August 12–18: “Stand Fast in the Faith of Christ”
Alma 43–52
When we read these words at the beginning of Alma chapter 43—“And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites”—it’s natural to wonder why Mormon included these war stories when he had limited space on the plates (see Words of Mormon 1:5). It’s true that we have our share of wars in the latter days, but there is value in his words beyond the descriptions of the strategy and tragedy of war. His words also prepare us for the war in which “we are all enlisted” (Hymns, no. 250), the war we are fighting each day against the forces of evil. This war is very real, and the outcome affects our eternal lives. Like the Nephites, we are inspired by a holy cause—“our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children”—what Moroni called “the cause of the Christians” (Alma 46:12, 16).