The Gift of Revelation

Brothers and sisters, it is such a privilege to be here with you this morning. BYU is sacred ground for Debbie and me—not only because we attended school here and dated here, but 28 years later we returned as mission leaders of the Utah Provo Mission. Our spiritual ties and roots run deep Cougar blue.

We recently returned from the Asia North Area, where we had served in the area presidency for nearly five years. We deeply love the people of Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and the Guam, Micronesia, area. Our new assignment in the Utah Area presidency is very different, but equally rewarding.

As we have met with missionaries, youth, and young single adults throughout the world, we often hear questions about personal revelation. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will be with us today as we explore together some principles that might help address questions about personal revelation.

We understand the importance of revelation today. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”¹

That might cause stress with some because they may not be comfortable with receiving revelation. I will not attempt today to share any formula for receiving revelation. There is no formula. This is also not meant to be an exhaustive or comprehensive review of revelation. That would be impossible to do, even if we attempted to do so in a full semester. I will simply try to share a few principles I have learned with the hope that they will increase your understanding and recognition of revelation. Maybe one or two of these will help you in your important life decisions.

Now, with some hesitancy, I will be sharing some experiences in my life. I am hesitant, first, because these are sacred experiences to me and very personal. I am hesitant, second, because it might leave the impression that these types of more dramatic revelatory experiences are common and occur with regularity and frequency. That is usually not the case. In my life, I have found that while being guided by the Spirit, in most cases I had no idea that I was being guided at the time. I was just trying to live my life as best as I could.

1. We Are Agents “to Act . . . and Not to Be Acted Upon”

The first principle I would like to discuss is that revelation is best received when we are acting or moving as agents. The scriptural injunction that we are agents “to act . . . and not to be acted upon”² applies to revelation. Too often we see God’s children sitting still, anxiously waiting for every part of their life to be clearly laid out in detail before making any decisions. If you have done all you can to receive an answer and it hasn’t yet come, it is often best to make the most informed and righteous decision you can and just keep your feet moving.

We could look at it as if we are driving through life in a car with God guiding us. If we are parked, we can turn the steering wheel all we want, but the car will not go in any direction. If you are really trying to listen and to be a disciple of Christ, you are walking in the Spirit more than you may realize. And often you’ll recognize the hand of the Lord in your life as you look back and see the course you have taken. As you live as a disciple of Christ, God is watching over you, and if you are doing all you can to follow a righteous course, He will lead you along your path.

2. There Is No One Way to Receive Revelation

Another useful principle is that revelation is received in a variety of ways. There is no one way to receive revelation. We all have different life experiences, gifts, and tendencies. Our Heavenly Father knows how we each think and how we will best hear and respond to His communications with us. Sometimes revelation might come through a simple thought; it might come as a feeling of peace; or it might come as an unsettled or conflicted feeling. That’s revelation. It might come through a comment from a friend or through more dramatic means such as a dream. Revelation isn’t always accompanied by feelings of emotion, but sometimes it is.

In my life, revelation often comes with feelings of strength, power, and reassurance. When we feel the Spirit bearing witness of truth, that is a form of revelation. We should never compare ourselves and our spiritual journey with others, particularly when it comes to receiving revelation. As unique sons and daughters of God, the way God communicates with us can be uniquely ours.

Even in our own lives, God will utilize various means to communicate with us at different times. While we were presiding over the mission here in Provo, President Thomas S. Monson announced the age change for sister missionaries from 21 to 19 years. In less than a year, the number of sister missionaries in our mission increased from just 18 to 110. Often transfers would include more than 20 new sisters; sometimes it seemed as if we had more sisters coming in than sisters who could train.

While working through one such transfer, I was struggling to know who should train our new sisters. We decided to go to the temple to see if help would come there. Since this was at the Provo Utah Temple, the chapel was full of missionaries from the MTC. As we waited, a large group of sisters came in and sat immediately in front of us. They looked familiar. I leaned forward and asked them where they would be serving, and they said the Utah Provo Mission. I then told them that I would be serving as their mission president. After the session we visited briefly and took some pictures. After having met them, I was able to easily complete transfers and assign the sisters who would serve as their trainers.

3. God’s Communication Is Given for Perfect Purposes

A third revelatory principle is that revelation is meant to be efficient communication from God. He is perfect; it follows that His communication is given for perfect purposes. For example, He will not give His children revelation to simply address their curiosity. I’ll give an example.

Nearly 22 years ago, Debbie and I met with Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. After having extended a call for me to serve as a stake president, he asked if I was prepared to share with him the names of two men who could serve as counselors with me for the next nine years.

I was not prepared. I had not expected to be called. I was young, I had only been a bishop for one year, and I had never served in a stake calling.

Elder Scott expressed understanding and then suggested that Debbie and I kneel in prayer to find an answer. Elder Scott then explained that we would need to hurry since there would be a leadership meeting soon, and he generously gave us 10 minutes.

After kneeling together in prayer, I shared with Debbie the names of two men who had come to mind. With emotion and confidence, she then shared with me that she had felt for the last couple of weeks that these two men would serve in the new stake presidency; she just didn’t know that I would be serving.

Do you see the efficiency? She was already spiritually prepared for my service as a stake president. Knowing of my calling in advance would have just increased her stress level unnecessarily. However, she had been given the names of my counselors since a loving Heavenly Father knew that I would be under some pressure with an apostle in the neighboring room and just 10 minutes to have an answer.

In a related way, with God’s perfection it would be ineffective for Him to continually give revelation that would be wasted. If we receive revelation, it is good for us to act on it. I would suppose that at some point if our Heavenly Father gives us revelation and we choose to not act on it, He might choose to give us less revelation.

4. There Are Two Primary Lines of Revelation

As revelation from God is given efficiently, it is also delivered in an orderly way. There is order in God’s kingdom. We receive revelation in our own “lane” and within our own responsibilities. We will not receive revelation for someone else over whom we have no stewardship. For example, a ward Relief Society president does not have a right to receive revelation for another ward’s Relief Society or another ward’s Relief Society president. This applies personally as well as institutionally. We do not have a right to usurp another’s agency by receiving revelation for another over whom we have no formal stewardship.

For example, if a young man receives revelation that he should marry a young lady, it would be wise to carefully allow her to receive her own revelation in this regard and to not use his revelation as a form of coercion. The revelation he received might simply be that she would be a wonderful wife and that they could be compatible. She has a right to come to the same revelatory conclusion.

In keeping with God’s order, there are two primary lines of revelation. In 2010, President Dallin H. Oaks taught:

Our Heavenly Father has given His children two lines of communication with Him—what we may call the personal line and the priesthood line. All should understand and be guided by both of these essential lines of communication. . . .

We should all remember the Lord’s declaration in modern revelation that the voice of the Lord’s servants is the voice of the Lord (see D&C 1:38; 21:5; 68:4). . . .

We must use both the personal line and the priesthood line in proper balance to achieve the growth that is the purpose of mortal life. If personal religious practice relies too much on the personal line, individualism erases the importance of divine authority. If personal religious practice relies too much on the priesthood line, individual growth suffers. The children of God need both lines to achieve their eternal destiny. The restored gospel teaches both, and the restored Church provides both.³

It would be inconsistent of God to give revelation through these two means that would conflict. One sure way to test whether you are receiving revelation would be to test to see if your personal line aligns with the prophetic line of revelation.

5. “Personal Revelation Takes Effort”

Another proven principle is that receiving revelation requires both effort and work. I have found that there are times when the veil seems very thin—times when a question can be posed to Heavenly Father and an answer received. We are so grateful when this happens, but in my experience, these times are rare. We often have to put out great effort to find answers to life’s perplexing questions.

Elder Dale G. Renlund has taught:

Personal revelation takes effort—spiritual effort. Elijah had to leave his cave, go and stand upon the mount, and experience wind, earthquake, and fire before he heard the Lord speak to him in a still, small voice (see 1 Kings 19:9–12). Nephi had to desire to see the vision of the tree of life that his father, Lehi, had seen, ponder it, and believe in it before the revelation came (see 1 Nephi 11:1). Enos had to “wrestle” and pray all day until night before he received the revelation that his sins were forgiven (see Enos 1:2–5).⁴

We are familiar with the admonition given to Oliver Cowdery:

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.⁵

Perhaps another story from the Provo mission field would help. Early in our time as mission leaders, we experienced a tragic and heartbreaking experience. The mission field has proven to be an extremely safe place for our young disciples. However, in rare circumstances, occasionally missionaries experience tragedy. While exercising one morning, one of our missionaries suffered an aneurysm. He was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away. This was extremely difficult and heartrending for all involved.

Knowing that this would be challenging for our missionaries, Sister McCune and I spent a few days meeting with and ministering to missionaries, as well as making arrangements with our deceased missionary’s family. It was, frankly, a miraculous and sacred time. However, this all occurred during the week before transfers, when important revelation was necessary regarding where missionaries should be assigned. Usually this process takes days or more, and I found that it took a lot of effort. To compound the challenge that particular week, the Missionary Department had made critical changes to the transfer software and had communicated that all transfer changes had to be input early on Friday. As it turned out, this left me with about 90 minutes to complete all transfer decisions.

With miraculous and direct revelation from our Heavenly Father, transfers were completed in about an hour, with no subsequent revisions. This gave me tremendous confidence in the process—so much so that I approached the next transfer with great confidence, feeling that I had now found the “secret” to receiving transfer revelation for our missionaries. Of course this subsequent transfer ended up being one of the more difficult times in my mission experience. I was reminded with a great lesson of the work and effort required to receive revelation.

We have every right to bring our challenges to the Lord for His help, but that does not mean that our problems become His problems simply to solve. Through the process of effort and work, we gain faith, diligence, and Christlike attributes that contribute to our becoming more like the Father.

6. “Repeat This Process Day After Day”

Next, don’t be discouraged if sometimes revelation just won’t seem to come. Receiving revelation takes practice. President Nelson taught:

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”⁶

7. Be in “Good Spiritual Repair”

Another important eternal principle is that worthiness and righteous living will help to precipitate the receiving of revelation. Elder Renlund taught:

Like a stethoscope that needs to be in good repair to be used effectively, we need to be in “good spiritual repair” to receive revelation from the Holy Ghost. Being in “good spiritual repair” implies personal worthiness. The spiritual work of seeking the Spirit therefore includes keeping God’s commandments, making covenants with Him, and keeping those covenants. . . . That means we try our best to keep God’s commandments and do not rationalize sinful behavior. . . . Of course, we do not need to have achieved perfection to receive personal revelation. If that were the case, the Holy Ghost would not be very busy. It does not surprise God that we have not achieved perfection and that we are in the process of becoming more like the Savior. God has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us in the process. That gift is not reserved for use until we are perfect; it is our gift to use here and now.⁷

In striving to be worthy, we can spend all our time and energy chasing away the “bad” in our lives. This could be unrighteous habits, influences, or media. But consider these words from Luke 11:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.⁸

If we are to avoid the temptations of the adversary, we must not only sweep our houses clean of unrighteousness but spend appropriate energy on then filling our houses with righteousness. Regular spiritual endeavors such as daily reading of the Book of Mormon, fervent prayer, partaking of the sacrament, and attending the temple are all ways we can fill our houses with righteousness so that when the adversary comes with temptations that would reduce our ability to receive revelation, he will then find our house already full.

8. Correction Is a Form of Revelation

Correction is a form of revelation. As an example of this principle, I would draw your attention to the Liahona—or compass—that guided the family of Lehi through the wilderness. During a particularly challenging time, when faith was waning and the family needed chastising, the writing on the Liahona changed, causing Lehi to “fear and tremble exceedingly.”⁹ Some of the most profound lessons of life that can be learned come in the form of revelatory correction and chastisement from the Lord. We can be eternally grateful for these moments of divine correction.

9. We Cannot Force Revelation

We cannot force revelation. President Oaks illustrated this principle with a story. When he was president of BYU, the university wanted to extend an invitation to the president of the United States to speak. The university administration knew that in inviting the president, they

had to say in effect, “We will welcome you whenever you can come and for whatever time you choose to be here and for whatever you choose to say and do while you are here. We will accommodate our schedules and our arrangements entirely to your visit.”¹⁰

President Oaks went on to teach:

Now, if that’s the way a community of 26,000 people must approach the highest authority of a nation, it should not be surprising that one person—however important—is in no position to put conditions upon or to impose personal timing upon a visit or communication from the Highest Authority in the universe.¹¹

I would suggest that our Heavenly Father’s reason for reserving the timing and conditions for revelation has everything to do with His perfect love for us and His perfect understanding of our eternal progression and potential.

10. To Receive the Spirit, Our Minds Must Be on Spiritual Matters

Revelation requires focus and attention. Our minds must be on spiritual matters in order to receive the Spirit. This can include putting ourselves in an environment in which excessive noise is eliminated and in which we can listen. Righteous music, quiet moments, uplifting conversations, and spiritual locations magnify our ability to receive revelation.

Our spiritual focus and frame of mind is also essential in whatever environment we are in. Elder Richard G. Scott taught:

There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight.¹²

Sometimes attention to spiritual matters might mean just putting ourselves in an attitude of listening and learning. In one very critical time in my life, I was struggling with an important career decision. I was working in Southern California as an investment manager after graduation from BYU. One day I had a meeting with a client who was a successful cardiologist. He was late to our appointment. I became frustrated, as I felt my time was important and he was being inconsiderate.

He eventually came into the meeting, slightly out of breath. He apologized for being late and explained that he had been saving the life of one of his patients. This caught me off guard, and I struggled through the meeting with him. This man had been saving a life, and I had been impatient to discuss with him something certainly much less consequential. I struggled through this issue for months and considered changing professions—maybe I should be a teacher or maybe I should be a doctor saving lives.

One day while driving on the freeway in Los Angeles—which is inherently not a very spiritual environment—I was focused on this dilemma. As I prayed and pondered, I felt an opening of communication with the Spirit. I was taught profound truths: My desire to provide for my family was important, but I was first a disciple of Christ, and He had children within my chosen vocation who I could influence in righteous ways. He needed plumbers, architects, accountants, electricians, and even investment managers because His children who needed rescuing were in all those spheres of influence. This experience changed my approach at work. It changed the way I interacted with those with whom I was serving—both at church and in my chosen vocation.

Brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father desires for us to receive communication from Him. Through revelation we can navigate the challenging courses of our mortal lives. We can be blessed to know of the mysteries of God’s kingdom or simply those things that can only come through revelation. As taught in the Doctrine and Covenants:

If thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.¹³

I witness that revelation brings joy and peace. May we seek to better understand and receive revelation in our lives.

I testify of a loving Heavenly Father. His Son Jesus Christ is evidence of the Father’s love for us. Our Savior Jesus Christ lives. Through Him we can be cleansed, healed, strengthened, and directed. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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