{"id":54287,"date":"2026-08-13T05:19:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=54287"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:40:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T12:40:50","slug":"faith-is-a-hope-by-alma-the-younger-alma-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2026\/08\/faith-is-a-hope-by-alma-the-younger-alma-32\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith Is a Hope,\u00a0by Alma the Younger (Alma 32)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a\u00a0<\/i>Times and Seasons\u00a0exclusive, author Mike Winder is sharing a couple chapters of his new book\u00a0<\/i>Gold from the Plates: Greatest Hits Sermons from the Book of Mormon<\/a>,\u00a0published this summer from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. Winder took 25 sermons from the book and gives a fresh look at each. Enjoy this one!<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Alma the Younger once led an all-star cast of missionaries to the Zoramites. Among his fellow laborers were three of the sons of Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, and Omner), his faithful companion Amulek, their convert Zeezrom, and Alma\u2019s sons Helaman and Shiblon. Their great missionary success was not among the haughty Zoramites glazing themselves atop their Rameumptom tower, but among the poor class of people who had been kicked out of the fancy synagogues for not dressing in expensive enough clothing. These good people may have been \u201cpoor as to things of the world,\u201d but they were also \u201cpoor in heart\u201d and ripe in their humility for one of the most exquisite sermons on faith in all of holy writ. \u201cTheir afflictions had truly humbled them,\u201d Alma noted with great joy, for \u201cthey were in a preparation to hear the word.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Alma begins by demolishing three myths: we can only worship God in church, we can only worship God on the Sabbath, and that God\u2019s word can come only from adult men. These three falsehoods were some of the rules insisted upon by the Zoramite ruling class that had kicked the masses to the street, and they are just not true\u2014then or now. Alma asked, \u201cdo ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only?\u201d[2]<\/a> We can worship God in many places besides a church building; in fact, modern prophets have stressed the importance of home-centered gospel study and worship.<\/p>\n

Alma then asks, \u201cdo ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once a week?\u201d[3]<\/a> Not only are we told to pray always, engage in daily scripture study, and learn as families during the week, but we also covenant on Sundays to have the Lord\u2019s Spirit to be with us throughout the rest of the week, that we may always<\/em> remember Him (not just one day a week).<\/p>\n

Alma taught them that God imparts His holy word by angels\u2014not just unto men, \u201cbut women also.\u201d Each one of us children of heavenly parents\u2014regardless of gender\u2014is entitled to receive divine revelation for ourselves and our stewardships. Missionaries and Church leaders, both male and female, teach and testify of the Savior and His Good Word. Alma also noted that even \u201clittle children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.\u201d[4]<\/a> We have all heard profound truths from the mouths of babes, and felt the pure spirit of little ones.<\/p>\n

Alma explained to these untouchables listening to him on the street in their coarse clothing that their poverty has made them humble, which is a blessing. \u201cBecause ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed,\u201d he said. But, \u201cblessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble,\u201d he taught.[5]<\/a> In times of trial\u2014sickness, death of a loved one, financial woes\u2014it is easy to be humble. But the real trick is to remain humble not just when in poverty\u2019s vale, but when abounding in health, wealth, and prosperity. One of the blessings of fasting each month is that nothing humbles our natural beings like hunger. We can utilize fasting and prayer as ways to remind us to put God\u2019s desires before our own.<\/p>\n

Next, Alma defines the first principle of the gospel. \u201cFaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.\u201d Alma explained that faith is different from knowledge, \u201cfor if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it.\u201d[6]<\/a> It is wonderfully authentic, therefore, if someone says, \u201cI don\u2019t know that the Church is true, but I hope it is true, and I have faith that it is.\u201d In fact, we should appreciate that knowing the Church is true is a spiritual gift that comes more easily to some than to others.<\/p>\n

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Twelve taught:<\/p>\n

We should not expect to understand everything before we act. That is not faith. As Alma taught, \u201cFaith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things.\u201d If we wait to act until all of our questions are answered, we severely limit the good we can accomplish, and we limit the power of our faith. Faith is beautiful because it persists even when blessings don\u2019t come as hoped for. We can\u2019t see the future, we don\u2019t know all the answers, but we can trust Jesus Christ as we keep moving forward and upward because He is our Savior and Redeemer.[7]<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Alma then asked his listeners to pay attention\u2014 \u201cawake and arouse your faculties\u201d\u2014to conduct \u201can experiment upon my words.\u201d He implored his listeners to \u201cexercise a particle of faith, yea even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.\u201d[8]<\/a> If we have a desire to believe, that is fertile soil. This desire alone is enough to conduct Alma\u2019s experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we will compare the word unto a seed,\u201d he said. \u201cIf ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold it will begin to swell within your breasts;\u201d he said. Watering and nourishing this seed of faith comes from acting on our faith\u2014from experimenting if living a Christlike life will bring our lives more joy; from seeing if immersing ourselves in church attendance, prayer, and scripture study doesn\u2019t teach us something about our relationship with our God; and from throwing our cares, worries, and pains onto a very real Savior who knows exactly what we are going through. Doing these things will cause the seed of faith to grow, \u201cand when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves\u2014It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

Living a Christ-centered life will change us. That is the miracle of Jesus. It always does and always will. As the seed of faith sprouts and grows inside us, we will have to admit, \u201cthe seed is good,\u201d because our life with the gospel in it, striving to become like Jesus, will be better than without. The Lord becomes our light, and when we do good we will feel good, and \u201cwhatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible,\u201d Alma said.[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

Yale University\u2019s John D. Peters said:<\/p>\n

Alma 32 offers a recipe for an activist spirituality in which we take responsibility for the results. Our knowledge of divine things depends to a large degree on how we conduct the experiment. Faith does not grow from overpowering clinching evidence. The soil, or the farmer, are being tested as much as the seed. Faith allows things to grow that would not exist otherwise. It is a greenhouse for beautiful plants. It is a habitat. Faith enables growth–of seeds, of selves.[11]<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the tree of faith grows, \u201clet us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bringeth forth fruit,\u201d Alma counseled. \u201cBut if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root,\u201d he said.[12]<\/a> At this point, the problem is not an issue with the seed; it is an issue with us who did not nourish the tree. Spirituality has a short shelf life, so we must continue to nourish our fledgling testimonies.<\/p>\n

Yet, blessings abound if we do! \u201cIf ye will nourish the word,\u201d Alma said, \u201cby your faith with great diligence,\u201d it will yield amazing fruit. In fact, the fruit \u201cis most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet,\u201d he said, \u201cand pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.\u201d In the end, \u201cye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Questions to ponder and discuss:<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What myths about worship did Alma challenge, and how can those insights change the way we live our faith today?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. What does Alma\u2019s invitation to \u201cexperiment upon the word\u201d suggest about the relationship between belief and action?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. What can we do to continue to nourish our tree of testimony long after it has grown, and why is this necessary?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Alma describes the fruit of the tree of faith as \u201csweet above all that is sweet.\u201d What does that fruit represent in your life, and how can you share it with others?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          \n

           <\/p>\n

          Footnotes:<\/h2>\n

          [1]<\/a> Alma 32:3, 6.<\/p>\n

          [2]<\/a> Alma 32:10.<\/p>\n

          [3]<\/a> Alma 32:11.<\/p>\n

          [4]<\/a> Alma 32:23.<\/p>\n

          [5]<\/a> Alma 32:14\u201316.<\/p>\n

          [6]<\/a> Alma 32:18, 21.<\/p>\n

          [7]<\/a> Dieter F. Uchtdorf, \u201cNourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow,\u201d October 2024 General Conference.<\/p>\n

          [8]<\/a> Alma 32:27.<\/p>\n

          [9]<\/a> Alma 32:28.<\/p>\n

          [10]<\/a> Alma 32:30, 35.<\/p>\n

          [11]<\/a> John D. Peters, \u201cLessons on Faith from Alma and Elsewhere,\u201d March 13, 2018, Brigham Young University\u2013Hawaii.<\/p>\n

          [12]<\/a> Alma 32:37\u201338.<\/p>\n

          [13]<\/a> Alma 32:41\u201343.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          As a\u00a0Times and Seasons\u00a0exclusive, author Mike Winder is sharing a couple chapters of his new book\u00a0Gold from the Plates: Greatest Hits Sermons from the Book of Mormon,\u00a0published this summer from Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. Winder took 25 sermons from the book and gives a fresh look at each. Enjoy this one! Alma the Younger once led an all-star cast of missionaries to the Zoramites. Among his fellow laborers were three of the sons of Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, and Omner), his faithful companion Amulek, their convert Zeezrom, and Alma\u2019s sons Helaman and Shiblon. Their great missionary success was not among the haughty Zoramites glazing themselves atop their Rameumptom tower, but among the poor class of people who had been kicked out of the fancy synagogues for not dressing in expensive enough clothing. These good people may have been \u201cpoor as to things of the world,\u201d but they were also \u201cpoor in heart\u201d and ripe in their humility for one of the most exquisite sermons on faith in all of holy writ. \u201cTheir afflictions had truly humbled them,\u201d Alma noted with great joy, for \u201cthey were in a preparation to hear the word.\u201d[1] Alma begins by demolishing three myths: we can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10404,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,1058],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-guest-bloggers"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54287"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54288,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54287\/revisions\/54288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}