Brad Wilcox from his book ‘Changed Through His Grace’, Chapter 5 taught:
In the Book of Mormon, King Limhi’s people were in bondage to the Lamanites: “And now the afflictions were great, and there was no way that they could deliver themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had surrounded them on every side” (Mosiah 21:5). Three times the Nephites went to battle against their enemies, and the Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back and slew many of them” (Mosiah 21:8)
It was only when the people of Limhi finally sought the Lord’s grace that they were successful: They did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God . . . that he would deliver them out of their afflictions” (Mosiah 21:14)
Sometimes our progress is blocked by bad habits or addictions, and we feel like we are in bondage. When we or those we love are caught in negative cycles of compulsive behavior, we can turn to God and with His help—His grace—we can escape. But one of the reasons I love the story of Limhi is because the happy ending doesn’t come immediately after the people call upon God. Many who struggle with addictions relate to King Limhi’s people, who spent “many days in the wilderness” before “they arrived in the land of Zarahemla” (Mosiah 22:13). But God and His grace were not waiting for them in Zarahemla. They were with them in the wilderness. Christ said, “I am the way” (John 14:6), not “I am waiting at the end of the way.”
God cannot force us to choose the path of exaltation any more than He could force Limhi’s people to leave their captivity. As hard as it is to comprehend, many are content in slavery. They either can’t remember a past without it or can’t imagine a future from it. The miracle of grace is not just that God can take us out of slavery, but that He can take slavery out of us. It took weeks and months to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. However, it took forty years to take Egypt out of them. It was one thing to change their surroundings and another to change them. As we strive to escape whatever bondage we find ourselves in, God will soften hearts, ease burdens (see Mosiah 21:15), and help us “grow in grace” (Hymns, no. 296; Doctrine and Covenants 50:40)
As we endure, we will learn to take the Lord’s name more sincerely and reach out to others for help. We will learn to see our progress—however slow it may be—with a long term perspective. When we choose to accept grace, our days in the wilderness—like those of Limhi—become journeys of freedom and healing.~Brad Wilcox, Changed Through His Grace (Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, 2017), 146-49 (Dwarsligger edition)
