go forth and speak
with a trump, the trump of God!
With a voice, a voice to shake the earth!
Shake the earth!

And cry repentance.
Repentance unto every people.
To every people.
Cry repentance unto every people.
Repentance.

Oh, That I were an Angel,
Oh, That I were an Angel,
And could have the wish of my heart,
Could have the wish of my heart.
Oh, That I were an Angel.

Before I even started to write I knew it would take at least two Sundays of my Thoughts for a Sabbath Day to even begin to do justice to the wonderful messages and doctrines contained in this chapter.

We begin our journey through this remarkable chapter by presenting and beginning our discussion on the first nine verses in chapter 29 of Alma. I have chosen to emphasize in bold the words of Alma which I will be using as the springboard for our discussion as I write my Thoughts for the next few weeks.

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

As I was bolding the principles of these verses, which never fail to strike the most sensitive parts of my soul, it became very apparent to me that I had grossly underestimated the number of Thoughts it would take for me to fulfill my meager attempt to write about what this chapter means to me.

1. O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

1. Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

At 10:05 am in our home on September 18, 2019 we were able to hear the Lord’s prophet, President Russell M. Nelson speak with the trump of God to the world. His talk originated from the Marriot Center on the campus of Brigham Young University, but as Kathleen and I were preparing to listen to his talk I did a brief search of the ways in which his voice was going out to the world. We discovered it was going to be available to the vast social media outlets of You Tube and Face Book, that it could be watched on the internet web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and BYU TV. Since we enjoy large screens over smart phone tiny ones or computer monitors, we chose the BYU TV option.

In a completely literal way Alma’s wish was being fulfilled as President Nelson spoke about The Love and Laws of God. I am absolutely certain that Alma in his current post mortal state startled many who surrounded him with a loud and grateful AMEN.

The irony of living in a day when we now enjoy the reality of being able to speak with the tongues of Angels, sounding to the world with the trump which God has provided, is that just as in Alma’s day the inspired words of a prophet of God will only be of value if they are hearkened to.

The marvelous promise of there being no more sorrow upon the earth will never come until or unless we listen to and apply the call to repent and faithfully live our lives in accordance to Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption.

And just like that I have come to the end of my self imposed limitations on the length of my Thoughts for a Sabbath Day and as I suspected, I will be using Alma’s words in this chapter for at least one more Sunday.

(To be Continued)


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

❣️THINK + PLAN + PREPARE + DO + HUGS + PEACE + JOY + LOVE + INTEGRITY + FAITH + HOPE + CHARITY = THE GOOD LIFE❣️