You Shall Receive

To my daughter, 

            This week in our Come, Follow Me reading we have learned about the translation of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe. It was during an intense three-month period in the spring of 1829 that they completed nearly all of the translation, and during this time Joseph received four revelations that are now a part of the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 6-9). These revelations were given to Oliver to help him understand how to ask for and receive knowledge from God. And they are filled with powerful principles that help us understand how to hear the voice of the Lord for ourselves and receive direction from Him.

·        We must start with faith to hear the voice of the Lord in our lives: “So surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive…. Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not” (8:1, 10). You must believe that He can really speak to you.

·        We must ask through prayer: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 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. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time. Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:14-15).

·        We must act in addition to asking: “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (9:7-8). As we ask, we should seek to do all we can to understand and find answers through our own study.

·        The Lord will speak both to our thoughts and feelings: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3). Sometimes answers will come our mind (i.e., our thoughts), such as Oliver had received previously. The Lord said to him, “Cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:22-23) The Lord had spoken to his mind with thoughts that gave him peace. But the Lord also told how answers would also come with feelings: “If it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8). He can speak to our feelings (symbolized by the heart) such that sometimes we will simply feel that something is good or right. That is revelation just as much as the thoughts He might give us in our minds.

These revelations to Oliver Cowdery are incredibly valuable for us to understand how we can hear the voice of the Lord in our own lives. This is a process that we should seek to improve and refine throughout a lifetime, and I hope that through diligently searching you too will come to understand how the Lord speaks to you. The Lord gave you and me this powerful promise: “Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:5). 

Love,

Dad