A Foundation Built on Christ

Last night in my scripture study I read Chapter 5 in the book of Helaman. It was such an awesome chapter! So many great verses. In this chapter, Helaman gives his sons Nephi and Lehi words of council. Among that is about the significance of their names. In verses 6 and 7 he tells them "Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good. Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them." I have always felt strongly about the importance of names. My children have been and my future children will be named with that same council in mind.

I also love this council found in verse 12: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

But the part of the chapter that really stood out to me was when Nephi and Lehi were put in prison for preaching and converting. I'll try to summarize. The account says they were in prison many days when some men came in to kill them but they were encircled about with a pillar of fire so that no one dared to touch them. They told the people in the prison not to fear and that it was God who had created the pillar of fire to protect them. Then the prison walls and the earth shook. Following that, it says (in verse 28): "And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them." And then they heard a voice - not a loud voice of thunder, but a "still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul" (Verse 30). And the voice said "Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings" (Verse 29). Then the earth shook again. This all happened three times. No one could flee because the darkness was so thick, and also because they were so terrified.

Then one in the prison, Aminadab, who was Nephite, born into the church but then had left it, turned his face towards Nephi and Lehi and he saw that their faces shone brightly and that they had lifted their heads heavenward and were conversing with angels. So Aminadab told the multitude to look and see. And he told the people that Nephi and Lehi were conversing with angels. And then the Lamanites asked Aminadab "What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?" (Verse 40) That's what really, really hit me. How many times have we been overshadowed by a "cloud of darkness"? Fear and doubt, contention and anger, sadness, depression, anxiety, etc. And how many times have we wanted to break free from that heavy darkness and have not known how to do it? I just felt it so strongly while reading last night. "What shall I do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing me?" And the answer was simple. From verse 41, "Repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ..." And so the multitude began to cry unto the voice until the darkness was dispersed. And when the darkness had cleared, they looked around and saw that they too were encircled about by fire and the Holy Spirit descended upon them and in verse 44 it says "They were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory." And the voice came again, as if a whisper, saying "Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world." (verse 47) And then the heavens opened and angels came down and ministered unto them.

Can you imagine being present for such a miraculous event? Usually when I read the scriptures it's late at night and I admit I probably don't get as much out of it as I could if I read them when I was more awake but for some reason, reading this account last night felt as though I was literally in the story myself, standing there with all those prisoners and guards.

If we truly want peace, if we want to be free from darkness in it's many forms, we need only look to the Savior, the Redeemer of the World, Jesus the Christ. And just as Helaman counseled, if we build our foundation on our Redeemer, "When the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."