Our Safe Harbor

Hello, friends! During my personal study this week, I was touched by the verses in Ether 6 of the Book of Mormon about the journey of the Jaredites to the Promised Land. It was verse five in particular that stood out to me, but I will share a few others as well for us to ponder together.

5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind 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 tempests 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, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto 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 whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.

This is an incredible passage. As I read it, it struck me that in order for these people to make their journey, storms were necessary. The Lord caused a wind to blow so that they could be transported. The description of that wind and the storms that they experienced sounds terrifying. They were tossed, buried, and blown for 344 days. Can you imagine?

When I picture myself on the barges with the Jaredites, I imagine myself feeling like the journey would never end. I imagine worrying that the storms might be too much and that my loved ones and I wouldn't survive. Thankfully, the Jaredites had light in their barges and knew - based on previous experiences - that God was taking care of them. They had eternal, faithful perspectives and praised the Lord. They knew that despite the turmoil of their journey, they would eventually arrive in the Promised Land.

Have you ever felt like the Jaredites? Have you felt that the challenges of life were tossing you about on the sea and that you were out of control? Have you sometimes felt like a particular trial or experience might never end? I have, especially this year. It's easy to lose perspective when things become so difficult. It can be hard to praise the Lord when the storms are so loud. It seems that sometimes we have to go through difficult things - even terrifying things - in order to get where we need to go or become who we need to become. 

Image from ChurchofJesusChrist.org

Thankfully, we have a Savior who has control of the storms and the sea. In many cases, the storms in our lives are for our benefit and help us to learn and grow. I believe He is in control of those things and that we can trust in His wisdom. In other cases, storms in life come because of the actions of others, because of choices we've made, and also because this is mortality and it's imperfect. No matter what is causing the storm, when we turn to the Savior, we can find peace. He may not calm the storm for us, but He will always help calm our hearts if we ask.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught:

"Be assured that there is a safe harbor. You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you. Your Heavenly Father—who knows when even a sparrow falls—knows of your heartache and suffering. He loves you and wants the best for you. Never doubt this. While He allows all of us to make choices that may not always be for our own or even others’ well-being, and while He does not always intervene in the course of events, He has promised the faithful peace even in their trials and tribulations."

We can turn to Him for peace and refuge. Always.

When we are experiencing storms, it's unlikely that anyone knows exactly what we're going through or how our ship is being tossed and blown, as every storm is unique - just as every life is unique. I imagine that no storm on the sea is identical and that no captain can ever say to another that they have experienced exactly the same thing. That is why the Atonement of Jesus Christ is so miraculous. It would be impossible for a mortal being to understand all that another mortal has experienced, but our Savior - the Son of God - understands it all. He has felt every single wave on the sea that we have. He has felt every drop of rain and every gust of wind. He has heard every terrifying creak of our ships and has felt every twist and turn.

President Howard W. Hunter explained:

"But Jesus was not spared grief and pain and anguish and buffeting. No tongue can speak the unutterable burden he carried, nor have we the wisdom to understand the prophet Isaiah’s description of him as “a man of sorrows.” (Isa. 53:3.) His ship was tossed most of his life, and, at least to mortal eyes, it crashed fatally on the rocky coast of Calvary. We are asked not to look on life with mortal eyes; with spiritual vision we know something quite different was happening upon the cross.

"Peace was on the lips and in the heart of the Savior no matter how fiercely the tempest was raging. May it so be with us—in our own hearts, in our own homes, in our nations of the world, and even in the buffetings faced from time to time by the Church. We should not expect to get through life individually or collectively without some opposition."

Life is full of storms and opposition. Our Savior suffered the greatest storms of all, and yet, He never failed to see others with unconditional love. He never failed to see the good and He suffered for that good - for the potential in each of us that He wants us to realize. He weathered every storm so that He would be able to help us in all of our experiences. He made the greatest sacrifice so He could be our safe harbor.

I'm sure there were moments when the Jaredites wished the storms would cease. They wouldn't be human if they didn't have moments of exhaustion, doubt, and fear. But they were able to find perspective and see the purpose of God in the storms. We can do that, too, as we turn to the Savior and ask Him what we can learn from our challenges. We can also turn to Him for comfort, peace, and strength when we're in the midst of great difficulties.

When the storm is all we can see, He can help us see beyond it and find peace as we endure it. Because of Him, we know that in the end, everything will be okay. Because of Him, we know that this life isn't the end, and that even the worst that mortality can inflict upon us will eventually be overcome. We can find so much peace and hope in Him and His light.

I hope that we will all look to Him for peace and refuge during the storms. I hope we will also look to Him with gratitude for the days of sunshine. They are all possible because of Him.

Love,

Bonnie Gwyn