The Wind

I have often thought about the wind mentioned in Ether 6 that blew towards the promised land.  We read that “the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land” which pushed their barges along the nearly year-long journey at sea.  If the Lord had not sent the wind, the barges never would have made it to the promised land.  At the same time, though, the effect of the wind was this: “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” (Ether 6:5-6). 

So these winds that the Lord sent to guide the vessels to the promised land also caused “terrible tempests” and much difficulty for the Jaredites.  I think shows an important lesson about the nature of our trials and difficulties we face.  Often we feel impeded and stopped in our progress because of the challenges and trials that come our way; but it very well may be that the Lord Himself sent them in order to help us progress.  Elder Holland referred to this recently in remarks at BYU-Idaho.  He said, “On a tough day, remember that the Jaredites in the Book of Mormon endured furious winds that tossed their new barges about, but those were winds which came forth ‘out of my mouth’ said the Lord, and they blew toward the promised land. When winds blow… welcome them as coming from the mouth of the Lord.  Lean into them and seize the opportunities there. They, too, will lead to the promised land” (Lean into the Wind).

                Other scriptures reinforce this same idea that the Lord sends or at least allows trials to come upon us because we need them in order to get to our “promised land.”  During Joseph’s terrible situation in Liberty Jail, the Lord told him, “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).  In other words, the trials he was experiencing was meant to progress him towards what the Lord wanted him to become.  In Nephi’s account of the Lord’s dealing with the Israelites in their wanderings: “He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed” (1 Nephi 17:41).  This shows us that the Lord actually sent the serpents in order to push the Israelites toward repentance.  This seems to me to be very similar to the Lord sending the wind to the Jaredites.  In another instance of the Book of Mormon we see another case where the Lord was sending forth trials upon the people, even though they were righteous: “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people” (Mosiah 23:21-22).  These people did not really merit such treatment, but the Lord used it to give strength to them in their progress towards being lifted up at the last day.  Likewise with us we have to be able to see our trials for what they are and seek to understand the full purpose of the “wind” that blows against us throughout mortality.