Alma 29:4-5 provides a few stunning statements about agency and God’s response to our agency.

I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

These verses say that God provides according to our desires. It doesn’t matter whether those desires are death, evil, remorse or life, good, and joy. He grants our wishes!

How do we reconcile Alma 29:4-5 with the caveat Christ includes in 3 Nephi 18:20? He says;

‘And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.’

Does God give us everything we ask for, or does He only provide when we ask for that which is right? Perhaps D&C 88:63-65 can shed some light on the difference.

Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you; And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.

I think these verses describe our agency and God’s agency - sometimes we forget that there is a difference.

Man’s agency: Alma 29 is describing the will of man. When Adam and Eve came to understand good and evil they then obtained the grandest power of God. At least in its seedling form, they were granted the ability to define their relationship with God and thus their future. Before that moment, they couldn’t hide from God and therefore weren’t free to love Him. This gift of relational agency, the gift of love, came from God, but, once given, it was no longer God’s to control.

God’s agency: 3 Nephi 18 is describing God’s agency. Of course, he is not going to be controlled into gifting immoral requests. We don’t have the power to control His future. Just as He is not a dictator in our relationship with Him, we cannot be the dictator. But if we come to Him in love and join our wills with His, then He is ever ready to respond in love. D&C 88 provides both elements. Because of the great gift given to Adam and all humankind, we can condemn ourselves or we can freely love God. That power does not give us the space to control God. God is ever willing to be in a relationship with us but not at the expense of supporting evil or being controlled.

Why would God give us so much power?

We were given the power to create relationships in time by our desires - we call this agency. Only with that power, could we freely reciprocate love to God. God wanted us to live with him as ‘joint heirs’¹ Sure, we are not joint heirs in our mortal state. However, in the eternal future, we can be in a genuinely loving relationship with God as joint heirs. When we accepted His gift, we had the power to freely choose a relationship with the God of Light and Love or to elect condemnation. Our choice to enter into a loving relationship with Deity is the agency of man as I read D&C 93:30-32. We need the power of agency to be able to love as God loves.

But couldn’t He have given us the power to love without allowing so much evil?

The concept of love is straightforward. However, the act of love is much more complicated. It cannot be forced. Love often is associated with fidelity. Fidelity, as associated with love, is primarily shown when people are out from under the presence of a partner. While a partner may not be controlling or a dictator, the partner’s mere constant presence can inhibit the relationship’s fidelity from trial. A spouse proves their fidelity when they are beyond the reach of their partner. Their loyalty or devotion is refined beyond the constant imposition of their partner’s presence. God knows that he can be faithful in His relationship with each of us. However, he wants us to choose Him in love freely.

Anything less than the full power to choose our relationships in complete freedom would be a dictatorship. Sometimes, we forget this fact when we expect God to stop evil and abuse in the world. We almost expect God’s love to be like King George’s love in Hamilton.

You can read the words or listen to it in the clip below:

You say … The price of my love’s not a price that you’re willing to pay

You’ll be back, soon you’ll see
You’ll remember you belong to me
You’ll be back, time will tell
You’ll remember that I served you well
Oceans rise, empires fall
We have seen each other through it all
And when push comes to shove
I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

You say our love is draining and you can’t go on
You’ll be the one complaining when I am gone
And no, don’t change the subject
‘Cause you’re my favorite subject
My sweet, submissive subject
My loyal, royal subject
Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever

You’ll be back like before
I will fight the fight and win the war
For your love, for your praise
And I’ll love you ’til my dying days
When you’re gone, I’ll go mad
So don’t throw away this thing we had
‘Cause when push comes to shove
I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love

We don’t want the love of King George. We want the love of God. God doesn’t want a love like that of King George or the love like that of King George’s followers. He wants love in its purest form - a love of peers that grows in joint trust, fidelity, and creation. That type of love can only exist in beings that have freedom as He does. That type of love comes from the gift of being able to obtain our desires.

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