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The Wilderness Precedes
the Promised Land

For behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness. And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me. And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
—1 Nephi 8:4–6

Thoughts, Insights, and Observations

As with most things in life, and as attested to in many stories within the scriptures, one must go through the wilderness to get to the promised land. The Fall came before the Atonement, and the Apostasy before the Restoration, and darkness and difficulty often precede light and peace.

While in this wilderness, Lehi saw a man dressed in a white robe. The phrase “white robe” appears only three times in the Book of Mormon: once here, a second time when Nephi sees an expanded version of the dream and is visited by an angel in a white robe, and once to describe the Savior’s attire when he appeared to the righteous children of a different Lehi in the land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11:8). Similarly, the Prophet Joseph Smith saw Moroni, who wore a “loose robe of most exquisite whiteness” (Joseph Smith–History 1:31). Clearly, Lehi trusted this man dressed in a white robe as a messenger from God—a messenger who, unlike Lehi, was not lost, since he asked him to follow, indicating he had a destination or a purpose for Lehi in mind.

And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste. And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. (1 Nephi 8:7–8)

This verse has led many students of the scriptures to ask an interesting question: Why would a messenger from God lead someone to a place of darkness? Actually, the messenger was not leading Lehi to a place of darkness, but through a place of darkness (a place, we learn later, is symbolic of the Fall). Thus, the appearance of the robed messenger was an act of mercy, not punishment.

Later in the Book of Mormon, Lehi’s namesake had another experience with darkness. Lehi and Nephi, the missionary sons of Helaman, were cast into prison. A voice from heaven spoke to their captors, and they were “overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them” (Helaman 5:28). Eventually, the Lamanites pleaded, “What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?” A fellow prisoner named Aminadab answered, “You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ . . . and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you” (Helaman 5:40–41).

Applying the Dream to Our Reality

Faith in Christ dispels darkness, because, as M. Russell Ballard has taught, it’s hard to have a negative attitude about anything when your life is built on Christ (see Our Search for Happiness, 15).

Jeffrey R. Holland referred to Lehi’s “white robed” messenger as an angel, who led Lehi “to safety and ultimately to the path of salvation.” Elder Holland continued,

In the course of life all of us spend time in “dark and dreary” places, wildernesses, circumstances of sorrow or fear or discouragement. Our present day is filled with global distress over financial crises, energy problems, terrorist attacks, and natural calamities. These translate into individual and family concerns not only about homes in which to live and food available to eat but also about the ultimate safety and well-being of our children and the latter-day prophecies about our planet. (“The Ministry of Angels,” 29)

When dark clouds of trouble hang over us, whether physical or emotional, the answer is the same. Repent and cry unto the voice.