All Enlisted

     The sun is setting over the Nephite city of Judea, bringing to a close another long, exhausting, and discouraging day for the soldiers of Antipus. I can imagine them wilting at their stations along the city walls, their strength giving out but their eyes holding steady, determinedly, to the horizon where at any moment another attack may advance. Their numbers are dwindling day by the day because of the loss of so many of their brethren at the hands of the Lamanite army, and despite their determination, they know that they will not be able to hold out much longer. Most likely, they are all going to die. They know this. For the past several months they have been watching their friends, brothers, fathers, cousins and uncles fall before their eyes and now the groans of the injured being cared for in the city, as well as the cries of widows, join the crickets to make the mournful lullaby of night. Perhaps the thought enters their minds: Was it all for nothing?

"Yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities... And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die." - Alma 56:16,17

    Why would they stay in that place when all hope seemed to have gone? When it must have appeared as though God Himself had abandoned them? Why didn't the natural instinct of self preservation kick in and send them running for the hills, or at least to another Nephite stronghold where their meager forces might stand a chance alongside a stronger army? What was so important to them that it would keep them "determined to conquer in this place or die"? When I imagine how terrifying it must be to be beyond exhaustion, depressed in body and spirit, having witnessed the death of so many I loved, knowing that I am very likely to meet the same horrifying fate within the next few days, I can't help but wonder: is there anything I would be willing to fight so valiantly and die for?

"Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church. And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies. And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion." - Alma 43:45-47

     It was for these same reasons that Captain Moroni, in chapter 46, rent his coat, wrote on it, fastened it to a pole like a flag, and then rode through the city on his horse, waving it through the air as he called for everyone to join him, "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children."

     In fact, the Nephites fought so valiantly to protect these things-- their families, their religion, their lands and their freedom-- that even their enemies came to call it the "Cause of the Christians". The army of Antipus held this cause so deeply in their hearts that they were ready to die for it, if need be. I wonder if they questioned why the Lord did not deliver them, or send chariots of fire to assist them in defending so noble a cause. Perhaps they recognized that some are called to be martyrs, such as Abinadi, or so many of their fallen comrades. Though they were depressed in spirit, I wonder if they still held out any hope for victory. Let's get back to them and see how they fare.

     Just at the moment when the end seems to be drawing near, the soldiers of Antipus spy movement in the distance. Their muscles tense in anticipation of another attack. They shout out to one another to prepare. They brace themselves for whatever may come, trying to find within themselves the will to fight. They can feel that what little energy they have left won't be enough. They pray for strength, though so many prayers seem to have gone unheard. And then, like the herald of an angel comes the cry, "It is Helaman! Help has come!"
     Over the hills march a glorious, shining army of 2,000 stripling warriors led by the son of Alma. It is a small band, to be sure, but they appear to be mighty angels in the eyes of Antipus and his men. They are young-- many of them hardly old enough to use a sword-- and they are inexperienced in the ways of battle, but their faith is fresh and bright. They are like warm sunlight and water on the depressed souls they have come to help. Helaman would later write to Moroni, "this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave [the army of Antipus] great hopes and much joy."- verse 17

   I don't know if it was really sunset when Helaman's army arrived, or even if any of Antipus' men would have recognized him or known who he was. I just like to imagine these things as dramatically as possible, to fully immerse myself in the story. These trifling details aside, the story is still the same. Sometimes in life we get to be the stripling warriors, coming to the aid of others. Sometimes, though, we're like the men of Antipus who struggle to maintain a hopeful, faithful attitude while everything seems to be going wrong and our prayers seem to be going unheard. For me, it can be hard during those times  to remember what is really important or why I'm holding on at all. There are so many things vying for our attention these days, each claiming to be important. As I read through this chapter in the Book of Mormon and asked myself, "What would I be willing to die for?" it came down to two things: my family, and my faith.

     The Cause of the Christians is under attack today every bit as much as it was back then, though it isn't as obvious as a half-naked, face-painted-in-blood, obsidian-sword-wielding Lamanite army marching on our cities. It comes in the subtle form of political correctness, of spirit-numbing entertainment, of "philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men" (Col. 2:8), and "the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph. 4:5) It comes under the guise of liberating women from the supposed slave-like labor of rearing children and the glorification of worldly success. It comes in accepting the lusts of the natural man as "normal" and even "healthy".

     If ever there was a cause worth defending to your last breath, it is the one cause that brings true, lasting, eternal joy: the cause of eternal families and the freedom to raise them right.

    Whatever fight we are waging now, be it familial or personal, we can take courage from the faithful attitude of the 2,000 stripling warriors:

     "...Behold, our God is with us, and He will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth." - Alma 56:46