Shafts in the Whirlwind

For Girl's Camp a few years back, the Stake wanted everyone to memorize the scripture theme, which is Helaman 5:12.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

I started thinking about this scripture. I wondered, "What is a shaft?" so I looked it up in the dictionary and this is what it said:

shaft (shft)
n.
1.
a. The long narrow stem or body of a spear or arrow.
b. A spear or arrow.
2.
a. A projectile suggestive of a spear or arrow in appearance or configuration.
b. Informal A scornfully satirical comment; a barb.
c. Slang Harsh, unfair treatment

I think of all weather conditions, my least favorite is wind. Even on a nice day, a cold fierce wind can ruin it and on a cold day, wind can make it unbearable! So then to think of shafts (spear or arrow) in a whirlwind conjures up a very dangerous situation. Even some of the other defintions of shaft can help us understand some of the things Satan uses to trap us. How about a scornfully satirical comment? Sometimes Satan tells us things that undermine our confidence and faith and things that make us not feel good about ourselves. How about the slang term, "giving you the shaft". Talk about the ultimate in giving us the shaft! Satan will tell us anything to get us to follow him and then he will not support us in the end. He will leave us!

How different is the sure foundation of Christ. This is a foundation we can ALWAYS trust. In such an ever-changing world, how reassuring to know there is one thing that we can ALWAYS rely on or depend on. That is Jesus Christ. If we build our foundation on Him, He will ALWAYS be there for us and help us whenever we need it. If we follow Him, He will ALWAYS be there to help us and support us.

What a wonderful scripture to help us to understand the great importance of following our Savior and the help that is ALWAYS there for us.