Ether 6:4-8:
"...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.
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.
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.
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. 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."
I've always liked several things about these verses:
1. The Brother of Jared is obviously a man of faith. Three chapters before this he saw the finger of the Lord as he touched the stones. What we also see is that his people were also a people of faith. When they were buried in the deep, they called upon the Lord. They didn't complain, in fact it doesn't even say they were afraid, they simply "did cry unto the Lord" and he brought them back to the surface.
2. These verses really describe the journey we make throughout our lives. The lord has provided light for us, in that he constantly gives us reasons to remember he is there. But he also provides "furious winds" in our lives that will bury us in the deep and cause "great and terrible tempests" to bury us with "mountain waves". This sounds terrible, and completely unfair. Why would the Lord want to bury us beneath trials that seem unconquerable? So that we turn to him and cry unto him. It is these same winds, that while making life difficult also drive us towards our Savior, taking us to our own "promised land".
3. No matter how many times we are buried, and re-surface, we will undoubtedly be buried again: "the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters."
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Good comments Jon. The Lord also knows that it is through trials that we learn. We came here to be tested and tried and it is through the toughest times that we learn the most. I've often said that it is the times of deepest sorrow or deepest trial that we get closest to God and when we learn the things He most wants us to learn. Those are the gems we will remember throughout the eternities because they were the greatest preparatory lessons while we were here. It's the hard times we remember, the easy times we forget. It's good that God buries us in the depths so we will remember to whom we can turn for help and on whom we rely.
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