My dear brothers and sisters, welcome to campus at this beautiful time of year. I pray that the Holy Spirit will edify us this day as we discuss a topic of most singular importance. That topic is recognizing and increasing personal revelation. The scriptures are replete with promises that God will answer our prayers. The Savior taught in the Sermon on the Mount, "Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."[1] In the final stages of His ministry, He promised His disciples that "all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."[2]
But what about those times when it seems as if the voice of the Holy Ghost is silent? Today I wish to speak to any of you who may feel your prayers have ever gone unanswered. First, let's outline how we can recognize revelation, then we will discuss how to increase it.
Recognizing Personal Revelation
In Doctrine and Covenants section 6, the Lord teaches Oliver Cowdery that He has answered his prayers through the Spirit "as often as [he had] inquired," even though Oliver may not have realized it.
"...blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit...Now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth."[3]
If we are striving to live righteously, it is possible we may be receiving promptings that we don't recognize. President Lorenzo Snow explained:
[It is] the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint . . . to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives.[4]
The Lord wants each of us to recognize when the Spirit has enlightened our minds. But in order to do so, we need to be more familiar with the ways the Holy Ghost speaks to us. He can move us to action, give us peace, provide bright ideas, enhance our intelligence, magnify our talents and give us the very words we should speak or write.
As Sheri Dew has said:
"The Holy Ghost will show us everything we should do, [so] it only makes sense to learn how He communicates-or to learn the language of revelation. Our challenge is not getting the Lord to speak to us; our challenge is understanding what He has to say."[5]
In order to better understand how God communicates with us, I invite you to consider with me four common types of personal revelation:
- Divine promptings
- Direct answers
- Confirming answers
- Ongoing promptings
With the first type of revelation, divine promptings, the Spirit attempts to inspire us with divine communication that is unsolicited on our part. The second and third types of revelation, direct answers and confirming answers, occur when we initiate a two-way exchange by asking. The fourth type, ongoing promptings, is demonstrated when we request guidance that we don't receive immediately.
Divine Promptings
Let's first discuss divine promptings. We can receive promptings to stop by and visit a friend who is having a bad day, or take a different route to avoid an accident. We don't always recognize that these ideas or feelings are coming from the Holy Spirit until after we act on them. However, if we recognize these divine directives for what they are, and thank the Lord for guidance, we will be better prepared to receive more in the future.
I learned a great lesson about recognizing and following divine promptings when my daughter, Zoe, and I were leaving Wal-Mart one evening. It was a crowded parking lot, and we were parked way in the back. Just as we arrived at our car, something caught our eyes, as it was blowing by in the breeze. Upon closer examination, we discovered it was a twenty-dollar bill tumbling along the asphalt. I told my daughter it was her lucky day as she chased it down. Once we got in the car, we both had a strong feeling to take the money into the store. This seemed like a silly thought, so we were tempted to dismiss the idea. But after discussing it with Zoe, we decided to take the twenty-dollar bill to the service desk.
The service desk attendant told us to keep the money. She said it was a nice gesture, but she was certain we could not find the owner. She told us she could take our name and number, but that no one ever came to the desk asking for missing cash, so it would be unnecessary. Then she had us wait while she answered the phone.
A moment later, we noticed she had a shocked look on her face as she stared at us. She put the call on hold and explained, "You're never going to believe this. There is a woman on the phone, in tears, who lost her twenty-dollar bill somewhere at Wal-Mart. I can hear a baby crying in the background. She says she needs the money desperately because it's all she has for the rest of the month. She has been hoping and praying that someone turned it in."
We could have easily left that parking lot feeling thrilled to have found a twenty-dollar bill blowing by in the breeze. Instead we gained the far greater treasure of knowing that the Lord cares and watches over the little things we do. The guidance we received was an answer to this woman's prayer. We treasure this "Parable of the Twenty Dollar Bill." We learned that if we have a good thought, but we are unsure if it is a prompting, act on it anyway. As long as it is a good thing, how can we go wrong? Such unsolicited divine promptings may be God's way of helping us or someone else in need.
Direct Answers
The second type of personal revelation is direct answers, which come promptly when we ask for guidance. A typical question we ask in our prayers might be "What shall I do?" Consider the example of Abraham's servant when Abraham asked him to fetch a worthy wife for his son Isaac. What a monumental task to be trusted with, to find the mother of Israel! With complete trust and faith in the Lord, the servant asked God to direct him.
After taking ten of Abraham's camels he stopped outside the city of Nahor to watch as the women came out to draw water. Then, with incredible faith, he asked God to let him know which woman was chosen for Isaac by whether or not she would give water to him and offer to water the camels. Then, even before he was done speaking his prayer, the very fair Rebekah came along. When he asked for water, she not only assisted him, but she also drew water for all his camels.[6]
I am amazed and humbled by the example of Abraham's servant and the worthiness and responsiveness of Rebekah. They were both guided by the Holy Ghost. It was no small task for Rebekah to use her pitcher to fetch enough water for ten camels, yet it was this generous offer that let Abraham's servant know she was the one the Lord had chosen. The servant had powerful faith to even ask for such an immediate response. He called down the powers of heaven when he needed important, divine guidance and he immediately received a direct answer.
We too can receive prompt and direct answers when we ask in faith, if it is in accordance with our Father in Heaven's will. It does not have to be as important as who to marry, or what career path to pursue. It can be a simple daily request. If we fail to ask in faith, we may miss out on blessings. If we have a worthy request that is not too trivial, it doesn't hurt to ask.
Of course, there are times when we do not receive any kind of discernable answer, no matter how hard we try to recognize it. This is when the Lord trusts us to proceed on our own. Then if we start to stray from the Lord's will, the Spirit will guide us back to the proper path.
Confirming Answers
The third type of revelation is confirming answers. This is when we study something out in our mind first, then make a decision and ask if it is right. Section nine of the Doctrine and Covenants provides us with a step-by-step process of how to receive revelation in this pattern. Verse eight points out that a burning of the bosom means simply that we "shall feel that it is right." Verse nine explains that a "stupor of thought" causes us to forget the thing we are asking. It is that simple.[7]
When we pray using this pattern, we can receive revelation in one of three ways:
first, a positive answer confirming that our decision is right; second, a negative answer causing us to forget what we asked; and third, a negative answer, followed by a new, better idea. I have relied on this pattern and have been blessed to receive all three types of answers at various times in my life.
One such occasion occurred while I was spearheading an effort in Blackfoot, Idaho, to get a new Bingham County ordinance that would help reduce teenage smoking. At the time, an alarming twenty-seven percent of Idaho teens were smoking. We discovered that tobacco companies were placing their products near candy to encourage teens and children to steal, which, of course, produced more addicted customers. In turn, tobacco reps were offering to replace that stolen product for free. You can imagine how this stirred up a group of PTA moms!
So we drafted a county ordinance that would move tobacco products behind the counter, ban tobacco vending machines, and require licensing, inspections and fines. After our first meeting, it was apparent the commissioners were willing to pass the county ordinance, despite opposition from some local retailers. However, I had an uneasy feeling for some reason, and I started doubting things.
So I followed the counsel in the ninth section of the Doctrine and Covenants in order to receive a confirmation regarding our efforts. First I studied it out logically and resolved that I was still on track. Then I prayed to ask the Lord if this was right thing. I paused to listen, but I did not get a burning, or a feeling that it was right. Instead I had a hard time focusing on my question. My mind wandered and I had to keep reminding myself what I was asking. I did not hear a "no." I just had no feeling at all. Then as I practiced the "pause principle" and knelt in absolute silence, a new idea came into my mind. The idea was to abandon our attempt for a county ordinance and try for a new state law instead.
This made perfect sense, when it came from the Lord. I would have never attempted this on my own, but I was filled with a peaceful reassurance to move forward. The Lord had communicated His will to me through the Holy Ghost and I knew He would help me with the large task that was ahead. I spent the next year researching, writing a bill, finding legislators who would sponsor it, and enduring a battle with the national tobacco lobby, after which the state legislature adopted a new Idaho statute called the "Prevention of Minors' Access to Tobacco."[8]
I know the Lord was guiding this entire process. One year after the law was adopted, minors' access to tobacco in Idaho was reduced by fifty percent. Practicing these few powerful verses helped prepare me to recognize the voice of the Lord so I could hear the confirming answer, which came first as a stupor of thought, followed by a better idea. If we will take the time to study, ask, pause, listen and then follow through on the answers, we can all receive the sudden strokes of divine inspiration Joseph Smith described when he taught:
A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas . . . and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation.[9]
The prophet Joseph teaches us that with practice, we can learn and improve in our ability to recognize the Spirit.
Ongoing Promptings
Sometimes when we ask, we do not get an immediate answer, but it comes later. Or we ask for help over a continuing period of time. This brings us to the fourth type of revelation. Ongoing promptings can come during a performance, as we take a test, while we converse with someone, or as an event unfolds.
Our daughter, Rachel, had an interesting experience with this type of revelation when she was the LDSSA president at Harvard four years ago. She was invited to represent the LDS faith on a panel of students to be interviewed by a famous journalist, Sally Quinn, regarding their religious beliefs. Quinn questioned Rachel for twenty minutes in an interview that went viral on the Internet.10
In high school, Rachel often stayed after school to ask questions of seminary teachers so she would better understand gospel principles. In college, she learned all she could in her Institute classes and personal studies about the gospel and other world religions. In a sense she had always prepared herself for this type of opportunity to share the gospel. But when Sally Quinn started with questions about women's role in the Church, Joseph Smith, and the LDS faith being a cult, I wondered how Rachel would respond.
Despite the fact that, as one online commenter wrote, Quinn's tone was at times "somewhat mocking and derisive," the Spirit was able to guide Rachel in her responses. For example, at one point, Quinn asked Rachel to explain LDS garments, whether or not she was wearing them, and how they related to secret temple ordinances.
In reply, Rachel referred to something she had read the night before in Genesis when God was making a covenant with Abraham. She said that LDS garments were also a token of sacred covenants we make with God. She explained they are white underwear that comes to the top of the knee and past the edge of the shoulder that provide protection if worn worthily. She also divulged that she did not yet wear garments, because she had not yet been through the temple.
Rachel told me later that she felt the Spirit helping her to answer these questions openly, while still respecting the sacred nature of the subject. The Spirit brought things to her remembrance during the interview that she had learned previously. This is an example of how ongoing promptings can prepare us for and guide us during an event or conversation.
On another note, if we ever feel we are prompted down a path that is contrary to gospel doctrine or the decisions of our leaders, then we should consider it to be counterfeit revelation. This can come from the adversary or from our own mortal follies. There are also times we may follow a prompting that later seems wrong, yet there could be a good reason we needed to take a longer path for a learning experience. The key is to be sure our thoughts and actions are in harmony with gospel teachings.
Increasing Personal Revelation
Now that we have discussed how to recognize four types of personal revelation, it is important to learn how to increase the promptings we receive. May I suggest three ways we can increase our access to daily personal revelation:
- Pray sincerely
- Study the scriptures earnestly, and
- Take time to pause and listen
Sincere Prayer
First, improving the quality of our prayers is essential to improving our ability to receive personal revelation. Bishop H. Burke Peterson describes both sides of the spiritual communication process:
...go where you can be alone, go where you can think, go where you can kneel, go where you can speak out loud to him. The bedroom, the bathroom, or the closet will do. Now, picture him in your mind's eye...control your thoughts-don't let them wander, address him as your Father and your friend...have a sincere, heartfelt conversation with him. Confide in him, ask him for forgiveness, plead with him, enjoy him, thank him, express your love to him, and then listen for his answers. ... Answers from the Lord come quietly-ever so quietly. In fact, few hear his answers audibly with their ears. We must be listening so carefully or we will never recognize them. Most answers from the Lord are felt in our heart as a warm comfortable expression, or they may come as thoughts to our mind. They come to those who are prepared and who are patient.[11]
It takes a conscious effort to have this type of daily communication with the Lord. It is not always convenient. Yet, if we want more powerful daily revelations and guidance, it is well worth it. Our lives will go so much better if we are in tune with the Spirit by practicing this language of revelation.
Our nine-year old grandson, Max, is already learning this important principle. He recently told me he felt the Spirit one night after he said his prayers which made him very happy that Heavenly Father was listening. I asked him why he thought he felt the Spirit and he told me, "That night I had a longer prayer and I put a lot more stuff in it." Maybe if we put a lot more stuff in our prayers-more sincerity and honesty and feeling-we too will feel a greater measure of the Holy Spirit.
Earnest Scripture Study
Another important part of spiritual communication is to study the scriptures. Our five-year old granddaughter, Lillian, reminded me how we can receive our own witness if we study, ponder and record what we feel.
One day after her nap, Lillian asked her father if he wanted to hear a new scripture she learned. She told her dad she would tell him the numbers first, then the words:
"Chapter 14:16:19 Do not mock those who have been nice to you, for they could be your friends."
She told her father she came up with it on her own and thought it should be scripture. He explained how Heavenly Father works through prophets to give us the scriptures. She was happy when her dad told her he would write down her own personal quote and remember it.
When he asked Lillian if she knew what mocking was, she said it was what Nephi's brothers did to him for being courageous and building a boat. By studying scriptures with her family and pondering them during her nap time, Lillian received her own personal witness about how to treat others. The Spirit whispered understanding to her and she comprehended the language of revelation at a very young age. If we take more time to study the scriptures and ponder their meaning, we will have more opportunities for personal revelation.
The "Pause Principle"
Finally, the most overlooked but perhaps the most important part of the spiritual communication process is to pause and listen. Let's call this the "pause principle." This simple concept of taking time to pause can dramatically improve our ability to hear and feel the Holy Ghost. If you believe you are not receiving daily personal revelation, this one principle alone can make a big difference. Now this means putting down the phone, the ear buds, the iPods. If we consciously slow down and pause more often, we will receive more daily personal revelation.
Boyd K. Packer explained that the Holy Ghost may not wait if we are not ready to hear:
The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all. . . .Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening.[12]
I often get too busy and forget to pause when I need help. When my mother died last October, I was sad and needed the Comforter, yet I was so busy taking care of details I failed to pause. We had asked my mother's dear friend to give the life sketch, but she needed some more information. For years I had asked my mother if she had written journals or finished a personal history. She always told me she had, but she could never remember where they were. I had given up hope of ever finding the lost records. My father was not sure they even existed.
The night after my mother's death, I was staying at my parents' home in Pocatello, Idaho, gathering some of my mother's belongings for a display at the viewing. I laid down on the couch to rest and my mind stopped spinning. I paused, and this is when a quiet thought came to my mind, "Go up and look on the shelves in the west bedroom." I followed this prompting, hopeful I would find some more treasures for the display.
I was delighted to find a jewelry box filled with wonderful trinkets. Then I continued down the bookcase where I found a large, white box. I sat down on the bed and opened this box to find volumes of my mother's personal journals written in her own hand, plus several letters and personal histories written at various times throughout her life. I also found many long-lost beautiful photos of my mother as a child, college student, young wife and mother.
I immediately felt the presence of my mother in that room. I sensed a great feeling of relief from her. She was so grateful that I had finally found the missing journals and photos that had been lost for years. I now treasure these family records. I am so grateful that I slowed down long enough to heed the promptings of the still, small voice.
The pause principle is an indispensable aide in recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Too often we spend our entire prayer time asking for things. Pausing is an important part of receiving personal revelation. Whether we are in the middle of a heartfelt prayer, responding to a question, or planning an event, we should take a moment to pause and listen. This gives the Spirit a chance to share divine communication.
I testify that this process of personal revelation can operate for each and every one of us. The Holy Ghost is real. Each of us can learn to recognize how He communicates if we learn to understand and act on the four common types of revelation: divine promptings, direct answers, confirming answers, and ongoing promptings. Then, if we pray sincerely, study the scriptures earnestly, and take time to pause and listen, we can increase the daily personal revelation we receive. Through this process, I know we can improve our personal relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sacrificed His only Begotten Son. I am indebted to my Savior for His atoning sacrifice, and I am filled with gratitude for the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost, a constant companion and member of the Godhead who is always ready to guide us. I bear you my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel, in the name of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Notes
[1] Matthew 7:7
[2] Matthew 21:22
[3] Doctrine and Covenants 6:14-15
[4] Conference Report, April 1899, p. 52
[5] Sheri Dew, "You Were Born to Lead...," BYU Devotional Address, Dec. 9, 2003
[6] Genesis 24:12-20
[7] Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-9
[8] Idaho Statute, 2001: 39-57, Prevention of Minors' Access to Tobacco
[9] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 151
[10] vimeo.com/2120177
[11] Conference Report, Oct. 1973, p. 13; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, p. 19
[12] Boyd K. Packer, "The Candle of the Lord," Ensign, January 1983, p. 53