Alma 31:12–38

Our Worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Worshipping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is intended to bring us closer to Them. But what if we lose sight of the real reason for worship? The Zoramites, who had once belonged to the true Church of God, began to believe in false teachings. Their corrupt form of worship drew their hearts away from God and led them to judge unrighteously and mistreat others. This lesson can help you improve your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as you evaluate how pride and humility influence your relationship with Them and with others.

Comparing and contrasting. In the scriptures, a doctrine or principle is often clarified when compared or contrasted with something else. Observing the similarities and differences between teachings, people, or events can bring gospel truths into sharper focus. Strive to emphasize examples when the inspired writers include such comparisons.

Student preparation: In preparation to study Alma 31, invite students to pray, focusing on the needs of others.

Possible Learning Activities

Evaluating the effects of our worship

To help students think about worship as a way to show love and devotion to God, consider showing the following images or others you choose. Invite students to ponder how worshipping in these ways may have impacted their relationship with God.

Students could be asked to ponder the following questions and write any thoughts in their study journals about improving their individual relationships with God through worship. Do not invite students to share their responses.

• How often do you feel you are sincerely trying to show your love to God through worship?

• In what ways, if any, do you feel that your worship might be less sincere or focused on the wrong things?

The Zoramites worship on the Rameumptom

When Alma and his brethren discovered the Zoramites were perverting the ways of the Lord, they journeyed to Antionum. There they found the Zoramites worshipping in a way they had never seen (see Alma 31:12).

Consider displaying the following image and inviting students to explain what the people were doing. Students could read Alma 31:21 to see the name of the stand on which they prayed.

Help students develop the scripture-study skill of comparing and contrasting. Students could be divided into groups and invited to make comparisons between the Zoramites’ prayers and the prayer Alma offered. You could create a chart on the board like the following and invite students to write what they discover throughout the lesson. Help them make comparisons between (1) the focus of the prayers, (2) what was said, and (3) why.

The Zoramites’ prayer	Alma’s prayer

Read Alma 31:13–23, and fill out the left column of the chart with what stands out to you about how the Zoramites worshipped. You could also watch the video “Alma and His Brethren Preach the Word of God among the Zoramites” from time code 0:22 to 3:58, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

• What did you notice about how the Zoramites worshipped? How do you think this affected their relationship with God?

Alma prays for the Zoramites

Seeing the corruption among the Zoramites, Alma prayed for them.

Read Alma 31:24–38, looking for Alma’s focus, feelings, and desires in his prayer. Fill out the right column of the chart based on what you find. This can help you contrast Alma’s prayer with the Zoramites’ prayer.

You could watch the video “Alma and His Brethren Preach the Word of God among the Zoramites” from time code 4:03 to 5:55, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. In this portion of the video, you will hear Alma’s prayer while seeing Alma and his companions’ efforts to teach the Zoramites.

Consider inviting students to use the chart to share what they learn by contrasting the prayers of Alma and the Zoramites.

You could prepare students to learn from the following statement by President Uchtdorf by asking questions like “How were the Zoramites affected by pride?” and “What was different about Alma’s attitude?”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:

When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror. Pride is the great sin of self-elevation. It is for so many a personal Rameumptom, a holy stand that justifies envy, greed, and vanity. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Pride and the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 56)

Read Alma 32:1–5, looking for how the Zoramites were treating people.

• How did the Zoramites treat others?

• How did Alma feel about and treat others? (see Alma 31:1–2, 24–25, 34–35).

• What principles can we learn about the effects of pride or humility?

One principle we can learn is that our pride or humility affects our relationship with God and others.

• How do you think our pride or humility can influence how we worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

• How do you think our pride or humility influences how we treat others?

• What do you learn from Alma about humility? What has Jesus Christ taught you about being humble?

Choose two or three ways we might show humility in how we worship God. Write each in your study journal.

Invite students to ponder the following. You might encourage them to write in their study journal or add a note in their digital scriptures.

Take a moment to evaluate how you personally worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and how your worship influences your relationship with Them. Also, reflect on how pride and humility affect the way you treat others. Decide if there are any changes you would like to make.

Consider sharing a testimony of how your worship has influenced the way you feel about God and how you treat others.

Commentary and Background Information

Why does God invite us to love and worship Him?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 21–22)

How can we worship in every part of our lives?

For resources and information, see “Worship” in Gospel Topics, available at topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

How can I improve my prayers?

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked some great questions and provided this counsel:

Do your prayers at times sound and feel the same? Have you ever said a prayer mechanically, the words pouring forth as though cut from a machine? Do you sometimes bore yourself as you pray?

Will prayers that do not demand much of your thought merit much attention from our Heavenly Father? When you find yourself getting into a routine with your prayers, step back and think. Meditate for a while on the things for which you really are grateful. Look for them. They don’t have to be grand or glorious. Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Improving Our Prayers,” Ensign, Mar. 2004, 26)

Why is it important to pray for others?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Petitioning Heavenly Father for the blessings we desire in our personal lives is good and proper. However, praying earnestly for others, both those whom we love and those who despitefully use us, is also an important element of meaningful prayer. … Praying for others with all of the energy of our souls increases our capacity to hear and to heed the voice of the Lord. (David A. Bednar, “Pray Always,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 43).

Supplemental Learning Activities

Worshipping after the manner of the Lord

In the Sermon on the Mount and at the temple in Bountiful, Jesus Christ taught how (and how not) to worship (see Matthew 6:1–18; 3 Nephi 13:1–18). Students could compare Jesus Christ’s teachings with the actions of the Zoramites. Consider asking students to look for “rewards” that come with the way we choose to worship.

A modern-day example of proper worship was shared by Elder Dean M. Davies (1951–2021) of the Seventy in “The Blessings of Worship” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 93–95.) You could invite students to look for what Elder Davies noticed while attending sacrament meeting.

Improving our personal prayers

Students might benefit from evaluating their personal prayers. Consider asking them to ponder how often their prayers are focused on themselves and how often they pray for others. Students could also be asked to think about how different their prayers are each time they pray. After they have had time to reflect, consider displaying and reading statements on prayer to help them ponder any changes they might make. Statements you could use are found in the “Commentary and Background Information” section. You could also invite students to read Matthew 6:9–13 and look for what Jesus Christ invited His disciples to include in their prayers.