As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often reflect on the profound experience of Joseph Smith. His journey began with a simple yet profound question: Which church should he join? This question arose from a deep sense of confusion and unease. Joseph couldn’t find the answers he sought on his own.
From Joseph Smith’s history, we learn about his feelings during this time:
- Confusion: “For a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued.”
- Serious Reflection: “My mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness.”
- Isolation: “I kept myself aloof from all these parties.”
- Uncertainty: “It was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.”
- Extreme Difficulties: “While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists.”
- Darkness: “I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs.” 1
Joseph’s feelings of confusion, unease, and isolation led him to seek divine guidance. He turned to the Bible and found solace in James 1:5, which prompted him to ask: “What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” 2
Receiving Answers
Joseph’s quest for answers culminated in a miraculous vision where he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. This experience confirmed that God could speak to man. Elder M. Russell Ballard explained, “Joseph came to realize that the Bible did not contain all the answers to life’s questions; rather, it taught men and women how they could find answers to their questions by communicating directly with God through prayer.” 3
This pattern of seeking and receiving revelation continued throughout Joseph’s life. He received over 100 revelations for the Church, many of which were recorded and later canonized. These revelations often came in response to prayer, addressing doctrinal questions, Church policy, and administration.
Most of the canonized revelations were given between 1828 and 1835, during the early years of the Church’s organization. As the Church grew, other leaders were expected to seek revelation within their own responsibilities.
As members of the Church, it’s important to understand that the Lord doesn’t want one person to receive all revelations. Just as Joseph Smith received guidance for the Church, we are encouraged to seek personal revelation for our own lives, families, and callings. Joseph taught, “The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask it from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching.” 4
The Pattern of Revelation
The Doctrine and Covenants provides a pattern for receiving personal revelation. These sacred revelations were received in answer to prayer, in times of need, and came out of real-life situations involving real people. Studying these revelations can help us understand how to seek and receive guidance in our own lives. 5
One of Joseph Smith’s scribes, William McLellin, described the process of receiving revelation:
- The scribe sits at a desk with pen, ink, and paper.
- The Prophet enquires of God.
- He spiritually sees, hears, and feels, then speaks as moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
- The scribe writes and reads aloud each sentence.
- Joseph signals the end of the revelation by saying “Amen.” 6
In a similar fashion, President Nelson has instructed members to receive revelation in the following manner:
“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.’” 7
By following this pattern, we can receive the direction we need each day. With humility and faith, the Lord will bless our lives and provide the guidance we seek.
Revelation vs Inspiration
On a few occasions, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talked about the process of writing down revelation and inspiration. First, he described the difference between the two as:
“The Holy Ghost communicates important information that we need to guide us in our mortal journey. When it is crisp and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step to a worthy objective, for the purpose of this message, it is inspiration.” 8
Write It Down
Despite what type of communications is coming from the spirit, Elder Scott’s counsel is the same: write it down. He states, “Write down in a secure place the important things you learn from the Spirit. You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come.” 9
He goes on to teach, “Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation. Such recording of direction of the Spirit should be protected from loss or intrusion by others.” 10
During a General Conference talk, Elder Scott shared an experience that taught him how to gain spiritual guidance. During a priesthood meeting in Mexico City, he observed a humble priesthood leader who, despite struggling to communicate, conveyed gospel truths with sincerity and love. This created a spiritual atmosphere that deeply touched Elder Scott, leading him to receive personal impressions related to his assignments. He carefully recorded these impressions, which provided him with valuable guidance.
Later, in a contrasting experience, Elder Scott attended a Sunday School class where the teacher seemed more focused on showcasing his knowledge than teaching principles. Despite this, Elder Scott received further personal impressions, which he also recorded. He then pondered, prayed for confirmation, and received additional guidance. This process of responding to, recording, and applying spiritual promptings allowed him to receive profound personal direction. 11
Elder Scott emphasized that this experience illustrates the importance of writing down and responding to initial spiritual promptings to receive further guidance from the Lord. He was following the pattern set by the Prophet Joseph and later reiterated by our current prophet.
Summary
As we study the Doctrine and Covenants from Come Follow Me this year, we will learn a lot about Church administration and doctrine. We’ll also see how revelation works for early Church leaders. My hope is that we can apply these principles of revelation to increase our ability to receive needed inspiration.
We should strive to pray about the problems and questions of our lives. We should take time to listen, and we should write down the impressions, feelings, thoughts, and learnings. Then of course we need to act in faith about the inspirations we receive. As we do so, the Lord will bless us with more guidance and direction that we will need for our spiritual survival.
References
- Pearl of Great Price – Joseph Smith History ↩︎
- Pearl of Great Price – Joseph Smith History ↩︎
- Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause,” April 2020, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/12ballard?lang=eng#p52
↩︎ - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 191
↩︎ - Doctrine and Covenants – Introduction ↩︎
- Church History Topics, “Revelations of Joseph Smith,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/revelations-of-joseph-smith?lang=eng#aside2_p3 ↩︎
- President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” April 2018, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng#p41 ↩︎
- Elder Richard G. Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life,” May 2012, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/05/saturday-afternoon-session/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-life?lang=eng#p1 ↩︎
- Elder Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Knowledge and the Strength to Use It Wisely,” June 2002, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/06/to-acquire-knowledge-and-the-strength-to-use-it-wisely?lang=eng#p1 ↩︎
- Elder Richard G. Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life,” May 2012, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/05/saturday-afternoon-session/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-life?lang=eng#p1 ↩︎
- Elder Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance,” October 2009, General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2009/10/to-acquire-spiritual-guidance?lang=eng#p1 ↩︎