Pray
in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your
weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the
thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with
actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after
day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of
revelation.”
Nothing
opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact
obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book
of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.
As
you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and
understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will
follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.
But
in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the
guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. I
plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.
Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost
and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.
“Many
of us typically assume we will receive an answer
or a prompting to our earnest prayers and pleadings.
And we also frequently expect that such an answer or a prompting will come
immediately and all at once. Thus, we tend to
believe the Lord will give us A BIG ANSWER QUICKLY AND ALL AT ONE TIME. However, the
pattern repeatedly described in the scriptures suggests we receive ‘line upon
line, precept upon precept,’ or in other words, many
small answers over a period of time. Recognizing and understanding
this pattern is an important key to obtaining inspiration and help from the
Holy Ghost.”
“We
should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator
has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we
receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment.”
Elder David A. Bednar, "“Hear Him” in Your Heart and in Your Mind," April 2020
I Hear Him in Many Different Ways
As I reflect on patterns that help me to “Hear Him, I
remember that revelations are conveyed through the Holy Ghost in a variety of
ways, including dreams, visions, inspiration, and conversations with heavenly
messengers (e.g., Joseph Smith’s First Vision). Some revelations are received
immediately and intensely, some are recognized gradually and subtly.
I Hear Him by Pressing Forward in Service
Hearing Him and receiving inspiration typically occur when I
am following Him and acting in accordance with what He has instructed me to do.
I Hear Him through Righteous Music
The hymns that I love the most focus on the restoration and
teach powerful doctrinal lessons. And in those messages, in both the music and
the lyrics, you can “Hear Him.” For me,
music often is a channel for the voice of the Lord.
I Hear Him through the Scriptures and Sincere Prayer
Hearing Him is not complicated but is spiritually demanding
and takes time. One of the ways that I can hear Him is in the scriptures. The
scriptures are the pre-recorded voice of the Lord. It is hearing the scriptures
in a feeling—a feeling in my mind, a feeling in my heart. For me, the
scriptures are key in receiving and recognizing those thoughts and feelings.
As I strive to hear His voice in the scriptures, as I pray
sincerely—not just saying prayers, but praying with a sincere heart and real
intent—then according to the Lord’s will and timing I can be blessed in
marvelous ways.
I Hear Him Through the Holy Ghost
I have learned over time that one of the great blessings of
striving to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost is that I can see myself
as I really am. Such experiences are both painful and joyful. By the power of
the Holy Ghost, thoughts come to my mind and feelings to my heart that can help
me to see things that are going well and the things that I need to improve and
do better.
I Hear Him by Recording Spiritual Impressions
Elder Richard G. Scott once taught me that spiritual
knowledge, properly recorded, is available in times of need. As I record what I
feel in my heart and the thoughts that come to my mind by the power of the Holy
Ghost, it is like writing on “small plates” – my personal sacred writings. It is
a pattern of hearing Him and recording the things that will help me to always
remember what He said.
Perfection is Not Required to Hear Him
I think sometimes expectations get in the way. Pressing
forward and doing my best does not require immediate perfection. Sometimes, I
may think that a very dramatic spiritual impression is going to come. But most
often His messages to me are quiet, subtle, and small. If I expect a big answer
and I receive a series of small answers, I may not recognize them. And if I expect
a loud answer and I receive many soft ones, I may not recognize them.
Elder
Ronald A. Rasband, “Let the Holy Spirit Guide,” April 2017
Our Father in Heaven knew that in
mortality we would face challenges, tribulation, and turmoil; He knew we would
wrestle with questions, disappointments, temptations, and weaknesses. To give
us mortal strength and divine guidance, He provided the Holy Spirit, another
name for the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost binds us to the Lord. By
divine assignment, He inspires, testifies, teaches, and prompts us to walk in
the light of the Lord. We have the
sacred responsibility to learn to recognize His influence in our lives and
respond.
President Monson has taught, “As we
pursue the journey of life, let us learn the language of the Spirit.”13 The Spirit speaks words that we feel.
These feelings are gentle, a nudge to act, to do something, to say something,
to respond in a certain way. If we are casual or complacent in our worship,
drawn off and desensitized by worldly pursuits, we find ourselves diminished in
our ability to feel.
We must act on the first prompting.
Remember the words of Nephi. “I was led by the Spirit,
not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless,” he said, “I
went forth.”16
And so must we. We must be confident in our first promptings.
Sometimes we rationalize; we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or
if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even
third-guess, our feelings—and we all have—we are dismissing the Spirit; we are
questioning divine counsel. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if you will
listen to the first promptings, you will get it right nine times out of ten.17
Now a caution: don’t expect fireworks because you
responded to the Holy Ghost. Remember, you are about the work of the still,
small voice.
First promptings are pure inspiration from heaven. When
they confirm or testify to us, we need to recognize them for what they are and
never let them slip past. So often, it is the Spirit inspiring us to reach out
to someone in need, family and friends in particular. “Thus … the still small
voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things,”18 points us to opportunities to teach the gospel, to bear
testimony of the Restoration and Jesus Christ, to offer support and concern,
and to rescue one of God’s precious children.
Think of it as being what is called a first responder.
If we let the Lord know in our morning
prayers that we are ready, He will call on us to respond. If we respond, He
will call on us time and time again and we will find ourselves on what
President Monson calls “the Lord’s errand.”19 We will become spiritual first
responders bringing help from on high.
If we pay attention to the promptings
that come to us, we will grow in the spirit of revelation and receive more and
more Spirit-driven insight and direction. The Lord has said, “Put your trust in
that Spirit which leadeth to do good.”20
Elder Tad R. Callister, "The Power of the
Priesthood in the Boy ', Ensign, May 2013
God’s answers come by the still, small voice—feelings of
peace or comfort, impressions to do good, enlightenment—sometimes in the form of
tiny seeds of thoughts which if reverenced and nourished can grow into
spiritual redwoods. . . .
You can learn to use faith more effectively by applying this principle taught by Moroni: “Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” Thus, every time you try your faith, that is, act in worthiness on an impression, you will receive the confirming evidence of the Spirit. Those feelings will fortify your faith. As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger. The Lord knows your needs. When you ask with honesty and real intent, He will prompt you to do that which will increase your ability to act in faith.
Brigham Young observed, “God never bestows upon his people, or upon an individual, superior blessings without a severe trial to prove them.”5 Personally, for some vital decisions I have experienced the grueling, anguishing struggle that precedes a confirming answer. Yet those trying experiences have been edifying. It is comforting to know that God will never try you more than you can manage with His help.
Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used. Character is woven patiently from threads of principle, doctrine, and obedience.
