Traffic Lights

The other night I was driving down a road in Spanish Fork, Utah, and for some reason every traffic light I came across was red. Or should I say it was red right up until the moment I came to a stop in front of it and then it turned green. It stayed red just long enough for me to have to lose my momentum before it turned green again. This happened over and over and it made me think of something.

Around 5 or 6 B.C. there were some people who had turned from righteousness and had begun to set their hearts on their riches and their accomplishments. They had forgotten God and fallen into sin of every kind. The scriptures say they "[sought] for happiness in doing iniquity" (Hel 13 chapter heading).

While they were caught up in this self-destructive behavior, a missionary named Samuel climbed up on their city wall and preached to them. He called them to repentance and some believed and repented. They changed their ways. Others tried to kill him.

Samuel prophesied Christ's birth 5 years from then, saying that a sign would come. He said:

Behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, 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 (Hel 14: 3).

The nonbelievers obviously showed animosity towards the believers and made fun of them for believing there actually would be a sign. The years went by and it came to the point where the nonbelievers set a deadline for the believers, saying that if the sign didn't come by a certain day, they would all be killed.

I can just imagine these believers, men, women, children. They must have been so strong in their faith. I can imagine how antsy I would be as the day approached, and every minute that went by without the sign showing would make me more and more nervous. These people and their families were going to die if the sign didn't happen soon. This was definitely a trial for them. Do you think some of them prayed, asking God to speed it up and help remove the persecution of the nonbelievers? 3 Nephi 1:3 says:

And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.

I would be scared. As I have read this story I have thought, "God is a deliverer, so why not deliver his people from this persecution and send the sign already? Why make them wait?" Well, it turns out He had them wait all the way up until the day that was set apart for them to die for their beliefs. On the eve of that day the voice of Christ came to his prophet Nephi:

Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world

The people were not killed. The sign came. Christ was born far away in another land and a new star appeared in the sky. But they had to wait all the way until they were at the end of their rope. They had to endure in faith until the very last second. Hard? Yes. But what kind of people were these after having gone through that experience? Having built their faith to carry them through almost certain death, and then to be saved by the Savior whom they believed in from the beginning, well they were people of strong faith. Such faith would help them remain steadfast through other trials they might have passed through. The experience undoubtably made them faithful and immovable people. What seemed to be a long, anxious wait proved to be a faith-building exercise, preparing them for their futures.

Obviously you and I have had and will have moments or periods of time where things aren't going how we plan and we have to wait until it seems like we can't wait any longer. Sometimes we are required to give until it feels like we can't give any more. What are those experiences making of you?

I'm glad I had the chance to think about that at night when the traffic lights were red long enough to make me lose momentum and stop almost completely, and then suddenly turn green.