God’s Army of One

K. Douglas Bassett

Ex. 14:12-14; 2 Kings 6:16-17; 1 Ne. 4:1-3; Mosiah 28:7; Alma 19:22-23; refer in this text to Hel. 10:1-4, 16

“What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative … to carry the Gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, June 1976, p. 6)
[A vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith] “Also, I saw Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south and west, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of about a dozen men … who appeared hostile. He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and the angel of God standing above his head, with a drawn sword in his hand, protecting him, but he did not see it.” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church 2:381)
“What did Ammon say? ‘Be of good cheer …’ (Alma 17:31). Now, we may read this as a story about some shepherds trying to round up some missing sheep, but the message is much more powerful and significant than that. Ammon was a missionary with noble intentions to bring the king and his kingdom back to the fold of righteousness, to the well of living water. The challenge looked daunting to those who could see only, in everyday terms, sheep strung out on hillsides and not enough manpower to round them up. They were discouraged and fearful that the king would discover their loss. Ammon not only led the force to recapture the sheep, he drove away the evil men who caused the problems; and his heroic efforts persuaded the king to follow him and to follow the Savior. Ammon teaches us that no matter our circumstances, we can be an example to others, we can lift them, we can inspire them to seek righteousness, and we can bear testimony to all of the power of Jesus Christ.” (Robert D. Hales, Ensign, May 1997, p. 82)

Latter-Day Commentary on the Book of Mormon

References