In
the scriptures, there are stories of people crossing deep waters in order to
reach a glorious end such as Zion, the Promised Land and Jesus Christ. These stories, even though literal, can be
instructive of what we need to do as individuals to reach our “promised land”
as we traverse the turbulent, dangerous “waters” of this mortal life.
JOURNEY TO
CHRIST
The
most famous story of an individual crossing deep waters is Peter’s attempt to
do so. When Peter saw the Lord walking
on the water, he cried out, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the
water” [Matt. 14:28]. Jesus replied,
“Come.” The Lord invites all of us to
cross these waters of mortality to come to Him.
Peter climbed out of the ship and walked on the water towards
Jesus. “But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save
me!” Instead of chastising Peter and
letting him tread water for awhile, the Lord immediately stretched forth his
hand and caught him.
F. David Lee
wrote:
Peter and the other disciples embarked upon
their journey in response to their master’s request. We, too, embarked upon our
journey through mortality in willing response to divine will. And, like the
disciples on the ship, who were aware of the dangers of traveling on the Sea of
Galilee, with its sudden storms, we began our journey with an understanding
that there would be perils along the way.
Like Peter, we in this life learn that
temporal supports sometimes crumble—or sink—in the face of life’s tempests. We find that there are
forces capable of upsetting our most carefully improvised plans. But we, like
Peter, can discover that our Savior stands nearby, though perhaps dimly seen,
ready to help us if we will but reach out to him and accept his divine
assistance. We need not struggle alone.[i]
Christ
asked Peter about his lack of faith and trust, yet Peter was the only mortal to
ever walk upon water. Did Peter lack
faith and confidence in Christ? If so,
then it would seem that Peter, as a man familiar with the water, would have
attempted to swim back to the ship instead of crying to the Lord to save him,
as many of us try to do in this life. Often we try to “pull ourselves up by our
own bootstraps,” so to speak, and then hope Christ can finish the job. Stephen Robinson wrote in his book, Believing
Christ,
Too many of us are
saying to ourselves, “When I’ve done it, when I’ve perfected myself, when I’ve made myself completely
righteous, then I’ll be worthy of the Atonement. Then Christ can do his work and exalt
me.” But this will never happen, for it
puts the cart before the horse. Its like
saying, “When my tumor is gone, then I’ll call the doctor. I’ll be ready for him then.”[ii]
I believe
that the reason Peter sank was primarily because he changed his focus. Even though Peter’s faith in Christ was perfect
enough to walk on water; the wind and the waves caught his attention. Peter started to sink because he took his
eyes off the Savior and focused on the turbulent waves. We, likewise, can easily take our “eyes” off
the Savior when we focus on the trials, duties, and even pleasures of the world. In the same vein, Alma asked, “If ye have
experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of
redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” [Alma 5:26, emphasis
added] Even though we may have had
complete confidence and periods of exceeding faith in the Lord, it is something
that can leave us if we are not careful to keep our focus on Christ.
Peter
quickly realized the result of his change of focus and cried out to the
Lord. Peter had no trouble walking on
the water back to the ship when he walked with Christ. As we walk with Christ across this sea of
life, we likewise are in no danger of sinking, for He has all power over the
elements and there are no “storms or turbulent seas” that He cannot calm in our
lives.
Again from F.
David Lee,
The scriptures speak of the “trial of faith”
(Ether 12:6) through which we must pass, indicating that the faith-building
process is not automatic. Instead, it is a learning process—a mandatory
sequence for all who would inherit eternal life. Each step Peter took away from
the ship was a trial of his faith; each step toward Jesus took him a step
farther from his accustomed means of survival. And each step was a voluntary
one; he was under no compulsion to leave the ship and respond to the Lord’s
call to “Come.”
At one point Peter’s attention was drawn from
Jesus, the object of his faith, to the boisterous wind and waves around him. In
a moment of confusion, fear overpowered his faith, and Peter started to fall.
So like our lives! As we learn the gospel and
develop our faith, we reach the point where we feel strong enough to leave the
boat; we determine to stand free from worldly supports and voluntarily walk by
faith through the tempest toward our Savior. Each step for us may be a trial.
The waves around us are as real in their way as Peter’s waves were to him. And,
like Peter, we may slip! We may feel the awful descent toward
destruction and, in confused desperation, consider the safety of the ship.
But wait! Our efforts to meet the trials of
our faith—our footsteps over life’s treacherous waters—have somehow re-oriented
us, and we reach out for safety, not to the boat, as we would have done in
earlier times, but to the outstretched hand of the Savior. Hand grasps hand,
and we are pulled to the Master of wind and water. No more is he seen vaguely
through the storm; no more is his voice indistinct in the roar of the gale. Now
we are home; now the trial is over.
JOURNEY TO
THE PROMISED LAND
Another
story of crossing deep waters is found in 1st Nephi in the Book of
Mormon. Nephi was commanded to build a
ship to cross the great and deep waters to the promised land. He had no prior experience in ship
building. Likewise, we do not have
experience in becoming a perfect vessel of the Lord. The first thing the Lord told Nephi to do was
to climb up a mountain where he would receive instruction. Mountains have been symbolic of natural
temples and were used as a place of heavenly instruction when there was not a
temple available. We need not climb a
mountain to receive instruction, but we can go to the temple often as Nephi
“did go into the mount oft, and did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord
showed unto me great things” [1 Nephi 18:3].
Nephi
said that he did not build the ship after the manner of men, but after the
manner which the Lord had shown unto him [1 Nephi 18:2]. The blueprint for our spiritual vessels is
found in the House of the Lord. The Lord revealed unto Joseph Smith regarding
temples, “let the house be built, not after the manner of the world, for I give
not unto you that ye shall live after the manner of the world” [Doc. & Cov.
95:13].
After
the ship was built, Nephi and group did not know where this promised land was
located. They were to follow the
directions given by the Liahona, and it worked only according to their
faithfulness and righteousness. Alma
related how the Liahona was symbolic of the words of Christ for “just as surely
as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the
promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond
this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise” [Alma 37:45]. We can obtain the guiding “words of Christ”
through prayer, the Holy Spirit and the words of the prophets as contained in
the scriptures, conference talks, etc.
As
they traveled upon the sea, Nephi became very concerned about the attitude of
his elder brothers and the sons of Ishmael and their wives because, after many
days, they began to sing and to dance and to make themselves merry. Like Peter,
they took their focus off the Lord and Nephi was worried. Nephi also mentions that they spoke “with
much rudeness” which probably occurred after he reprimanded them for their
cavalier behavior, for “they did forget by what power they had been brought
thither” [1 Nephi 18:9].
They
became angry with Nephi and bound him and a terrible storm ensued. On the fourth day, when they realized that
they were in great peril of sinking, they loosened Nephi’s bands and repented
of their sins. Nephi prayed unto the
Lord and the “winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great
calm” [1 Nephi 18:21]. Nephi guided the
ship and after the space of many days, they arrived at the promised land.
Nephi
clearly was the prophet of that ship, for it was he that guided it, following
the directions of the Liahona. It was he
that reprimanded his brethren for taking their focus off of the Lord to “make
themselves merry”. We are often like
these brethren when we focus on the things of the world and the pleasures
therein and do not heed the words of our living prophets. Some of us get angry at the counsel of the
General Authorities and in a sense, we bind them, like Nephi was bound, when we
refuse to heed their words. In doing
so, we leave ourselves unprotected to the storms of life. The prophet is the designated person to
guide the Church, our “Ship of Zion,” if you will, to the promised land.
THE JAREDITE
CROSSING
Another
story of crossing great waters to a promised land is the story of the brother
of Jared and his group. Mahonri-moriancumer
[the brother of Jared] and his brethren built barges “according to the
instructions of the Lord” [Ether 2:16] and they were exceedingly air and water
tight. Because of his concern about
oxygen and what to do for light, the brother of Jared went to the Lord for
answers. The Lord immediately told him
how to solve the air problem, but then asked him “What will ye that I should do
that ye may have light in your vessels?
For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces;
neither shall ye take fire with you” and He also warned of the mountainous
waves, the floods and the winds and being swallowed up in the depths of the
sea. Then again the Lord asked,
“Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light?”
[vs. 25] Why didn’t the Lord just tell
him what to do for light in the same way, as He did for air?
It
is possible that there was a precursor to this problem. In Genesis, chapter 6, the account of Noah
and the ark, there is a reference on verse 16 that says that some Rabbis
believe that there was a precious stone that shone in the ark. If Noah had a stone that gave light, then
perhaps the Lord was encouraging Mahonri-moriancumer to search the scriptures
for the answer was already revealed.
This makes sense for I wondered how he came up with the idea of clear
stones for the Lord to touch. Sometimes
we pray for solutions to our problems and just expect the Lord to give us the
answer, when what we need to do is to search the scriptures for the solution. Even though the brother of Jared prepared
the stones, he could not make them glow.
The Lord had to prepare the stones, by touching them, so that they would
shine in darkness.
There
were eight vessels and so there were to be two stones in each vessel and “Thus
the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and
children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness” [Ether
6:3]. The manner in which this verse was
worded, was clearly meant to be instructive, because it was not specific to the
story. Otherwise, Moroni might have just
said that the Lord caused these eight stones to shine and thus, they had light
in their barges for their journey. What
are the two lights that the Lord gives us to help us on our journey through
life? Some have said the light of Christ
and the Holy Ghost, which certainly could fit the symbolism. However, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said these
lights can represent the love of God and our fellowmen.
“Love the Lord” and “love thy neighbor”—these
are the two guiding lights I wish to impress upon your hearts. These lights
will shine ever in the darkness and provide guidance during the storms of life.
Why must we love the Lord? Because as we do
so, we become refined, pure, and holy. When we love the Lord, the benefits of
the Atonement can wash away our earthly stain.
When we love our Heavenly Father with all our heart, might, mind, and
strength, we follow Him joyfully. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John
14:15), the Savior taught His disciples, and so He urges us today. As members
of the Church keep the commandments, they will feel the influence and guidance
of the Spirit in their lives. Gradually, through a process of spiritual
refinement, they will become sanctified and filled with the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Their prayers will become more
effectual, their faith more certain. --Henry B. Eyring, “Gifts of the Spirit
for Hard Times,” Ensign, Jun 2007, 18–24
The second light I urge you to take with you
is love for your fellow man. Loving our neighbor is not just a good
idea; it is the identifying characteristic of what has distinguished the
followers of Christ in every age since the beginning of time. “By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples,” the Savior taught, “if ye have love one
to another” (John 13:35). Look at every
Zion society from ancient times to present, and you find at its center love for
others.[iv]
We,
like the brother of Jared, need to prepare – not stones – but our heart and our
mind to receive the “touch” of the Lord, so that we can be filled with His
light and His love.
After
boarding the vessels, they “set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God” [Ether 6:4]. There was no device mentioned for steering
the barges, so they literally were dependent upon the Lord. There are times in our lives where we have to
put ourselves totally in the hands of the Lord and let Him guide the situation
and outcome.
“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” [vs. 5]. Now, that doesn’t sound fun!
Verse
six continues with, “…many times they were 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.” If these waves and winds and tempests are
symbolic of the trials and tribulations of mortal life, it sounds like they
were in for a very rough ride. We need
to remember that this mortal life was not meant to be “smooth sailing”. How could we grow and learn if it was easy?
However,
in verse seven, it says 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 “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”. Their vessels were tight or sealed against
the elements and because they were sealed, they were protected. In the temple is where we can, because of our
covenants, become sealed and as we are true to those covenants, we are
protected.
As
the wind continually blew them towards the promised land, they did sing praises
unto the Lord all the day long and “when the night came, they did not cease to
praise the Lord” [vs. 8-9]. They
exemplified the attitude we should have when buffeted unceasingly by the storms
of life, as they seemed to be. They
realized that this wind was helping them reach the promised land. Likewise our tempests are designed to refine
us to be worthy of inheriting our “promised land”. In the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation,” in the
fourth verse, we read
When through the deep waters I call
thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee
o’erflow,
For I will be with thee, thy
troubles to bless,
“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…and they did land upon
the shore of the promised land…and 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” [Ether
6:10-12].
JOURNEY TO
ZION
On a return trip from Zion, located
in Independence, Missouri, the Prophet recorded,
"On the 9th [August
9, 1831] in company with ten Elders, I left Independence Landing, for Kirtland.
We started down the river [Missouri River] in sixteen canoes, and went the
first day as far as Fort Osage, where we had an excellent wild turkey for
supper. Nothing very important occurred till the third day, when many of the
dangers so common upon the western waters, manifested themselves; and after we
had encamped upon the bank of the river, at M'llwair's Bend, Brother Phelps, in
open vision by daylight, saw the destroyer in his most horrible power, ride
upon the face of the waters; others heard the noise, but saw not the vision".[vi]
It seems that this experience had a profound effect upon the prophet for
after his prayer the next morning, he received a revelation now known as
Section 61 in the Doctrine and Covenants.
“Behold, there are many dangers upon the
waters, and more especially hereafter…Nevertheless, all flesh is in mine hand,
and he that is faithful among you shall not perish by the waters” [Doc. &
Cov. 61:4, 6]. “Wherefore the day will come that no flesh shall be safe upon
the waters. And it shall be said in days
to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he
that is upright in heart” [Doc. & Cov. 61: 15-16].
If we look at
the cited scripture in Section 61 symbolically, we can say that truly there are
many dangers upon these waters of mortality and there are more dangers since
1831 with the problems we face that our ancestors never had. Richard G. Scott declared,
Much of the world is being engulfed in a
rising river of degenerate filth, with the abandonment of virtue,
righteousness, personal integrity, traditional marriage, and family life. Sodom
and Gomorrah was the epitome of unholy life in the Old Testament. It was
isolated then; now that condition is spread over the world. Satan skillfully
manipulates the power of all types of media and communication. His success has
greatly increased the extent and availability of such degrading and destructive
influences worldwide. In the past some effort was required to seek out such
evil. Now it saturates significant portions of virtually every corner of the
world. We cannot dry up the mounting river of evil influences, for they result
from the exercise of moral agency divinely granted by our Father. But we can
and must, with clarity, warn of the consequences of getting close to its
enticing, destructive current.[vii]
Yet, in spite
of perilous times, our latter-day prophets have been optimistic and
encouraging. The righteous need not
fear. President Gordon B. Hinckley said,
Perilous
times? Yes. These are perilous times. But the human race has lived in peril
from the time before the earth was created. Somehow, through all of the
darkness, there has been a faint but beautiful light. And now with added luster
it shines upon the world. It carries with it God’s plan of happiness for His
children. It carries with it the great and unfathomable wonders of the
Atonement of the Redeemer.
How grateful we are to the God of heaven for
His beneficent care of His children in providing for them, through all of the
perils of eternity, the opportunity of salvation and the blessing of exaltation
in His kingdom, if only they will live in righteousness.
We
of this generation are the end harvest of all that has gone before. It is not
enough to simply be known as a member of this Church. A solemn obligation rests
upon us. Let us face it and work at it.
We must live as true followers of the Christ,
with charity toward all, returning good for evil, teaching by example the ways
of the Lord, and accomplishing the vast service He has outlined for us.
May we live worthy of the glorious endowment
of light and understanding and eternal truth which has come to us through all
the perils of the past. Somehow, among all who have walked the earth, we have
been brought forth in this unique and remarkable season. Be grateful, and above
all be faithful.[viii]
Our lives are like a ship upon dangerous, turbulent waters. However, if we will construct our ship [our lives] according to the blueprint of the Lord, we will be sealed against these storms. We should not expect smooth sailing, but have faith that the Lord will guide us through the storms and rough seas towards the Promised Land as we keep our focus upon Christ – to learn of Him, His will, and to do it.
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