Okay, I think this is probably such a famous chapter in the Book of Mormon. Everyone loves this chapter, and so do I. It is about the Sons of Helaman!
Two-THOUSAND young men were willing to take up weapons of war since their fathers covenanted that they would never fight again. Two-thousand. That is a lot of faithful young men. Kind of like the spiritually strong and faithful fifty-something-thousand young men we have serving missions around the world.
And those young men chose Helaman to be their leader. He called them his own sons -since "they were worthy to be called sons.)
And they did set out to help the army of Antipus against the army of the wicked Lamanites. They led the Lamanites in a strategic way...their plan was working until the Lamanites got too close, but fortunately Antipus's army was speedy and they caught the Lamanites from behind.
Helaman writes:
43 And now, whether they were overtaken by Antipus we knew not, but I said unto my men: Behold, we know not but they have halted for the purpose that we should come against them, that they might catch us in their snare;
44 Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?
45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen aso great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.
46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.
47 Now they 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.
48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
49 And it came to pass that I did return with my two thousand against these Lamanites who had pursued us. And now behold, the armies of Antipus had overtaken them, and a terrible battle had commenced.
Now Antipus's army had become very weak, and the Lamanites realized this and fought harder. Then all of a sudden, Helaman's army came from behind to attack the Lamanites. This gave the army of Antipus time to regroup.
Both armies then surrounded the Lamanites, insomuch that they were compelled to deliver up their weapons of war and also themselves as prisoners of war.
And then the miracle:
55 And now it came to pass that when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain.
56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.
Now, to go back to a famous scripture:
...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.
Wow. THAT is the kind of Mother I want to be. That is the kind of friend I want to be. I want to not only be able to teach my children to have that much faith in God, but through my actions and example, I want my children to be able to say, "I do not doubt that my mother KNEW it." And how neat would it be to have a others say, "I do not doubt that my FRIEND, TEACHER, WIFE, DAUGHTER, NEIGHBOR, knew it."
That is how I want to live my life.
Boy, I love the scriptures!
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