Recently at a fireside, the following dream/vision was shared. It is important.
"I saw a great mountain, and upon the top thereof was the glory of the fathers. To reach the top, all were required to enter through a narrow pass. In the pass was a great beast, cruel and pitiless.
The Lord brought people whom he had chosen to the mouth of the pass, and there He told them to wait for him, and He went away. The people did not wait for Him, but began to move forward into the narrow pass. The beast killed some and injured others, and none were able to pass through.
After great losses, many deaths and terrible suffering, the people chosen by the Lord withdrew and departed from the mountain. After four and five generations, the Lord again brought some few back to the pass and again told them to stay at the mouth of the pass and wait on Him. But again there were those who tired of waiting, for they could see in the distance the glory of the fathers, and they desired to be there. These, being overtaken by their zeal, did not wait, but moved into the pass where again the beast killed or hurt them.
Among those who waited, however, was a man who knelt and prayed, and waited patiently for his Lord. After a great time, the Lord came to this man and took him by the hand, and led him into the pass where the great beast guarded the way. As the Lord led, however, the beast was ever occupied with attacking others, and therefore its back was turned to the Lord and the man. And so they passed by unnoticed, safely to the top. The Lord sent the man to the fathers, who when they saw the man inquired of him, "How came you to be here and yet mortal; the last who came here were brothers who had been slain, and you are yet alive?" And the man answered: "I waited on the Lord and He brought me here safely."
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Many things come to mind. This dream will mean different things to different people. It should be interpreted with the Spirit. I think there are some KEY WORDS to pay attention to:
- ALL were required to enter ( There is no other way, path, or trail)
- The Lord told them to WAIT FOR HIM ( Not another other person.. only The Lord)
- The people chosen WITHDREW AND DEPARTED.
- OVERTAKEN BY ZEAL they were killed or hurt by the beast.
- Among those who waited, a man KNELT, PRAYED, AND WAITED PATIENTLY.
- The Lord came and took him BY THE HAND.
- THEY PASSED BY UNNOTICED.
I saw this youtube video recently. I thought this was a good symbolic representation of passing by the "beast"/the opponent without getting harmed. I think there is much symbolism to this. How too if the Lord was with us, holding our hand.. we could walk past the enemy.. unharmed.
In addition. I wanted to share, with the permission of my friend some thoughts about what it means to wait upon the Lord.
In D&C 133:45 it states:
"For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee,
how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee.
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What does it mean to wait for the Lord? "Wait" is "qavah" meaning to wait, look for, hope, expect, to wait or look eagerly for, to lie in wait for, linger for. .
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This verse from Lamantations uses Hebrew synonymous parallelism to suggest waiting on the Lord and seeking His face are synonymous. Verse 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Can one familiar with the face of the Lord, also seek His face?
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To look for, hope, expect, to wait or look eagerly for, is much like watching. This parable from JST Luke chapter 12 is instructive. 54 But the evil servant is he who is not found watching. And if that servant is not found watching, he will say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants, and the maidens, and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken.
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Here the servant "found watching" delays eating until the Lord can serve Him in the proper season (V. 49) meat (v. 43) and wine (D&C 27). Those who so wait are made rulers over His household and over all he hath. (v. 49 and 53) whereas those who are not " found watching" "eats and drink and is drunken" rather than " prepared" for His Lords coming. He is cut down. His reward is the same as the unbeliever. V. 55 -57.
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Some additional symbolism of the word "waiting" can be seen through the Jewish bride after the betrothal and before the bridegroom returns. She is to keep herself in constant readiness, clean, perfumed, attractive, ready for her bridegroom at all times for she knows not in what hour her bridegroom cometh. The friend of the bridegroom keeps everyone informed, letting she and her friends knows how the mansion of His Father is coming along. Can't you just see this girl and her friends giggling with anticipation? That is Hebrew "waiting".
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The word "wait" or "qavah" has a figuratively meaning (wait) and a literal meaning “to bind together like a twisted rope” . That meaning is fulfilled when the one who waits comes into the land of the fathers where he is bound to them as a son.
