Firmness of Mind: Becoming Like the Stripling Warriors- Dana Woodbury

At the beginning of Jacob chapter three, Jacob gives a blueprint of how we can receive help from God. He says, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever” (Jacob 3:1-2). These verses are powerful in what they suggest. Jacob is saying that if a person has a firm mind, prays with exceeding faith, and receives the word and love of God, then he will be blessed immensely. Later on in the chapter, he also hints at a need for families to love each other. He praises the Lamanites because, “their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and wives love their children” (Jacob 3:7). This family unity will someday, he says, cause the Lamanites to, “become a blessed people” (Jacob 3:6). The other blessings listed in this chapter include consolation in hard times, and having the Lord as an advocate to plead our cause and send down justice upon those that are against His people. These blessing can be a great strength in times of need.

When the words of these verses are studied closely in other languages, it brings further meaning to them. In the Spanish translation of verse 1, it uses the word “abogara” to describe how Christ will bless us. This word, in essence, means a lawyer or attorney. What a comfort it is to know that Christ will be like our defense attorney. When I was a senior in high school, I worked as a secretary for a defense attorney. As I watched all of the work and effort that he put into each client, it amazed me. Each client had an extensive file filled with notes and any other papers or recordings involved in the case. This attorney knew everything about his client’s experience and he worked hard to make sure that he could help them in any way that he could. When I think of standing at the judgment day, I would want someone like that there to defend me, someone who knows and understands my experiences and someone who is wholly on my side. That kind of support makes judgment day seem not quite as formidable. Another insight that can be found through studying the language of these verses is in the Hebrew translation of the word firm. It means “to be erect” or “to stand perpendicular.” This reminds me of a song by Jamie Glenn entitled “Walk Tall (You’re a Daughter of God).” In the song, the chorus states, “Walk tall you’re a daughter, a child of God. Be strong and remember who you are. Try to understand, you’re part of His great plan. He’s closer than you know. Reach up; He’ll take your hand.” These word provide the image of Christ there as a constant guide and support. He will help you to be erect. He will hold you up when things get tough and thus, you will remain firm as He has counseled you to be.

In the scriptures, there are many examples of people who receive these blessings. However, in searching the cross-references to these verses in particular, the scriptures lead you to Alma, where the story of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors is found. After studying these verses, it is clear that these young men are perfect examples of how to receive these blessings. First, these young men were firm in mind and had exceeding faith. After making it through several battles without losing a single man, Helaman is amazed. In Alma 57:26-27, he says,

“And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe- that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.”

Clearly because of the faith and firmness of mind, these young men had the Lord on their side to bring destruction to their enemies. These warriors were also blessed because they kept the commandments of God. Indeed, “they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to…keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40). Although they had suffered physical pain, they were able to be consoled through the power of God. The blessings that they received for their faithfulness were innumerable.

These young men are also an example of love. In 1 John 5:2 it says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” It has already been shown that the stripling warriors had no problem keeping the commandments; so naturally, they are great examples of loving their fellowmen, too. In chapter 56 of Alma, it shows the love that they had. First, they loved their brethren, the Lamanites. They say to Helaman, “we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone” (Alma 56:46). Even though the Lamanites had never been very kind to their people, these men are able to forgive and forget. They have no desire to kill, only to preserve the rights of their families. This brings up another point. Later in this chapter, it states that these warriors, “never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56: 47-48). These young men had such faith in and such love for their parents that they knew that they were fighting for a good cause. They wished to preserve the freedoms of their loved ones and thus put their lives on the line. This is a great example of the strength that family ties can bring. By having courage and fighting for their families, these young men allowed the Lord to pour out blessings upon them.

Overall, Jacob’s counsel is simple. By doing things like praying and turning to God, we are able to receive many blessings in our lives. We can become as the stripling warriors, strong and faithful in all things, if we hearken unto this counsel. I know that there have been many times in my life where I have been in need of comfort. In these times of need, I found that if I truly believed that the Lord would help me and if I turned to Him in prayer that I was able to receive great comfort and was able to overcome any heartache I was experiencing. I know that the Lord loves each and every one of his children and that he wants to bless us. He is just waiting for us to ask Him, so don’t be afraid. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Works Cited

1. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

2. The Bible, King James Version

3. http://www.lds.org/, Young Women's Camp manual