“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.” The Jaredites worked together with the Lord to make sure that they would be able to cross the sea successfully. They had sealed up all the cracks so that no water could hurt them, even when they were buried deep. They had the light of Chris shining within for their whole journey. And time after time when they were buried in the deeps and they prayed with urgent fervor, the Lord did bring them forth again upon the top of the water. The Lord has sent each of us on a journey across a storm-tossed sea, metaphorically. He has given us covenants to seal up all of the cracks so that no water can hurt us. He has filled us with the light of Christ. And He has promised that if we are cast into the deep, He will bring us forth again. When we are sinking into the depths of the sea, it can be hard to remember that the Lord has planned and prepared us for this. It can be hard to remember that as long as we hold to our covenants that seal out the water and keep our eye fixed on the light of Christ even when we are in the blackest abyss, and pray for deliverance with all of our might, then He will bring us back up out of the depths. We have each seen it countless times in our own lives and the lives of others. The Lord will never leave us in the depths for longer than we can bear, and would probably often like to pull us up sooner if we would only remember to reach out to Him. We have two choices when we are cast once more into the deep. We can abandon our trust and believe that this time God will prove faithless and we will drown. Or we can hold fast to the knowledge that God will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able and will bring us forth again from the depths. I hope we can all choose to pray immediately when we are thrust into the deep and then wait patiently for our Heavenly Father to inevitably rescue us, and then to remember to turn back again when we are on top and worship Him with reverence and gratitude for saving us once more.
