In Alma 32, Alma gives a riveting discourse on how the Word of God is like a seed that can be planted and grow and yield precious fruit. His audience was captivated by this idea, so much so that they wanted to get started right away and asked him how exactly they went about planting the seed. In response, Alma delivers another powerful sermon, this time on prayer. It is clear that in Alma’s mind prayer is the process by which we plant the seeds, or the words of God, in our hearts. When Jesus first began teaching in Parables, His disciples almost immediately asked Him what this was all supposed to mean. Jesus did not berate or belittle them for not being smart enough or not having enough faith to understand His words. “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13:11). It was given unto Jesus’s disciples to know the mysteries not because they had some special status as His followers but because they asked, and the others did not. We should not be surprised or dismayed if we do not immediately understand fully the word of God. It is not a sign of weakness but a sign of great spiritual strength to seek and ask for guidance and inspiration and revelation from the Spirit to show us the true meaning contained in the words that we study. Prayer opens our heart and transforms it from the hard-packed wayside upon which no seeds can grow into the soft, good soil into which the seeds of the Word of God can be planted easily. Prayer lets the Words of God sink deep down into our soul, where they can sprout and grow and yield fruit. If the words of God keep bouncing off of our impenetrable hearts, then maybe we need to pray a little more often and a little more earnestly. Our earnest efforts to bring our will and understanding into alignment with our Father’s will and understanding will soften the soil of our hearts and make it ready for the seeds to be planted that they may bear fruit. I know that it is vitally important for us to plant the word of God in our hearts, and the way we plant it is through prayer.
