The Lord Knows Best

I had a really great thought this morning as I was reading Ether. In Ether 6:4 it says that the Jaredites boarded their vessels 'commending themselves unto the Lord their God.' Many times in life we are led to do something and we just have to move forward and put ourselves, our worries, our desires, our insecurities, in the Lord's hands. This is what the Jaredites did. It must have taken so much faith to just get in a big vessel and trust that it will actually take you somewhere! They knew what they were supposed to do and then in one leap of faith they went forward and trusted that the Lord would take them from there.".... "In Ether 6:6-9 it talks about the journey they took to the promised land. It mentions 'mountain waves' 'great and terrible tempests' and 'fierceness of the wind. Sounds pretty terrible!! I think I would be so terrified if I were in the midst of all that. But yet, all of those things were necessary in helping them reach the promised land. Though things may seem scary around us- it is just the Lord's way of blowing us to the promised land- whatever that may mean for each of us in particular. We don't know where that promised land is- but the Lord does, and He knows what it is going to take to get us there. ALL of those seemingly terrible things end up being huge blessings when we get to look back at the end of it and see just how far we have come! These winds, waves, and tempests are necessary. Without them- we would not be moving at all- we would not be getting any closer to our promised land. There would be no growth, no learning, no change. And finally, when through it all, it says that the people of Jared did praise the Lord all the day long and that they did not stop praising Him through the night. We always have something to thank Heavenly Father for. Because there is nothing that is not for our profit and learning- our growth and development. And when we put our trust in Him and remember to thank Him in all things then 'no monster of the sea can break [us] and [we will] have light continually' while we voyage throughout this life..." I think preparing for my mission and on my mission I've encountered more mountain waves, terrible tempests, and fierceness of the wind. But I've also seen so much growth and change in myself- as I think we all do as we go throughout the trials of life. But i just love the imagery of us being in the Lord's hands and him guiding and directing us to where He knows we need to go.