"No monster of the sea could break them"

You now stand on the shore of a vast expanse. There is nothing but the deep ocean before you. Can you imagine traveling hundreds of miles from home, deserting the society you knew and the life you had? Can you imagine being broken down from the wilderness and lawlessness of the forest and desert wastelands? Now the time has come for you to embark on a journey along the merciless waves and the crushing tides of the sea. Your small band emerges into the wide open.

 "...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 into the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

And it came to pass that the wind never did cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

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.

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."

 I've been so moved by this exciting tale of this family on the waves of the treacherous waters. I've seen people around me, who are seemingly in their own sea storm, with the crashing ocean and monsters threatening to wreck their sails. I've also been in a few of my own, but I know that what this story teaches us is true. I know that the each of us are being guided by the Lord, whether we recognize His hand or not. He won't stop the journey because without it we would have no progression. We would never reach the promised land, we would never have the greatest joy of overcoming trials and becoming our greatest potential. The journey can be difficult and more trying then we would like, but our choice is truly to be stagnant and safe, or to brave the ocean storms with courage and faith and to reach for a greater prize.

There is that familiar phrase that says something to the effect that God doesn't always calm the storm, sometimes He lets it rage on and He calms the child. Such is the nature of life that the storm rages on and we are left to wade through it on our own or to cry to Him that He may bring us to the surface again. 

I don't know what the exact outcome of every trial may be, but I do know that whether He will part the sea or calm it, or simply console our hearts, I know that He will be there. The same Lord that brought this family across the ocean, will take us across the ocean of our lives, and If we trust Him, all will be well. We will be able to do as this family did, "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 tender mercies over them." So cheer up your hearts!

*Taken from Ether 6:4-12

http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng