Alma 29

If I were an angel and could have any wish, wrote Alma, I would go out and speak like a trumpet of God. With a voice to shake the earth, I would cry out for repentance among all the people. With a voice of thunder, I would declare the plan of redemption and insist upon repentance, so that sorrow would be banished from the earth.

But I am only a man, and I sin even with my wish, because I should be satisfied with the role that God has given to me. I shouldn’t question God’s justice because I know that he gives everyone what he deserves, whether it is salvation or destruction. I know that good and evil are presented to all men, and that each of us has an opportunity to choose for himself whether he wants joy or remorse. Knowing this, why do I want more than to fulfill the role for which I have been called?

Why should I wish to be an angel who speaks the truth to all the ends of the earth? God gives each nation an opportunity to see and know his truth. I know that God has commanded me, and I am glorified by it. I do not glory in myself, but as an instrument of God’s will to bring some to repentance. This is my joy. When I see my people become truly repentant before God, I am filled with joy, and I am reminded of the merciful arm he extends to me.

I remember the bondage of my ancestors and how God delivered them out of that bondage to establish his church. I remember how God delivered his people from the bondage to the Egyptians. The same God has established his church among his people. The same God has called upon me to preach his word, and has given me so much success that I am filled with joy.

But my joy doesn’t come from my success alone. I am also filled with joy at the success of my brothers among the Lamanites in the land of Nephi. Because of their diligent labors, they have brought a great harvest, and the rewards will also be great. When I think of their success, my soul is moved beyond my body because of the magnitude of my joy. May God grant them the opportunity to sit down in the kingdom of God with all whom they have saved, and praise him forever. This is my wish. [76 BC]