12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
This story was one that I often shared with members on my mission. I love how the people remained faithful even though they were persecuted. I love that even when they could not pray out loud, they knew they could pray in their hearts and they knew God was listening.

 I love how God comforts them and tells them to be of good cheer. 

I love how they are reminded of their covenants. Covenants are promises from God that we can rely on. He remembers the covenant that we have made. He never forgets.

Elder Bednar noted when recounting this story: “Note the centrality of covenants to the promise of deliverance. Covenants received and honored with integrity and ordinances performed by proper priesthood authority are necessary to receive all of the blessings made available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

And then, the people are strengthens in their trials. The trials do not leave them, but they are given strength so that they bear them with ease. Elder Bednar has frequently spoke about this: “The challenges and difficulties were not immediately removed from the people. But Alma and his followers were strengthened, and their increased capacity made the burdens lighter. These good people were empowered through the Atonement to act as agents (see D&C 58:26–29) and impact their circumstances. And “in the strength of the Lord” (Words of Mormon 1:14; Mosiah 9:17; 10:10; Alma 20:4), Alma and his people were directed to safety in the land of Zarahemla.”

This story teaches us much about the enabling power of Christ and much about how we can endure and thrive even when we have undeserved trials.