Personal Revelation

[Sacrament Talk - Southmead - 29th October 2006]

Bruce R McConkie spoke at a General Conference in 1971. He first related a story. He had climbed a mountain, and visited a television broadcasting station while there. He states that a ‘bright young man explained to us in words I had never heard, and using principles I could not and do not understand, how the sounds and scenes of television were broadcast into the valley below.’ Later that evening Elder McConkie was sat watching television with his two sons. He remarks about how, now he was seeing, hearing and experiencing what had earlier been described in words.

He uses this as an analogy to describe our need, to personally experience, personal revelation, to really understand it. Just as few understand exactly how television works - but we all, young and old are easily able to watch the television. There are few, if any on this earth, that really understand how revelation works, but we can all receive it.

My talk today is on personal revelation. I want to talk about why we need to learn by personal revelation. What revelation is, who can receive it and how we go about receiving revelation?

So, why is revelation so important? Why do we need to learn by revelation? Elder Boyd K Packer spoke in a general conference in October 1994 about revelation and he said:

“There are two parts to your nature—your temporal body born of mortal parents, and your immortal spirit within. You are a son or daughter of God.

Physically you can see with eyes and hear with ears and touch and feel and learn. Through your intellect, you learn most of what you know about the world in which we live.

But if you learn by reason only, you will never understand the Spirit and how it works—regardless of how much you learn about other things.”

It is for this reason that we need to have personal revelation. There are spiritual things that we need to learn to return to live with our Heavenly Father that we can learn no other way. No matter how many times someone else who knows them tries to explain, some things we need to experience for ourselves.

So, what is revelation exactly? What does it encompass? Is revelation when God speaks to us face to face? Well, yes! That is definitely revelation, but this is not the only form revelation comes in.

Revelation is communication from God to His children. This communication may be to confirm our belief in God, Christ or His teachings. In Moroni 10:4-5 it says:

READ SCRIPTURE

We may know the truth, through sincere pray and scripture study, by revelation.

Another form of revelation is the communication from God of comfort. When we are going through a period of stress, unhappiness or worry we can pray for comfort, and this is given through revelation.

It is also revelation that enables a priesthood holder to pronounce blessings upon another.

Yet more communications from God come to uplift or inspire us. We may get answers to our prayers, when we use the pattern described to Oliver Cowdry in D&C 9:8-9:

READ SCRIPTURE

As explained in this scripture, Heavenly Father wants us to use our intellects, he wants us to study it for ourselves, and even make the choice for ourselves. It is then that he asks us to pray to know that what we have decided is right. This is sometimes easy. If it is a choice between being kind or nasty to our brother, we can easily make the right choice and feel good about it. Just as easily, we can decide that this once, maybe he deserves it, and then feel bad that we have done so. We can see that sometimes, even without specifically asking we can get this kind of revelation in our lives. The real difficulty comes, I think, when we need to make a choice between two good things. It is then that we really need to study it out in our own minds, and it can be a difficult thing to do. I have had times in my life when I have needed to do this, and I know that my Heavenly Father trusts me to make good decisions, but I also know that if there was ever a time that I choose something good, that wasn’t best for me, my Heavenly Father would let me know. We may have questions of why that good thing should not be for me, especially when we have already made that decision for ourselves, but over time we will come to know that our Heavenly Father knows best, and will always let us know the path we should follow, if we listen.

It is important to remember who can receive revelation. Revelation is received by the Prophet for the world, by our Bishop for our Ward, by parents for their families, but most importantly we can each receive personal communications from God for our own lives. It would be no use for the Prophet to receive revelation for the world, if we could not receive personal revelation that He is a prophet, and therefore heed his counsel.

I’d like to share some ideas now of how we can enable ourselves to be in tune with the spirit.

Elder McConkie says, “The vision of the degrees of glory is being broadcast before us, but we do not hear or see or experience because we have not tuned our souls to the wave band on which the Holy Ghost is broadcasting.

How do we do that? How do we tune our souls to the wave band of the Holy Ghost, so we can see, hear and experience the vision of the degrees of glory?

When we are confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are given the right to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. This great blessing of the Holy Ghost as our companion is only received through our worthiness and faithfulness, and it is “by the power of the Holy Ghost [that you] may know the truth of all things.”

We need to be worthy and faithful. We need to keep the commandments and stay true to the covenants that we make at baptism and in the temple. We need to have Faith in our Saviour and in His teachings.

Prayer is essential! As is listening to the Spirit as we pray. I can’t believe that I am still amazed at how powerful a simple prayer can be. I’ve been praying all of my life, and I know God answers my prayers, its happened on many occasions – yet sometimes I still think that I don’t need to pray about certain things. I know what I’m doing, and I’m not doing anything wrong – but we still need to pray! Even if it seems that we have already said a million prayers that day. When I sat down one evening to start preparing this talk, I started to read talks from General Authorities on the subject. As soon as one of them mentioned prayer and how important it was for personal revelation, I realised that I hadn’t prayed at the start of my study. I stopped right then and there, and said a little prayer. It wasn’t anything spectacular, and it was only a short prayer, simply that I would find something to say in my talk that would be of help to those in my ward – but straight away I felt a peace and calm which had not been with me before. I know that the Lord helps us, and He wants to help us. If we ask, He can give us more.

Quiet spiritual promptings may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are just as powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on the soul that is more significant than anything we can see or hear. Through such revelations, we will receive lasting strength to stay true to the gospel and help others do the same.

Reverence is also necessary in order to understand the message of the Spirit. Whenever I attend the Temple I feel as soon as I walk through the doors a feeling of amazing reverence, and therefore the Spirit. Wouldn’t it be wonderful we could feel that same reverence as we sit in the chapel as the sacrament is passed and as we sit studying the scriptures in our own homes.

Patience is another virtue that I feel is important to bear in mind as we hope to receive revelation. As it is communication from God it will be given on His timetable, and not our own. He knows when we need help, and when we need to try more on our own first. Have faith that Heavenly Father knows us, and keep praying.

We are told that when we act faithfully upon revelation that we receive, we will receive more and more revelation and eventually eternal life. Revelation is that important!

In the Bible Dictionary it states: “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, through the Holy Ghost … makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom.”

I am so thankful for this knowledge in my life. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me, and has devised a plan that I might become more like Him, and that I may be able to live again with Him one day. I am thankful for my Saviour Jesus Christ that has made that plan possible. That sacrificed His life for me, that I might learn from my mistakes and learn to become a better person through Him. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost that testifies to me of the truthfulness of these things. That I may know what I should be doing right now in my life, and that I may never worry about which path I should take but just use all I have the world around me and then ask, and know what I must do. I am so grateful for the many blessings that I have in my life and hope that we may all receive personal revelation to guide our lives.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.