Yesterday, as often on Sundays, we had the missionaries over to eat together and spend some quality time. The missionaries always bring us a spiritual message. Yesterday, Sister Fleming had a message that will stay with me and that I would like to share with you.
The text comes from the Book of Mormon, from the book of Ether, chapter 6, verses 5 to 11:
5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused a tremendous wind to blow upon the face of the waters towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.
6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible hurricanes which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep, there was no water that could hurt them, because their vessels were as tight as a dish, and they were also as tight as the ark of Noah; therefore, when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.
8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.
9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.
10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither could a whale do them harm; and they had continually light, whether it was above the water or under the water.
11 And thus they were driven upon the water for three hundred and forty-four days.
When we look at a depiction of this scene, we probably first think 'oh dear, that doesn't look good; they're perishing in this storm'.
But if we carefully study the scripture text above, we notice that the Jaredites always kept their faith. No matter how high they were lifted on the crests of a wave above the waterline or how deep they plunged back into the water, they continued to praise the Lord. For they realized that the storm was what moved them forward.
It is also like this in our lives. This storm symbolizes the setbacks and trials we encounter on our path. Often I get the question why God allows this or that only still allows, if He is so good. 'Why does He let it storm in our lives?' is actually the question.
The answer is simple and clear: because it teaches us to move forward. Our church teaches us about the Plan of Salvation. We are here on earth to learn, to be strengthened. Not to have it easy or to sit on our lazy bottoms.
Our Heavenly Father knows that sometimes we need the wind from behind and from ahead to get us moving. The lesson in the storm is not the storm itself, but how we learn to deal with adversity. How we can see a trial as an opportunity to learn and not to complain. And especially as a test to see if we continue to trust in God.
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