KnoWhy #135 - Why Did Fasting and Prayer Accompany Nephite Mourning? (Alma 28:6)

In Alma 28, Mormon tells of “a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.” Afterwards, there was “a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land,” accompanied by “much fasting and prayer.” Mormon’s description of these events once again ties Nephite religious practice back to ancient Israel. Fasting was an Israelite religious and cultural response to incidents of sorrow, humiliation, solemnity, and burial. Those who mourn and seek the spirit of the Lord can find themselves particularly blessed with hope and reassurance in their moment of anguish.