In the beginning, the decrees of God with respect to his spirit children must have provided the framework for foreordination. The plan is God’s; the allotments and decrees come from him. Alma, like the rest of us, had only a veiled knowledge of his allotments. If he were not foreordained to speak with the trump of God as an angel, he should not desire that which was not to be his privilege. We do not know, however, whether or not the Lord might grant this wish unto Alma, for…he granteth unto men according to their desire, and there are many angels who have messages for the inhabitants of the last days (see DC 88:103-7; Rev. 14:7-8). Maybe one of them will be the resurrected Alma.
At any rate, Alma’s juxtaposition of the doctrine of foreordination and free will is interesting. One minute he is talking about the unalterable decrees of God and the next he is talking about the will of man. In the pre-mortal sphere, the decrees and allotments were given according to their wills, but during mortality, that same will power can be exercised to reject the Lord’s allotment.
The finite mind has difficulty fully comprehending the width and depth of this doctrine. What is clear is that foreordination does not equal fatalism. Because one is foreordained to perform some work does not mean that free will cannot be exercised in opposition to God’s plan. Nevertheless, the wayward soul can never change their assignment. If they knew what they had been assigned to do, they might wish to be unforeordained, but this could never happen, for the decrees of God are unalterable. Neal A. Maxwell said, “We will not be able to invoke, justifiably, either deprivational or circumstantial evidence in our own behalf later on to show that we were dealt with unjustly. The record will be clear.” (We Will Prove Them Herewith, p. 6) At the last day, those who have failed to live up to expectations will again remember and have remorse for their rebellious choices.
Neal A. Maxwell
"…All of this brings us now to the need to examine a doctrine within a doctrine within a doctrine. Within the plan of salvation is the doctrine of premortal existence; we then encounter the delicate but important doctrine of foreordination.
"The doctrine of foreordination is one of the doctrinal roads ’least traveled by.’ Yet it clearly underlines how very long and how perfectly God has loved each of us and known each of us, with our individual needs and capacities. It is so powerful a doctrine, however, that isolated from other doctrines, or mishandled, it can induce false pride, stoke the fires of fatalism, impact adversely upon agency, cause us to focus on status rather than service, and carry us over into the false doctrine of predestination.
"…The truth about foreordination also helps us to taste of the other deep wisdom of Alma: he said we ought to be ‘content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto’ each of us (Alma 29:3). If, indeed, the things allotted to each of us have been divinely customized, then ’why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?’ (Alma 29:6)
“So should we regard the dispensation of the fulness of times-even when we face stern challenges and circumstances. ’These are great days!’ Our hearts need not fail us. We can be equal to our challenges.” (But For a Small Moment, pp. 95-101)
Henry D. Moyle
"I am sure today in our lives many of us wish that we were something other than we are, thinking likely that their lot is preferable to our own. But Alma said further: Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish, for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. (Alma 29:2-3)
"I believe that we, as fellow workers in the priesthood, might well take to heart the admonition of Alma and be content with that which God hath allotted us. We might well be assured that we had something to do with our ‘allotment’ in our pre-existent state. This would be an additional reason for us to accept our present condition and make the best of it. It is what we agreed to do.
"…we had our own free agency in our pre-mortal existence and whatever we are today is likely the result of that which we willed to be heretofore. We unquestionably knew before we elected to come to this earth the conditions under which we would here exist, and live, and work. So little wonder it is that Alma of old said that we sin in the thought, or in the desire or in the wish that we were someone other than ourselves...
"I have a conviction deep down in my heart that we are exactly what we should be, each one of us, except as we may have altered that pattern by deviating from the laws of God here in mortality. I have convinced myself that we all have those peculiar attributes, characteristics, and abilities which are essential for us to possess in order that we may fulfil the full purpose of our creation here upon this earth.
"Once again, that allotment which has come to us from God is a sacred allotment. It is something of which we should be proud, each one of us in our own right, and not wish that we had somebody else’s allotment. Our greatest success comes from being ourselves.
“I think that we can console ourselves best by believing that whatever is our allotment in life, whatever is our call in the priesthood, the Lord has been wise and just, and I might add, merciful, in giving to us that which we need to accomplish the particular purpose of our call.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1952, p. 71)