The Test (1 Nephi 8:8-9)

Years ago, just after I was converted, life seemed full of promise. There were opening doors everywhere I looked. Then, as I began to live a life of commitment to the gospel, following Christ in earnest, one by one each of those doors slammed shut on me. I felt blocked at every turn. I lamented this to a friend who said, “Maybe you’re being tested.” I decided maybe I was, and I determined to pass the test.

That was 27 years ago. Then I thought the test was to endure and to get through ‘it’ however I could without losing my newfound faith. I passed that part of the test, but it was years before I thought to turn the page over to see if there was another part to the test.

And there was—a much more important part. This part of the test is much more than enduring to the end. This part was to find Christ and reach out to Him from the darkness and dreariness of the waste. To walk by the light while still in the dark. Lehi tells us how.

After I traveled for the space of many hours in darkness [enduring it as best
he could under his own power], I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have
mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. (1 Nephi 8:8)

And the result of his prayer?

and it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord, I beheld…” (v9)

After Lehi prayed to the Lord for mercy, the rest of the vision started; the darkness lifted and he saw.

I wonder if he would have only traveled in the darkness for minutes, rather than hours, had he prayed sooner.

Twenty seven years ago, I didn’t think to pray for mercy. I only prayed for the strength to endure. And I did endure, but the burden was often heavy. I spent a lot of time stumbling around in the dark and dreary waste of my life. I still do sometimes, but it’s not nearly so difficult now because over the years I’ve learned to pass the other part of the test. I’ve learned to pray to the Lord for mercy.

So here’s what I believe. Life is basically a dark and dreary waste. We followed Christ in our premortal existence and we ended up here—in the darkness, in a world filled with wickedness, separated from God, and mightily confused.

We can travel around in that darkness, fumbling along, enduring under our own power, for as long as we choose to. This is hard. We trip over stuff and fall. We fall into pits we can’t get out of. We bark our shins against who knows what. And we become increasingly miserable in our situation.

But the moment we call out to the Lord for mercy, He turns on a light and shows us a path through the waste. He lifts us out of the pit, heals our cuts and bruises, and helps us avoid the obstacles and potholes. If we pay attention and stay in His light, we can avoid the worst of the journey—not because we won’t encounter obstacles and potholes, but because the Lord will help us over and through and around them.

Like a newbie climbing a mountain with an experienced guide, we still have to climb the mountain. Our muscles will strain and ache, but the guide teaches us what to watch out for, shows us the safest path, and provides bandages and salve for our scrapes and bruises and blisters. Having a guide makes the trek so much easier than stumbling around on our own, with no map, no path, no light. And eventually, by following the guide, we reach the top of the mountain where the view is spectacular and worth every step.