Out of the Dark Cloud

The other night we were reading scriptures from the Book of Mormon Stories Book (the one with pictures) with the kids before bed.  When it was my turn to read, something really stuck out to me and pointed me in the direction I needed to go.

The story comes from  Helamen Chapter 5 where the missionaries, Nephi and Lehi, had gone to preach to the Lamanites (those not part of the Church of Christ).   Nephi and Lehi weren't received warmly, they were thrown into prison and the Lamanite solders tried to kill them. Nephi and Lehi were protected by the power of God.  God then caused the prison walls to shake and the people were frightened.

All of that part of the story was familiar to me, but the next part is what really stood out to me this time reading the story.  (Which we accidentally reread the same story from the night before because we weren't paying attention to where we were.  The first night I didn't notice it, but the second night I did.  I guess it's good to read things twice.)

After the prison walls shook, 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."

Many of us have times in our lives where we too feel like we are "overshadowed with a cloud of darkness." When we are in the cloud of darkness it is impossible to see which way to go. Our own efforts are fruitless. It may be because we left the things which we knew were right or trials of life that test us.

They then heard the voice of the Lord telling them to repent and stop trying to kill Nephi and Lehi. Then in verse 35: 

"Now there was one [named Aminidab] among them who was a Nephite by birth, who had once belonged to the church of God but had dissented from them.

36 And it came to pass that he turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi..." 

In his life, Aminidab had wandered from the Lord, however, in this experience when he surrounded by darkness, he hears the voice of the Lord and then acts on it and "he turned him about" and looked upon the Lord's servants Nephi and Lehi. Do we embrace those moments when we hear the voice of the Lord in our lives? Do we follow the voice of the Lord and turn ourselves about to face the Lord and His servants and listen and obey them? If we are to turn, we must leave behind the old life and embrace our new life as followers of Christ. Isn't that what we want? To be able to see through the cloud of darkness that we feel surrounded by. Aminidab could see clearly once he turned to the Lord and his servants. Aminidab was then able to explain to the other Lamanites who these servants of the Lord were and teach them to pray and repent until they had faith in Jesus Christ.

God sent the dark cloud to them to remove all means of worldly explanations and to get their attention to help them to realize that they can't do it on their own, that they need Jesus Christ. When we are in the cloud of darkness it is impossible to see which way to go. Our own efforts are fruitless. The only thing we have is communication with our Heavenly Father through prayer. It was prayer that removed the dark cloud from the Lamanites.

I think it is interesting that the one who taught the Lamanites who Nephi and Lehi were was someone who was raised in the Church but had left the Church. Although he was not active in his faith, he recognized the hand of God when it was before him and he testified of the power of the Lord.

There was power given to them to look towards the Lord's servants.

There are 3 types of people who were in the dark cloud:

1. Nephi and Lehi: followers of Christ, His servants. They were in the dark cloud too, however their faces were shining and full of light. They were looking heavenward and were talking to angels.
2. Aminidab and other Nephite dissenters: They had been taught the gospel previously but had left the Church.  Aminidab was in the dark cloud, but heard and recognized the voice of the Lord, turned about to the Lord's servants, and then taught the Lamanites who Nephi and Lehi were. 
3. Lamanites: They had no knowledge of God or His teachings, they had lived wicked lives. They were in the dark cloud and heard the voice of the Lord, but they were scared and couldn't run away because it was too dark. Once it was explained to them by Aminidab they began praying until the dark cloud left and they too were filled with joy.  

The dark cloud was upon all three types of people.  We sometimes think this is only happening to us, but the truth is it is happening to all. What type do you fit into in this story?  Nephi and Lehi had the Spirit of the Lord with them, they knew God and Christ and had an established relationship through prayer when the dark cloud came.  Because of that relationship, Nephi and Lehi weren't scared, they were confident, they were still filled with light, and continued to communicate with heaven despite the dark cloud.  

If we have turned from the Lord, we too, like Aminidab will feel the darkness. But if we listen to that still small voice within us and follow the Lord we too can be brought into the Light--the Light of Christ. 

I finally feel like I am coming out of the dark cloud I have been in for quite a while.  The Teaching for our Times lesson last Sunday was from two talks: Stand Ye in Holy Places and The Privilege of Prayer.  Both talks focus on prayer and our relationship to our Heavenly Father.  For me, prayer and scripture study turn me from grumpy mom to happy mom.  Just yesterday, I was sitting with my daughters in the family room.  I was playing with the baby and I felt it --Happiness.  Happiness with where I am, who I am, I felt whole again and felt like I actually had something to offer my children.  I want to keep feeling this way and I want to share it with my friend. I want her to feel that happiness too.