The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “. . . And we shall at last have to come to this conclusion, whatever we may think of revelation, that without it we can neither know nor understand anything of God, or the devil; and however unwilling the world may be to acknowledge this principle, it is evident from the multifarious creeds and notions concerning this matter that they understand nothing of this principle, and it is equally as plain that without a divine communication they must remain in ignorance. The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth,’ and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 205-206).
In his address at the Church’s April 2011 General Conference, Elder David A. Bednar spoke to this subject. “The spirit of revelation is available to every person who receives by proper priesthood authority the saving ordinances of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost--and who is acting in faith to fulfill the priesthood injunction to ‘receive the Holy Ghost.’ This blessing is not restricted to the presiding authorities of the Church; rather, it belongs to and should be operative in the life of every man, woman, and child who reaches the age of accountability and enters into sacred covenants. Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives” (“The Spirit of Revelation” was the title of his address).
Addressing Elder Bednar’s thought on the role revelation must play in the Lord’s true Church, I am reminded that between the General Authorities and the Church’s membership there are two levels of administration, stake presidents and bishops, that are critical to the well being of the Kingdom. This past weekend, Sister Linford and I attended a stake conference in the Honolulu Hawaii Stake. The visiting authority was Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He reminded the congregation of the important role bishops play in the Church due much in part to the revelation they receive in support of their members.
In the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon namely, chapters eleven through fourteen of 1 Nephi, Nephi was shown the vision that his father had received earlier which foretold the future circumstances of Lehi’s family as well as major events in the unfolding and entwining history of the House of Israel and the gentiles down through the ages to this very dispensation. While admittedly his experience is an extreme example of personal revelation, in Nephi’s case, it was a necessary one. For upon him rested the responsibility of establishing a pattern of interactions between those of his followers who would remain righteous on the one hand as opposed to the religiously rebellious followers of his brethren on the other. The latter group, the Lord intended to use as a “scourge” upon Nephi’s “seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction” (2 Nephi 5:25).
No matter how exceptional, Nephi’s example of seeking personal revelation and acting in accordance with the particulars of the resulting inspiration is very much an appropriate example for all Saints. Many particulars concerning our personal course in mortality will be made known to each of us if we sincerely seek such direction in faith. It behooves us then to follow Nephi’s pattern of righteous living through dedicated obedience to our Father’s commandments followed by a humble but specific request to be shown the way we should proceed. “For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceeding high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken? And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father” (1 Nephi 11:1-5).
Personal revelation is a gift from God to those who desiring to obey His commandments have joined His earthly Kingdom through the ordinances of baptism and confirmation. By means of the Holy Ghost, we may not only come to know the mysteries of the kingdom but also the particulars of what we should be about in this life. A desire to know and being worthy of such inspiration are understood prerequisites. Once we seek to use personal revelation as a directional beacon in our lives, the Prophet Joseph Smith has given us the key to its successful use. While John Taylor was serving as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, the Prophet told him “Elder Taylor, you have been baptized, you have had hands laid upon your head for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and you have been ordained to the holy priesthood. Now, if you will continue to follow the leadings of that spirit, it will always lead you right. Sometimes it might be contrary to your judgment; never mind that, follow its dictates; and if you be true to its whisperings it will in time become in you a principle of revelation so that you will know all things” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church--Joseph Smith, 132-133).
As independent individuals seeking to realize our full eternal potential, we have been given the power to act and not to be acted upon (2 Nephi 2:13). By capitalizing on the opportunities that in part we may open for ourselves through heavenly direction, we improve our chances of staying the course and realizing that end.
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