Hear the Voice of the Lord

Yesterday President Nelson gave a special invitation to all of us to seek more earnestly to hear the voice of the Lord.  He said, “In the scriptures, there are very few sacred instances in which the voice of God the Father has been heard.  So, when He says something, we really need to listen.  Repeatedly, He has personally introduced His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with a specific charge to ‘Hear Him!’…I invite you to think deeply and often about this key question: How do you hear Him?  I also invite you to take steps to hear Him better and more often.”  In addition to the First Vision, the Father also said the same thing to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration: “And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Luke 9:35, Mark 9:7).  The Father’s direction hasn’t changed since then—His command is for us to hear the voice of the Savior no matter what dispensation we are in.  

Many other scriptures invite us to hear the Savior’s voice.  For example, the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the preface given by the Savior, repeatedly warns us to hear His voice today: “For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated…. Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear…. The day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people” (v2,11,14).  Ultimately we will all hear the voice of the Lord at the day of judgment, but it will be too late for our salvation if we do not choose before then ourselves to hear and heed it.  At the end of the Doctrine and Covenants, in the divinely revealed appendix, the Lord similarly instructed us to hear His voice: “Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you…. Hearken and hear, O ye inhabitants of the earth. Listen, ye elders of my church together, and hear the voice of the Lord; for he calleth upon all men, and he commandeth all men everywhere to repent…. And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:1,16,21).  Many other revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith similarly invite us to hear the voice of Jesus Christ.  Those who hear his voice are His people: “And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:7).  The Savior beckons, “Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:6).  He repeatedly invites us with this kind of language: “Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give ear to the voice of the living God; and attend to the words of wisdom which shall be given unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:1).  One of the great messages of the Prophet Joseph is that the voice of the Lord can be head in this dispensation.     

               So where do we hear the voice of the Savior?  The words of the scriptures, in particular the modern-day revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants, are certainly one important place.   In a revelation to Oliver Cowdery the Lord explained, “And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it. These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them. Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words” (Doctrine and covenants 18:33-36).  Like Oliver, we can read them and declare that we have indeed heard the voice of the Lord through His power.