“Timing is everything” is how the saying goes. In other words, doing something at the right time is critical.

Dallin H. Oaks said, “In all the important decisions in our lives, what is most important is to do the right thing. Second, and only slightly behind the first, is to do the right thing at the right time.“¹

There are two instances in the story of King Lamoni’s conversion in Alma 17-19 when timing was crucial.

Ammon’s Timing

When Ammon first began his time with Lamoni, he asked only to be a servant in his kingdom. Lamoni obliged and sent Ammon to watch his flocks.

Ammon fulfilled this role faithfully and impressed Lamoni so much so that he thought he was the Great Spirit: “Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them. Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not” (Alma 18:10-11).

Ammon did go to Lamoni and he taught him. Ammon understood the importance of doing the right thing at the right time when preaching the gospel. Had he started with his message right out of the gate with Lamoni, who knows what would have happened–maybe he would have been imprisoned or killed. By simply serving him first, Ammon was able to soften Lamoni’s heart and prepare him to hear the message.

King Lamoni was so overcome by Ammon’s message that he “fell to the earth”. He was taken to his wife and his family mourned because they thought he was dead. Ammon tells the Queen that her husband is not dead and instead of burying him, they should wait for the next day when he would awaken.

When Lamoni awakens, he shares a powerful witness of the Savior, and the overpowering joy that King Lamoni, the Queen and Ammon felt had the same effect as before–they all “sunk to the earth” (see Alma 19:12-14) and it appeared to many that they were dead.

Abish’s Timing

The servants of the King began to pray.

“And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—

“Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it known, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God, therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people” (Alma 19:16-17).

Abish had been converted many years before, yet she didn’t share her conversion with any of her people. We don’t really know why–again, maybe she would have been imprisoned or killed. It must have been lonely for her. We do know she remained faithful and when the time was right, she shared; in fact, she “ran forth from house to house” (see Alma 19:17).

In the end, Abish’s readiness to perform her special assignment when the time was right had a tremendous impact (see Alma 19:34-36).

A Personal Experience

As a missionary, I had an unforgettable experience that taught me the power of timing.²

Giovanni came regularly to our weekly English class. He was a retired gentleman who was learning English to help keep his mind off his concern for his ailing wife. One week he quit coming. No one seemed to know why. About a month later, he came to class again. He looked different. He had lost weight, and he looked depressed. He didn’t participate in class as he had before, and he left class before we could talk with him.

During the following week, my companion and I prayed that Giovanni would come back to class so we could talk to him. Our prayers were answered as he came to the next class. As we talked with him after class, he shared that his wife had died. He told us a little bit about the experience, and we expressed our sympathy. We told him that we wanted to help him understand how he could be with his wife again. He raised his head, looked in my eyes, and with tears of anger and sadness said, “If you really want to help me, you would come over to my house and help me get my life back in order. Isn’t that what missionaries do? I need help getting my house and affairs in order.”

We were surprised and humbled by Giovanni’s comments. We offered our help for anything he needed. I think that was the point he started trusting our intentions. He told us to be over at his house the next day to help him prune his fig trees. We went to his house at the appointed time and began working at his side. In the months he took care of his wife, he had neglected chores around his yard and home. There was plenty of work for the three of us to do. This became a weekly service experience at his home. We pruned trees, pulled weeds, and picked fruit. We didn’t start teaching—whenever we tried to start, he quickly ended our conversations. He was most comfortable as we spoke about his life and family. Mostly, we just listened.

After about a month and a half, Giovanni surprised us by asking, “Will I really see my wife again?” We joyously responded that he would. We testified of eternal families and did our best to answer his questions.

We taught Giovanni the plan of salvation. He was moved by the doctrine. Before we left he had a list of questions he wanted answered, such as, “Will my wife have a body when I see her again?” and “Will we be free from illness and pain?” We answered his questions and set up another appointment to discuss the principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Shortly thereafter, Giovanni’s countenance changed. He smiled more often and seemed more at peace. He actually had “hope for a better world” (Ether 12:4).

Giovanni was not ready to hear the gospel when I wanted to share it. But as we built trust with him, in time he was ready.

Trust the Lord’s Timing

We may not always understand the Lord’s timing, but we can always trust it.

“The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith means trust—trust in God’s will, trust in His way of doing things, and trust in His timetable. We should not try to impose our timetable on His . . . Indeed, we cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing.”³

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1. Dallin H. Oaks, “Timing“, BYU Devotional, January 29, 2002
2. If this experience sounds familiar to you, it’s because it was printed as I had written it in the original “Preach, My Gospel”; however, Giovanni’s name was changed to Pablo. I figure since the new edition of “Preach My Gospel” no longer has the story, I can reclaim it.
3. Dallin H. Oaks, “Timing“, BYU Devotional, January 29, 2002

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