He That Diligently Seeketh

In the most recent general conference, Elder Cook quoted these words from Heber C. Kimball: “Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and His work. To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not [until] you [attain] it. If you do not you will not stand. … The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light.” This reminds me of another quote from Heber C. Kimball that Elder Cook also related in general conference: “Heber C. Kimball was one of the original Twelve Apostles of this dispensation and First Counselor to President Brigham Young. He warned: ‘The time is coming when … it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then … look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall.’ He concluded that there is ‘a TEST coming.’” Both quotes are a reminder to us that we must be ever vigilant in our testimony of the Savior; we must be able to stand with our own testimony of the Savior and His latter-day work independent of any other. To pass the tests of the last days, we must have our individual lamps full of faith and righteousness and a commitment to staying true to our covenants with the Savior.

                Heber C. Kimball’s warnings are consistent with the invitation of President Nelson that Elder Cook also quoted: “I plead with you to take charge of your testimony of Jesus Christ. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Then watch for miracles to happen in your life.” We have to individually do the spiritual work that the gospel requires in order to gain and keep a witness of the truthfulness of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must choose to be like Nephi instead of Laman and Lemuel when it comes to seeking spiritual manifestations; when these older brothers were asked if they had inquired of the Lord concerning their questions, they responded defensively with these words: “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us” (1 Nephi 15:9). They expected the Lord to simply give them all the answers without significant efforts on their end. Nephi, on the other hand, learned early that he had to diligently seek for himself. He recorded, “Having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord.” Because he so sought, he was rewarded: “Behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers” (1 Nephi 2:16). I love Nephi’s later invitation to each of us: “For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round” (1 Nephi 10:19). We must all learn to diligently seek to understand the things of God; we must earnestly pray, search the scriptures, and ponder the things of God in order to hear His voice and learn for ourselves. The responsibility it none but our own if we want to come to know for ourselves of the things of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith put it powerfully in these words: “The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! If thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God.” To truly commune with God we must stretch and contemplate and nurture careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts turned towards Divinity—only then will the mysteries of God be unfolded to us.