Pouring Down Knowledge From Heaven

One of the themes of this recent general conference was the need for us to gain personal revelation and be guided by the voice of the Spirit.  President Ballard taught, “Too many allow themselves to almost live online with their smart devices—screens illuminating their faces day and night and earbuds in their ears blocking out the still, small voice of the Spirit. If we do not find time to unplug, we may miss opportunities to hear the voice of Him who said, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’” Elder Wilson gave this encouragement, “We ought to be seeking more proactive ways of receiving the Lord’s help and committing to act according to the Spirit’s guidance….  We need the Holy Spirit as our guide in calm waters so His voice will be unmistakable to us in the fiercest storm.”  President Eyring summarized the purpose of his talk saying, “My hope today is to increase your desire and your ability to receive the Holy Ghost. Remember, He is the third member of the Godhead. The Father and the Son are resurrected beings. The Holy Ghost is a person of spirit. (See D&C 130:22.) It is your choice whether to receive Him and welcome Him into your heart and mind.” All of these messages invite us to seek more diligently to hear and heed the voice of the Spirit. 

               President Nelson likewise sought to inspire us to seek more diligently to hear the Spirit in our lives. He earnestly invited us, “Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort…. Does God really want to speak to you? Yes!... I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation…. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this Easter Sunday be a defining moment in your life. 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.”  One of the verses that President Nelson quoted from the Doctrine and Covenants were these inspired words of the Prophet Joseph from the confines of Liberty Jail: “What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints” (D&C 121:33).  This is exactly the message that D&C 121-123 give us—these marvelous revelations coming out of the depths of suffering.  Joseph’s enemies had tarred and feathered him, beat him, driven him out of his home, cut him off from his people, nearly killed him, and had locked him up in a living hell for months.  But they could not stop the Lord from pouring out revelation upon him!  Even there, in the terrible conditions of the jail, we see Joseph communing with the Lord, receiving this most glorious promise: “The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” (D&C 121:46).  Yes, man can stretch forth their hands to try to stop the mighty Missouri river, but they cannot stop God from giving his Saints “knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost” (D&C 121:26).  Joseph had paid the spiritual price to hear the voice of the Lord, and even in the midst of great suffering he received revelation from the Lord.  As he would later declare, “I how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!” (D&C 128:23)  It is our great duty and privilege as members of Christ Church to develop the gift of the Holy Ghost, which gift, as President Nelson taught, “can and will change your life.”