Receiving Revelation

How grateful I am for the ability that we have to receive personal revelation from our Father in Heaven, specific to our needs. In the Bible Dictionary we learn the following about revelation.

“Divine revelation is one of the grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it, man could not know of the things of God and could not be saved with any degree of salvation in the eternities. Continuous revelation from God to His Saints…makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom. The principle of gaining knowledge by revelation…also consists of individual guidance for every person who seeks for it and follows the prescribed course of faith, repentance, and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. ‘The Holy Ghost is a revelator,’ said Joseph Smith, and ‘no man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations’. Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion” (link to definition).

Why would our Father in Heaven grant us access to such a great blessing? To me it is a testimony of His love for, and trust in, us. To receive revelation we must have faith—believe that we can receive it; repent—to open the channels to heaven; and be obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Mormon, Lehi and his family have followed revelation—from Lehi for his family—and moved from Jerusalem into the wilderness. Responding to revelation requires faith—great faith at times. Lehi then receives further revelation that requires his four sons to go back to Jerusalem to obtain sacred scripture. They do so and, in the process, bring back Zoram, Laban’s servant (see 1 Nephi 4:30-37).

Zoram was taken from his home, and all he knew, in response to someone else acting on revelation received from the prophet. What a challenge that must have been for him! I like how David Paxman gives this insight,

“He [Zoram] could see God’s providence or man’s manipulation. In conditions not of his choosing, he had to decide how to view himself and whether to nurse a justifiable grievance. He had to choose among the competing truths by which he could interpret his life. He had to decide whether to exercise faith and, in so doing, see his difficult, even unfair, circumstances as the very means by which God would bless him if he acted right. He had to decide whether to obey a commandment of God that at the time could be read as inappropriate and even unbelievable. His choice would influence his posterity far into the future. And he had to do all this without fully understanding the situation.” (link to talk).

One may look at the Lord sending Lehi’s sons back to Jerusalem and see error in His ways. Maybe he was forgetful of a few details—He could have easily had them grab the plates while they were living in Jerusalem, and spare them the extra traveling. I feel, however, that all of this was forseen by our Omniscient Lord, and was to be used as a test of faith for Lehi’s sons; similar to the a “Zion’s Camp” experience:

“Zion’s Camp chastened, polished, and spiritually refined many of the Lord’s servants. The observant and dedicated received invaluable practical training and spiritual experience that served them well in later struggles for the Church. The hardships and challenges experienced over its thousand miles provided invaluable training for [early leaders of the Church]. When a skeptic asked what he had gained from his journey, Brigham Young promptly replied, ‘I would not exchange the knowledge I have received this season for the whole of Geauga County.’” (link to lesson).

We know Laman and Lemuel’s response; “[they] murmur, saying it is a hard thing which [Lehi has] required of them” (1 Nephi 3:5). Nephi understanding that Lehi has received revelation from the Lord tells his father that he will do all the Lord commands, for he knows the Lord will prepare a way (see 1 Nephi 3:7). W. Vincent Wilding said the following about Nephi’s response:

“This  is a remarkable answer, and it warrants closer consideration. Where did Nephi come by this answer? Was he simply saying what he thought his father wanted to hear? Or, perhaps, was he merely repeating something that he had heard his father say? Most certainly not (for both questions). Nephi was a young man...,and he had undoubtedly already faced challenges through which he had experienced the Lord preparing a way for him to accomplish what was commanded. Nephi’s faith-filled response flowed from his own experience in relying on the Lord….

“Further in Nephi’s account, we see that after a failed attempt to get the plates, Nephi’s older brothers were ready to admit defeat and return to their camp in the wilderness. Nephi succeeded in convincing them to try again. This second attempt, in which the family’s wealth was offered to Laban, also failed, and Nephi’s older brothers were angry and started to take it out on Nephi and Sam. An angel of the Lord intervened, yet the older brothers murmured, asking, ‘How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?’. Nephi counseled, ‘Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?’” (link to talk).

The Lord could have made things work the first time, but I think He wanted Lehi and his sons not to have any doubt that it was the Lord who was directing this work. Nephi, already receptive to the Spirit, was able to gain greater faith and a greater witness of the Lord’s hand in his life as he was obedient and followed the revelation received by his father.

Throughout our lives the Lord will allow us opportunities to learn to trust in Him. He is looking for those who are committed to follow Him in order to move His work forward. With a word He could command destroying angels to wipe out all obstacles we may face, but to what avail? We will face trial and tribulation and by so doing it have the opportunity to increase our faith and trust in Him. We know that God’s word “shall all be fulfilled” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:38), that, “no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing” (History of the Church, 4:540), and “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). The question to ask ourselves is whether or not we will be willing to assist Him in this work.

However, as Larry M. Gibson taught,

“We cannot accomplish this work without revelation from God…

“The Holy Ghost is necessary for revelation, and revelation is necessary for Father’s plan to be fulfilled for us. Having this divine companion bestowed upon us is not enough. We must learn to retain the Holy Ghost, rely on Him, and appropriately respond to His promptings” (link to article).

Learning how the Holy Ghost speaks to us individually is one of the great keys to receiving personal revelation. Some people may feel a burning in the bosom, others may have thoughts or ideas that come to their mind, and still others may have an over-abiding sense of peace. In the process of learning to recognize the Holy Ghost we have been counseled to search the scriptures, pray, take time to ponder, and record the thoughts and impressions that come to our minds. Elder Richard G. Scott gave further insight into the steps that he takes when trying to receive revelation, when he taught:

“We receive help from, our Father in Heaven in response to our faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency.

“One of the great lessons that each of us needs to learn is to ask. Why does the Lord want us to pray to Him and to ask? Because that is how revelation is received.

“When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord wants me to do. Often more impressions come with increased understanding of doctrine….

“One must be ever mentally and physically clean and have purity of intent so that the Lord can inspire. One who is obedient to His commandments is trusted of the Lord. That individual has success to His inspiration to know what to do and, as needed, the divine power to do it” (Richard G. Scott, 21 Principles: Divine Truths to Help you Live by the Spirit, p9-10).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught the following about the link between obedience and receiving revelation:

“In the final and all-comprehensive sense, the sole and only way to find and know God is to keep his commandments. As a result of such a course, knowledge and revelation will come in one way or another until man knows his Maker. The more obedient a person is, the clearer his views become, the nearer he approaches his God, and the more he comes to know those holy Beings whom to know is eternal life” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p18).

Our goal, in receiving revelation, is to come to know God and His plan for us in this life. By following the inspiration we receive we can know how we, and those over whom we have stewardship, can return back to His presence eternally.

At times we may receive revelation about something and may follow it thinking that we know what the end result will be. Things don’t always turn out as we expect. Let me share an example.

A while back I had a strong impression that it was time for my husband and I to look for a new job in a different state. When I talked to my husband he said he had similar feelings. We acted on those impressions and shortly thereafter had a job offer out-of-state. While talking and praying about whether or not to accept the job we felt that we should turn it down. We were both surprised, but followed that feeling. Once we turned the job down, however, the feeling we had of looking for a job completely vanished.

I talked to my husband about this—because the impression I had about moving had been stronger than any I could ever remember. He explained that sometimes the Lord may prompt you to go to the shed in your backyard. You stand up, go outside, and are instructed to go in a different direction. The Lord didn’t need you to go to the shed, He just needed you to be outside.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, but looking back on this experience both my husband and myself have found that we grew tremendously. It gave us a greater perspective on where we are right now, and how we can improve. It has been a great blessing to us.

As we attempt to learn how to receive revelation, we have been counseled to write down our impressions. I have a notebook where I write down questions that I have, so that I can remember them and refer to them when I say my prayers. I also write down the impressions I receive so that I can refer back to them.

I remember learning how our Stake President prepared himself for revelation–specifically for General Conference, in this case. He told us that he would write down any questions he had, and then pay close attention to the songs, music, and prayers. He said, “I had 37 questions, and 37 answers” by the end of General Conference.

Writing down thoughts and impressions can provide us an even greater benefit, as Elder Richard G. Scott taught,

“It is through the repeated process of feeling impressions, recording them, and obeying them that one learns to depend on the direction of the Spirit more than on communication through the five senses” (link to manual).

In order to receive revelation we need to use our agency to ask the Lord for the help or guidance that we need or desire. President Lorenzo Snow taught how we can prepare ourselves to receive revelation. He was specifically referring to General Conference, but I think the principle can be applied to finding answers anywhere:

“You should ask the Lord to let [the speakers] say something that you want to know, that they may suggest something to you that will be of some advantage. If you have any desire to know certain matters that you do not understand, pray that [they] may say something that shall enlighten your mind in reference to that which troubles you” (link to talk).

May we recognize the vast reservoir of help, knowledge, inspiration, and love that steadily flows to us down from heaven. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “Heavenly Father is constantly raining blessings upon us. It is our fear, doubt, and sin that, like an umbrella, block these blessings from reaching us” (link to talk).

May we do all in our power to have faith that our Father in Heaven loves us, repent so that we may have the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives, and be obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we do so, the inspiration falling from heaven can help lead us more powerfully than ever to our Savior.

For more on the topic of Revelation see:

“Continuing Revelation” (Henry B. Eyring, Oct 2014)