The last plague God sent to Egypt before the death of the firstborn was “darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.” This darkness lasted for three days and was so thick that the Egyptians “saw not one another, neither rose any from his place” while it lasted (Exodus 10:21-23). This wasn’t simply the absence of light, but rather an oppressive cloud which prevented them from seeing or generating light.
After the natural disasters which coincided with the death of Jesus Christ, the Nephites and Lamanites experienced a similar plague. As prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite:
There was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;
And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;
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 8:20-23; see also Helaman 14:20, 27
They couldn’t see, but they could hear. All around, the air was filled with “mourning and howling and weeping” (3 Nephi 8:23). Obviously, this was a response not only to the darkness but also to the suffering and destruction which had preceded it.
How did they feel when they subsequently heard the voice of Jesus Christ, declaring “I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 9:18)? They must have felt renewed hope. Anyway, His message was so impactful that “they did cease lamenting and howling” and sat in silence for many hours (3 Nephi 10:1-2).
When the light finally returned, “the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer” (3 Nephi 10:10).
King David wrote, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). We all experience darkness at times—physical darkness caused by power outages, emotional darkness triggered by difficult experiences, or spiritual darkness when we feel distant from God. During those times, it’s important to hear the voice of Jesus Christ in our minds, reminding us that He is the light of the world. We may not see that light immediately, but we can hold on to our faith that the light will return and that the source of all light has not abandoned us.
Today, I will exercise faith in Jesus Christ and trust that light and joy will eventually replace every type of darkness I experience.
Leave a Reply