Rescued

Today's post is the culmination of some thoughts as I've been studying my scriptures lately, and some connections that I've been able to make. I read a while back about a man who was going around openly rebelling against God, and he was leading many others down the wrong path. This was worrisome for many faithful people, including this man's father. The father, loving his son greatly, prayed and asked the Lord to please help his son. The result? The son got a wake up call. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and his friends and told them that if they did not want to be destroyed then they needed to stop what they were doing. This was a turning point in this young man's life, and when he heard the angel say "If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God,"a great fear struck him, and he was "racked with eternal torment," and his "soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all [his] sins." This young man had a perfect recollection of all of his guilt, and all that he had done against God. He recalls that he had "rebelled against God" and had murdered many of God's children by leading them away from the paths of God, to destruction. He says, "so great had been the thought of my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror." He goes on to tell us how he was racked with the pains of a damned soul for three days, constantly living in this fear. I love the imagery that this man's words bring to his story. You can truly feel his pain through his words, and you know that this is making an eternal impression on him.
As this young man is in the midst of these pains he remembers that he had heard his father, a righteous man, speak of Jesus Christ, one who was the Son of God, one who would atone for the sins of the world. "Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: Oh Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death." Can you imagine the ray of hope that this man felt in remembering the Lord, someone whom he had so easily forgotten about? And what do you think that the Lord's response is to all of this? Here is a man who was among the vilest of sinners, openly rebelling against God, and now here he is, seeking mercy from the Savior of the World. Jesus Christ truly is the Savior of the World, meaning each of us sinners, and so His response is immediate. "And now, behold, when I thought this I could remember my sins no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain." The Lord immediately redeems this man, just the same way that He redeems each of us. This man goes on to say that the pains he felt over his sins were so exquisite and bitter, but on the other hand "there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy." This man was "born of God" and this point, and tells us that we all need to be born of God.
Some of you know who this man is, others might not know, so I'll tell you now that his name is Alma, the son of Alma. This story comes from the Book of Mormon, and is one of my very favorites. I truly love it for Alma's descriptiveness in his writing, because you really feel like you're right there, suffering with Alma and then being redeemed with him. Thia story reminds me of a picture that a friend in Birmingham showed Sister Abbott and I one day, and with any luck it will end up in this post! It's called "Forgiven" by Thomas Blackshear II. The imagery of the Savior lifting and supporting a man who is holding a mallet in one hand, and a nail in the other is heart-wrenching, and brings peace to my soul. Too many times in life I am that man, doing things that caused my Savior to suffer the Atonement for me. Each time I sin it's as if I am driving that nail into my Savior's hand. And despite all of this, when I call out, my Savior is there to save me, to rescue me from myself. "I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." How true that is!
This brings me to the lyrics from one of my favorite songs. I heard it at a church we were visiting with a friend in Birmingham, and the words spoke to my soul. It's called
"Song of the Rescued"
You oh Lord alone are lifted high
The shadow of Your wings is where I'll hide
You whisper the oceans calm
You reach out and I stand in awe
I live life to bless You
I sing a new song the song of the rescued
Light of the world shine in my heart like the rise of the dawn
While I stand in awe
In this hour my heart is filled with trust
'Cause there's no power or wonder like our God
You whisper the oceans calm
You reach out I stand in awe
I am amazed
Lord who am I that You are mindful of me
When angels bow down and heaven declares that You are God
You're my God
I stand in awe
I live life to bless You
I sing a new song
The song of the rescued

I know that Jesus Christ loves each and every single one of us, and that there is nothing that we can do to push His love away from us. It is never too late to turn to the Lord and ask for His help. He knows that oft times we will get in over our heads, and feel exquisite pains for what we have done to oppose Him, but He is always there, ready to lift us and support us. He is there to rescue us. I know that He lives and this is His plan-the plan of rescue.

*See Alma 27 & 36 in the Book of Mormon for more of Alma's story