Comparing the young people of today to the army of Helaman, as a group of Christians involved in both physical and spiritual wars, Elder Kim B. Clark, president of BYU-Idaho and member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy, shared at campus devotional two patterns seen in the Book of Mormon that can be used for protection today.
"I'd like to reflect with you…for a few moments today," he said, "about two patterns we find in the story of Helaman: 1) being valiant in a time of war through trust in God, and 2) the power of righteous parents."
He went on to examine Helaman specifically, and how he was valiant during a time of war. The life of Helaman, the Book of Mormon teaches, was a time of great turmoil between not only the Nephites and Lamanites, but also the Nephites themselves.
"In the midst of this tumultuous time," said President Clark, "Helaman became a high priest in the Church and took charge of the records he received from his father, Alma." He added, "He was part of a remarkable set of righteous leaders in that time."
Helaman was not only a loved and successful church leader, but also is well-known for his leadership of the ever-faithful two thousand young men who went to war to protect their parents and families.
According to President Clark, the reason Helaman became a strong Church and military leader was because he was true to the advice he had been given by his father. Encouraging students to follow this advice in their own lives, Elder Clark outlined four of the major messages from Alma 36 and 37:
- Trust in God
- Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer
- Remember and keep the commandments of God
- Look to God and live
President Clark also spoke of the greatness of the two thousand stripling warriors. "These three characteristics--trusting in God, minds that are firm, and being young and strong in the Spirit--capture the essence of what it means to be ‘as the army of Helaman.'"
Giving direct advice to students, Elder Clark said, "You, too, are part of the great army of the Lord, and you will have and face spiritual battles that will test you every it as much as the army of Helaman. The only sure way to be valiant, the only sure power of deliverance, is to be as the army of Helaman and trust in God."
Engaging in the second pattern drawn from the life of Helaman, President Clark shared information and advice on the power of righteous parents.
Using the strong spirituality of Helaman's family, from his grandfather Alma the Elder down to his great grandson Nephi, the prophet at the time of Christ's visit to the Americas, President Clark shared that "truly there is power in righteous parents, power to influence and shape the lives of their children and their posterity over many generations. That power lies in who they are and what they do."
President Clark invited the students to prepare to keep the legacy of faith already within their families and to pass it on by becoming strong parents, or to start a legacy if it was not passed down to them.
"The message of the army of Helaman is this: no matter where you are, if you are the first generation in the kingdom or you're the seventh, no matter if your family is faithful or not, you can be the beginning of an eternal family."
President Clark ended his message with encouragement and a blessing. "Now you have a great work to do in the Kingdom," he said. "I pray you will take the patterns of the Book of Mormon into your hearts and into your lives…and may you be as the army of Helaman, firm and undaunted, faithful and true, valiant in a time of war, and a powerful welding link in the generations of your family."
-Photo by Monique Saenz
:: For a complete transcript of President Clark's devotional...