Gene R. Cook
"I bear testimony that the Lord stands ready to answer our prayers and to grant our righteous requests. There is a great example of this in the book of Alma…Early one morning as our family was reading the account of the wars in Alma, one of my children said, ’Dad, I’m not getting much out of these chapters about the wars. I wish we were back reading some of those other things.’ I answered, ’Well, these things are all in here for a good reason, Son. I‘m sure there are some hidden treasures in here we just haven’t found.’
“That very morning we found a wonderful description of how the Lord responds to our prayers. In ”Alma 58:1Alma 58 we read how the Lamanites and Nephites were in the midst of a battle…’Therefore,’ the Nephites said, ’we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us.’ ("Alma 58:10Alma 58:10.) What a beautiful description of what we often ask for—to be strengthened or to be delivered from a problem.
"Then we get another clue about prayer. The Nephites didn’t just pray, but they prayed fervently: ’We did pour out our souls in prayer.‘ That’s how we get answers—to pray with great intensity.
"Now note in this next verse how quietly the answers came. The Lord did indeed answer them, but they might have missed the answer if they weren’t being spiritually attentive.
’Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.’ ("Alma 58:11Alma 58:11; italics added.)
"It may be that the Nephites hoped for a miracle. Maybe they wanted angels to come to deliver them, as had happened a time or two in the Old Testament. But what did they receive? The Lord gave them assurance, peace, faith, and hope. He didn’t directly destroy their enemies, but he did give them the gifts they needed so they could deliver themselves.
“The next verse shows the effect of the Lord’s answer on the people: We did take courage with our small force which we had received [and you may feel that your force or power to accomplish your desires is awfully small], and were fixed with a determination to conquer. (”Alma 58:12Alma 58:12.)
"In other words, the Lord put inside these men the will and the power to do what they desired—to begin with a strong resolve and then to see it through. After their prayer was answered, the Nephites went on to secure their liberty.
“When the Lord instills hope and faith and peace and assurance in people, they can bring great things to pass. This, then, is often what we should look for when we ask for help—not a miracle to solve our problem for us, but a miracle inside, to help us come to the solution ourselves, with the Lord‘s help and the Lord’s power.” (Receiving Answers to Our Prayers, pp. 155 - 157.)
Gene R. Cook
"Verse 11 probably provides one of the best descriptions of how the Lord responds to us, again through thoughts or feelings. He seems to do these four things:
"What a tremendous way the Lord has of blessing us! He doesn’t just solve our problems but he gives us assurance, peace, faith, and hope so that we will move forward to resolve our own problems under the direction of the Lord. Thus he makes us strong.
"He helps us grow, and if we pursue the process over the years, we will ultimately become as God is. The effects of the influence of the Spirit are described well in verse 12. After we have been filled with assurance, peace, faith, and hope, we are then willing to take courage and have a fixed determination to conquer our enemies, our problems, our sins. Where does that courage and determination come from? From the Spirit of the Lord. The Lord actually provides additional power and strength because we have humbled ourselves and sought God.
"Every time I read those verses or teach them to others, I think about where I learned them—during family scripture reading.
“Two or three years after that experience, one of my sons was having a difficult time understanding an answer to prayer and was asking me about it. I opened up ”Alma 58:1Alma 58, read those verses to him, and explained them. It was like a light turned on in his mind. He was so excited about these verses because they perfectly described his feelings and told him more clearly how the Lord answered prayers." (Raising Up a Family to the Lord, p. 127-8.)