Every Valley

Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies about the signs that would accompany the birth and death of Jesus Christ were quite literally fulfilled:

Samuel’s prophecy	Fulfillment
“There shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. “Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. “And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. “And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven. “And it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth” (Helaman 14:3-7).	“At the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came. “And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand. … “And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given. … “And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word” (3 Nephi 1:15-16, 19, 21).
“In that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead. “Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up; “Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and beneath. “And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains, whose height is great. “And many highways shall be broken up, and many cities shall become desolate. “And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many. “And behold, thus hath the angel spoken unto me; for he said unto me that there should be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours. “And he said unto me that while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days” (Helaman 14:20-27).	“There arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land. “And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder. “And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land” (3 Nephi 8:5-7). “And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough. “And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate” (3 Nephi 8:13-14). “And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land” (3 Nephi 8:18). “There was thick darkness upon all the face of the land… “And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land “And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen” (3 Nephi 8:20:22-23). “Many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them” (3 Nephi 23:9-11).

Today, I’ve been thinking about the symbolism of his prophecies in our own lives. Isn’t it true that when we turn away from God and fail to live according to true principles, things start to fall apart? Can’t we all relate to the feeling of having our lives “rent in twain,” covered “in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments?” Haven’t we seen people who appeared to be invincible like mountains “laid low,” while others who have gone about their work humbly and diligently like a valley have eventually been recognized and praised for their contributions? And when we invite the Savior into our lives, don’t we feel renewed hope, as if a “new star” had appeared?

Samuel’s language about mountains and valleys echoes Isaiah’s prophecy about the restorative work of the Savior:

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

Isaiah 40:4; see also Luke 3:5

As catastrophic as this sounds, what a glorious thing it is that the Savior can smooth our rough edges, bring us down to earth in the areas where we are proud, raise us up where we might lack confidence, and help us straighten out the crooked parts of our lives.

I hope you enjoy this recording of George Frideric Handel’s musical setting of Isaiah’s prophecy. As you listen, notice how the shape of the melody illustrates the meaning of the words, including crooked things becoming straight and high mountains being made low.

Today I will be grateful for the light the Savior brings into my life and for His smoothing and straightening influence on me.