Alma perceived that the poor Zoramites were humble and "in a preparation to hear the word" (Alma 32:6). As you read Alma 32:1–16, think about how you prepare to hear the word of God.
"The prophet Elijah's experience in the Old Testament teaches us a great lesson about how to hear God's voice:
Our human tendency is to look for the dramatic and obvious—after all, wouldn't we all love a 'sign' from heaven? But in His infinite wisdom, God encourages us to 'be still, and know that I am God' (Psalms 46:10). These simple thoughts, feelings, ideas, and impressions are the gentle whisperings of a loving Heavenly Father" (see #HearHim).
President Nelson: "As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths. We simply cannot rely upon information we bump into on social media. With billions of words online and in a marketing-saturated world constantly infiltrated by noisy, nefarious efforts of the adversary, where can we go to hear Him?"
"We can...hear Him in the temple."
"When these temporary COVID-19 restrictions [2020] are lifted, please schedule regular time to worship and serve in the temple. Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can. Take time to ponder what you hear and feel when you are there. Ask the Lord to teach you how to open the heavens to bless your life and the lives of those you love and serve."
"While worshipping in the temple is presently not possible, I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him" (see Hear Him).
Increase Participation in Family History
One idea to help both individuals and families do temple and family history work more consistently comes from an address Sister Wendy Nelson gave to the sisters of the church in a women's conference talk in 2015.
She offered the invitation to busy, overburdened sisters to do some temple and family history work each day for 21 days and then to watch what happened. She was concerned that adding one more thing to their list of things "to do" would make them even more burdened but the opposite was true for all who participated. Even a few minutes per day helped them to see miracles in their lives and the lives of their families. Although this challenge was given to sisters of the church, it is applicable to everyone. Here are the links to the PDF and the video of Sister Nelson's talk:
Discuss ideas and options and make a plan! Think about routines and traditions you can create. You may want to calendar your goals and record how you will work toward them.
(Mealtime and family history story time!)
Click the image below to see 50 "Five-minute" ideas that can be part of the 21-Day Challenge or can be done anytime.
In addition, Week 29 (Come, Follow Me Companion 2020) elaborates on some of these activities, and has even more fun and creative ideas and resources for ways to break family history activities into smaller segments and fit them into your busy schedule!
President and Sister Nelson invite all church members to make a sacrifice of time to do family history and temple work: Open the Heavens through Temple and Family History Work, Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, RootsTech 2017
Why do you think Alma spoke about planting a seed in response to the Zoramites' questions about worship? What is the seed that Alma spoke of? (see Alma 32:28; 33:22–23)..."How [do we] plant the seed?" (Alma 33:1).
"While one can experience this increase of faith and testimony by doing many different things—such as studying the scriptures, participating in the sacrament, fasting and praying—I would suggest that perhaps one of the most powerful ways to feel these "swelling motions" is to participate in family history and temple work...I bear testimony that every time we engage ourselves in family history and temple work, we nourish the seed of the gospel in our hearts and feel it growing till we reach the point that Alma describes in chapter 32 verse 43: "Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith." Increase Faith (and Testimony) through Family History and Temple Work, Joni L. Koch
Doctrine and Covenants Section 2 describes "planting promises" in the hearts of the children and the consequences if this is not accomplished.
1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.
3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
Turning Hearts
You are invited to ponder the ideas and resources in this lesson for "turning hearts." Continue in your pursuit to plant promises, nourish the seeds of the gospel, connect families on both sides of the veil, and reap the rewards of your faith for generations to come!
Your Personal History
Write (or audio-record) one story about your life as you study each Come, Follow Me lesson to have 52 by the end of the year and add it to your FamilySearch memories to preserve it. Use your own questions, those from (or inspired by) Come, Follow Me, or the #52 Stories Project. See below for ideas:
How have you brought the spirit of the temple into your life while not being able to attend?
How have you made a habit of fitting family history activities into your life?
What are some ways you are planting promises in the hearts of your family members?
