Crossing the Great Deep

Ether 2:25 captured my heart again this morning:

 

“Behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?”

 

The word again matters, because this scripture has spoken to me before. In 2022, I wrote a note about it, and rereading my own words today reminded me just how true they still are.

 

Our Own “Great Deep”

 

Is this any different from our journey through life? Can we cross our own deep waters without the Lord’s preparation and guidance? Not in my experience.

 

Life brings waves of indifference, winds of opposition to what we know is right, and floods of challenges that come whether we want them or not. I’ve needed the Lord to prepare the way for me. When I finally learned to follow Him, the path didn’t become easy, but it did become easier. And that “easier” was a gift.

 

The Prayer That Changed Everything

 

My turning point came with my first sincere prayer in nearly ten years. That moment cracked something open inside me. My eyes began to see people placed in my path to help me. My heart softened. The scriptures—once confusing or distant—became a place of joy, even if I didn’t fully understand them. I simply exercised enough faith to believe they would help me.

 

And they did.

 

Scripture study became essential for me, not optional. After years of living without structure, purpose, or goals, the scriptures gave me direction. They gave me hope. That is a powerful thing for anyone who has grown tired of the darkness in their life.

 

Why is it so hard to turn away from that dark place? I still don’t know. But I know this: we don’t usually change until the pain becomes unbearable. A missionary friend of mine once said, “Generally, people won’t desire change until the pain is so intense they cannot take any more.”

 

I reached that point. No tragic event pushed me there—I was the tragedy. I felt dead inside. I wanted nothing except for the pain to stop.

 

And yet, when I finally prayed, I felt something unmistakable: God was listening. I can’t explain how. I can only say that He made Himself known to me in a way that told me I mattered—to Him, and to my parents, whose prayers for me I pleaded He would answer.

 

He did.

 

Nearly 50 Years Later

 

Almost five decades have passed since that first sincere prayer, and I am very aware of this truth: Satan is real, and so is the darkness he offers. I avoid it with everything in me. I never want to go back.

 

I pray every day for my children who are now in their own dark places. I pray they will find the courage to ask Heavenly Father for help—to let Him prepare their way across their own deep. Leaving the dark isn’t easy. It never has been.

 

But there is hope because Jesus Christ paid a tremendous price to bring us home. His sacrifice is liberating. It means He loves you. It means He suffered your pains and sorrows so you don’t have to carry them alone.

 

Come Into the Light

 

Turn to Him. Let His sacrifice matter in your life today. Not tomorrow. Not “someday.”

 

To echo President Russell M. Nelson:
“DO IT NOW.”

 

He is ready to prepare your way. All He asks is that you let Him.