faith, prayer, and gratitude

i love the story of the jaredites. yesterday i got to Ether chapter 6 on my Book of Mormon cd. this is perhaps my favourite part of the whole Book of Mormon.

the faith of this people is such an example. and the Lord takes care of them as He promised.

4 And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.

now, i can't imagine that this voyage was pleasant or even really bearable at all.

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.

i love the reaction of the jaredites when in this situation. here, the Lord had guided them to the edge of the sea, had instructed them how to build these vessels, and -- once they were aboard -- had blessed them with a "furious wind" to push their vessels across the atlantic. this great blessing -- the means for them to reach their destination -- caused difficulties and trials. and when the people prayed, the Lord brought them to the surface of the water.

i find an interesting parallel here: we have many times been commanded to do things in this life -- and we are blessed in our efforts to accomplish them -- and when we find that we are struggling to overcome trials or obstacles, the Lord will hear us and lift us back up so that we can continue our journey.

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.

the jaredites sang praises of gratitude, recognized the great blessings they received, and the Lord did not cease to bless them. we are also so blessed.