Pondering on Revelation

One of the things I love most about this Gospel is that we believe in personal revelation. It is a simple statement that is swathed by so many truths and explains so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To believe in personal revelation is to believe that God speaks to man today, one-on-one and answers prayers. This denotes that our God is personable, that he is involved in our life and is aware of us individually. Perhaps this seems very obvious to some of us, but this is a mind-blowing concept for many. The gods of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology, for example, were far too concerned with their own affairs to trifle with men, unless it was in their own interests. Likewise, we find gods in the New World whose believers felt it necessary to offer human sacrifice to attract their attention. These false gods were anything but personal. How refreshing and amazing it is to know that our God loves us with a profound parental love and that we are His children!

Additionally, we believe in praying and that God will answer us. We are encouraged to gain our own testimonies of the Gospel and its principles rather than being told to believe the words of others. This concept sets us apart from many other denominations and completely destroys the false belief some people have that the LDS church is a cult that forces & controls its members. The reality is exactly the opposite! We are free to make our own choices and are encouraged to make them based on our own instincts, impressions and answers from the Lord.

This belief of personal revelation pulls us from the dark ages of religion, where the Bible was the sole word of God and preachers had the final say when it came to interpretation, into a world filled with light and hope. Our entire church is based on the concept.

Nephi gives us a wonderful example of how one receives revelation in 1 Nephi 10. In this chapter, Nephi asks the Lord to show him the vision his father had seen of the Tree of Life. He tells us:

vs. 17: ...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him. 

vs. 19: For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost...

and then in Chapter 11, vs. 1:

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...

In Nephi's story we see a pattern for how one seeks revelation. First, you must have a righteous desire. As Joseph Smith found in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." The Lord wants us to learn and grow, he wants us to ask those questions.

Secondly, we must believe. In 1 Ne 11:4-5, the Spirit asks Nephi if he believes in the words of his father. Nephi responds by saying, "Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father." The Spirit then tells Nephi that because he believes in the Son of God, that he will behold the things which he has desired.

Thirdly, we see Nephi pondering in his heart. I believe pondering to be a very active type of thinking, consisting of meditating, prayer and quiet reflection. It is an act that puts us in a position to listen and learn. Often, our surroundings are such to allow the Spirit to be with us. It is only when we are listening that we can hear the quiet whisperings of the Spirit.

I am so thankful for this blessing of revelation and I feel blessed and strengthened every day by the loving guidance of my Heavenly Father's influence in my life.