Mosiah 21–24, Part 1

Finding the Lord’s Purposes for Our Trials and Afflictions

How would you explain to someone why the Lord allows us to experience trials and afflictions? Mosiah 21–24 describes the experiences of the people of Limhi and the people of Alma, who both encountered difficult challenges. This lesson is intended to help you feel increased trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when you experience trials and afflictions in your life.

Carrying burdens

Imagine that your trials, burdens, and afflictions are represented by rocks you have to physically carry in a bag or backpack.

• What are some of the trials or burdens teenagers might experience that could feel like heavy rocks in a backpack?

• What questions might people have about the burdens they carry?

Take a moment to think about some of the trials and burdens you are currently facing or have faced in your life. Consider listing these in your study journal. You may want to include questions, concerns, or desires you have related to your trials and burdens.

As you study today, look for truths that can help you better understand why the Lord might allow you to experience these trials.

The people of Limhi and the people of Alma

In Mosiah 21–24, we learn about two groups of people who experienced great trials and afflictions. The first group lived in the land of Nephi and was led by King Noah’s son Limhi. The second group lived in the land of Helam and was led by Alma.

The following is a brief summary of the events surrounding the captivity of each group:

The people of Limhi

After rejecting the teachings and warnings of Abinadi, the Nephites, who were now led by King Limhi, were taken captive by the Lamanites in the land of Nephi and were required to pay heavy taxes (see Mosiah 19:15). As prophesied by the prophet Abinadi (see Mosiah 12:5), the Lamanites forced Limhi’s people to serve them and to carry heavy burdens (see Mosiah 21:3).

The people of Alma

After Abinadi’s death, Alma and his followers fled to the Waters of Mormon, where they were baptized (see Mosiah 17:1–4; 18:1–14). They later fled for their safety and built a righteous settlement in the land of Helam (see Mosiah 18:32–34; 23:1–4, 19–20). Alma’s people were eventually discovered and taken captive by the Lamanites (see Mosiah 23:25–29, 36–37). Amulon, who had been one of Noah’s wicked priests, was given authority over them and began persecuting Alma and his people (see Mosiah 24:8–9).

Why the Lord allows trials

Read the following scripture passages, looking for teachings that can help you understand why the Lord allows us to experience trials and afflictions. You may want to mark words and phrases that stand out to you.

• Limhi’s people: Mosiah 21:5–16

• Alma’s people: Mosiah 23:21–24; 24:8–14

1. Answer the following questions:

   • What similarities and differences did you see between the two groups of people and what they experienced?

   • What evidence did you see in these accounts of the Lord’s love and concern for the people?

   • What did you learn about why the Lord allows people to suffer trials and afflictions?

These accounts reveal several truths about why the Lord allows people to experience trials. Among others, you may have noticed the following:

• The Lord allows us to experience trials to help us become humble and rely more upon Him (see Mosiah 21:5–14).

• Some trials and afflictions come as a result of disobedience (see Mosiah 21:15).

• Our trials can give us opportunities to seek after and feel the Lord’s power in our lives (see Mosiah 21:15–16; 24:14).

• The Lord chastens His people and tries their patience and faith (see Mosiah 23:21).

Many people think being chastened (see Mosiah 23:21) has the same meaning as being punished. Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy explained, “The word chasten comes from the Latin castus, meaning ‘chaste or pure,’ and chasten means ‘to purify’ [see Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (2003), “chasten”]” (“The Righteous Judge,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 97). Ponder for a moment how the Lord might be purifying you through your trials and afflictions.

2. Answer at least two of the following questions:

   • How could understanding these truths influence the way you react to your trials?

   • What experiences have helped you see the Lord’s purposes for allowing you to experience trials?

   • What have you learned today that can help you better understand the trials you experience?

Optional: Want to Learn More?

What can I do if I feel like my trials are unfair?

Watch the video “The Will of God” (3:02). Ponder how you might apply Elder Brown’s experience to what may be happening in your life.

Watch the video “Trial of Adversity” (2:40). Think about how trusting God’s plan for her helped Katie face her trial.

Can I grow from every trial I face?

Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once observed:

No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. (Orson F. Whitney, as quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 98)

What can I do to turn my burdens into blessings?

Watch the video “Bearing Our Burdens with Hope” (8:46). Think about how the burdens we carry in life can be for our spiritual and temporal good.

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency shared counsel that can help us as we experience trials:

You might reasonably wonder why a loving and all-powerful God allows our mortal test to be so hard. It is because He knows that we must grow in spiritual cleanliness and stature to be able to live in His presence in families forever. To make that possible, Heavenly Father gave us a Savior and the power to choose for ourselves by faith to keep His commandments and to repent and so come unto Him. …

When you wonder how much pain you can endure well, remember Him. He suffered what you suffer so that He would know how to lift you up. He may not remove the burden, but He will give you strength, comfort, and hope. He knows the way. He drank the bitter cup. He endured the suffering of all. (Henry B. Eyring, “Tested, Proved, and Polished,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 97)