Lesson 24 Teacher Material

The Lord’s Power of Deliverance

The experiences of the people of Limhi and the people of Alma both demonstrate the Lord’s ability to support and deliver those who turn to Him in their trials. In this lesson, students will deepen their understanding of how they can develop an eternal perspective of the Lord’s power to deliver. Students will also be invited to determine what they can do to access the Lord’s power as they face their own trials.

Suggestions for Teaching

The Lamanites put Alma’s people and Limhi’s people in bondage.

Invite students to share examples of trials they or people they know are currently facing.

• What are some different reasons for our trials? (It may be helpful to review the examples in section 1 of the preparation material.)

• What are common questions, concerns, or feelings people might have when they face trials?

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective. Students may frame issues and questions using ideas they hear at school or work or on social media. Very often these sources provide only a secular perspective, one that does not take into account gospel teachings. Look for opportunities to help students practice reframing issues and questions “in the context of the plan of salvation and the teachings of the Savior” (Doctrinal Mastery Core Document [2018], “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge,” paragraph 8).

Alma’s People

Briefly review the circumstances that led to Alma’s people being put into bondage by the Lamanites. You might invite students to imagine what it might have felt like for Alma’s people, who were living righteously, to suddenly lose their freedom and be forced to serve the Lamanites.

Invite students to review Mosiah 23:21–24, looking for possible reasons the Lord might have allowed Alma’s people to pass through trials.

• According to these verses, what was the Lord’s purpose in allowing Alma’s people to go through these trials?

• In what ways can seeking to understand the Lord’s eternal perspective on trials help us reframe how we see our own trials? (You may want to show the video “Examining Questions with an Eternal Perspective” [2:56], which illustrates how to reframe questions using gospel teachings.)

Encourage students to look for truths throughout this lesson that can help them gain an eternal perspective on their trials.

Limhi’s People

Remind students that Limhi’s people were also in bondage. Summarize the circumstances surrounding their captivity. Invite students to scan Mosiah 21:6–12, looking for how Limhi’s people sought to escape bondage. Consider asking the following questions:

• What happened to Limhi’s people as they tried to deliver themselves from bondage?

• What problems can we encounter as we try to overcome our trials without seeking the Lord’s help? What might keep us from turning to the Lord in our trials?

Invite students to review Mosiah 21:13–16, or ask a student to summarize what Limhi’s people did after realizing they could not deliver themselves from bondage. Then invite a student to summarize how Limhi’s people were eventually delivered. Consider asking one or more of the following questions to help students develop an eternal perspective on their own trials:

• What did you learn from the experience of Limhi’s people about how God supports or delivers those who turn to Him in their trials? (In addition to the truths students share, help them identify a principle similar to the following: When we humble ourselves and call upon God, He will hear our prayers and deliver us from our trials in His own time.)

• How can we trust in the Lord’s timetable rather than our own as we face trials? (It may be helpful to review the statement by President Dallin H. Oaks in section 2 of the preparation material.)

• What blessings have you received as you have followed the Lord’s will and trusted in His timing for your life?

You may want to give students a few minutes to reflect on a trial they are currently facing and determine how they could reframe it with an eternal perspective.

The Lord strengthens Alma’s people and delivers them from bondage.

Remind students that Alma’s people were also in bondage to the Lamanites. Give students a few minutes to review Mosiah 24:10–16, looking for similarities and differences between the trials experienced by Alma’s people and Limhi’s people.

• What similarities did you find? How were the experiences of the two groups different? (Possible answers could include the following: Both groups of people were supported by the Lord and were eventually delivered; the bondage of Alma’s people came as a trial of their faith while they were striving to follow the Lord, whereas the bondage of Limhi’s people came because of sin; Alma’s people turned immediately to God, whereas Limhi’s people turned to Him after first attempting to deliver themselves on their own.)

• What evidence do you see of the Lord’s love in both of these accounts?

• What additional lessons can we learn from the experience of Alma’s people about how God supports or delivers those who turn to Him in their trials? (As students share truths they have identified, help them identify a principle similar to the following: When we exercise faith and patience in our afflictions and call upon God, He can strengthen us to better bear our burdens. Note: Alma the Younger teaches a similar principle in Alma 36:3, 27.)

Divide the class into groups of two or three students, and invite them to review the statement by Elder David A. Bednar in section 3 of the preparation material. Display the following questions, and invite students to discuss them in their groups:

• How can it be helpful to know that the Lord does not always take away our trials immediately?

• According to Elder Bednar, how can keeping our covenants provide us with added strength as we face trials?

• How has the Lord supported and strengthened you, or someone you know, as you have endured a trial or carried a burden? What blessings came from not being immediately delivered from the trial?

Invite one or two students to share what stood out to them in their group discussion. Give students a few minutes to record any impressions they have received regarding how they can increase their trust in the Lord as they face trials.

For Next Time

Ask students if they have any questions they would like the Lord to answer. Encourage them to carefully study the Book of Mormon and the preparation material for the next class to see what they can learn about receiving answers from the Lord.