While Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were involved in the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Lord taught them the nature of revelation, including the relationship between revelation and miracles:
“I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”1
As we consider the parting of the Red Sea, we often think of principles such as miracles, faith, the power of God, priesthood power, or other similar doctrines. Why would the Lord use the parting of the Red Sea as an example of revelation? As we study and live the principles of revelation, we will learn that those principles will help us to be instruments through which the Lord can work miracles.
What are the principles of revelation?
There are many principles that pertain to and teach us about revelation. Joseph Smith taught:
“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”2
President Russell M. Nelson has taught how we can grow into the principle of revelation:
“Knowing how the Spirit speaks is essential today. To receive personal revelation, to find answers, and to receive protection and direction, we remember the pattern the Prophet Joseph Smith set for us.
“First, we immerse ourselves in the scriptures. . . . Next we pray. . . . Then we listen. . . . As we repeat this process, we will, in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’”3
As we consider principles of revelation, there are many that we could discuss. But there are three specific principles that I believe pertain to the working of miracles.
1. Study it out.
During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery wanted to try to translate. We don’t know much about his effort, other than he was not able to do it. After his unsuccessful attempt, the Lord said to him through Joseph Smith:
“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.
“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.”4
The Lord wants us to use our intellect. He wants us to study, research, ponder, think, reason, evaluate, and consider different options, then choose what we believe to be the best option.
In his discussion about the fall and our agency, Lehi said, “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.”5 When we talk about this verse, we often relate “opposition” to trials. But “opposition” can also mean different options. In other words, we have different options so we can exercise our agency and make a choice. Lehi said, “it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.”6 In other words, the two different trees were given, at least in part, so Adam and Eve could have a choice. We are given different options, so that we can use our agency to make choices.
We have our agency, and God wants us to use it. He wants us to use our intellect to consider options. He wants us to “study it out,” and make a choice.
I have previously written a post titled “Study it Out,” where I wrote about a personal experience learning about this principle: https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/study-it-out/.
2. Be anxiously engaged
The second principle closely follows the first: once we have studied it out and made a choice, the Lord wants us to act on that choice.
As the Saints were settling in Missouri, Joseph Smith spoke to them of many significant doctrines. In one specific revelation, the Lord said to them:
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
“Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
“For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.”7
President Ezra Taft Benson explained, “Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details and methods. The methods and procedures are usually developed through study and prayer and by living so that we can obtain and follow the promptings of the Spirit. Less spiritually advanced people, such as those in the days of Moses, had to be commanded in many things. Today those spiritually alert look at the objectives, check the guidelines laid down by the Lord and his prophets, and then prayerfully act—without having to be commanded ‘in all things.’”8
Elder David A. Bednar has said, “Personal revelation requires focused and sustained work.”9
God wants us to study, consider our options, and then use our agency to act. We cannot sit idly by and simply wait for instructions. I attended a local meeting with Elder Gary E. Stevenson several years ago, sometime after significant changes were announced in the general conference of April, 2018.10 Elder Stevenson made the analogy to instructions for board games. He said that he and his family enjoyed playing board games together, and that with each new game they would have to spend time reading the instructions. But at some point they just had to start playing the game. As they played, they would have to refer to the instructions to understand additional details, but it was through playing the game that they began to understand how the game worked. He compared his family’s experience with board games to understanding these new changes that had been given to us. We just needed to do it, and as we moved forward in faith, the Lord would give us more instructions.
The Lord wants us to study it out, make a decision, then act.
3. Counsel with the Lord
The third principle is not really a third step, but something we must do all throughout the process of seeking revelation. The Holy Ghost will guide us, and although the Lord wants us to study it out, make our own decisions, then act on those decisions, we should be seeking the guidance of the Lord every step of the way.
Alma said to his son Helaman, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”11
Amulek taught that we should “[c]ry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks; Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening; . . . Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them; Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase; But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness; Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.”12
As we consider what it means to “study it out” and “be anxiously engaged,” we should not assume that the Lord is simply a bystander, watching us without getting involved. If we allow him, he will be involved in every aspect of our lives.
When the Savior visited the Americas after his resurrection, he instructed his disciples to pray, and they continued “without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.”13 As we counsel with the Lord, while we “study it out” and are “anxiously engaged,” the Lord will guide us. We will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, and it could even be that the ideas that come to our mind will be given to us by the Holy Ghost. The Lord does not abandon us, but will inspire us to think of different solutions, consider problems that need to be addressed, and through revelation he will guide us.
The perfect example is the story of the Brother of Jared and the building of the ships. After he constructed the ships following the instructions from the Lord, he noticed two problems, and he counseled with the Lord about those problems: “And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.”14 The Lord gave him the solution to the problem about the air: “Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.”15
But as for the problem regarding the light, the Lord didn’t directly give him an answer, but he did counsel with him: “the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.”16 As the Brother of Jared studied it out, the Lord helped him see some of the problems that he would face, and the Lord counseled with him about issues that needed to be considered. So as the Brother of Jared studied the problem, the Lord worked with him to help him find a solution, but didn’t directly give him the answer.
As we counsel with the Lord, we should always be seeking to do his will. The Savior is the perfect example: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”17 When we counsel with the Lord, we should always be seeking to do his will. We should trust that if he allows us to study it out and move in a direction that is not in accordance with his will, he will correct us.18 It could even be that he allows us to move in a direction where we will not succeed, so that he can teach us.19 So as we study it out, and move forward with faith, we need to always be seeking the will of the Lord, and willing to do his will, even if it turns out that his will is different from what we would like to do.
Although the Lord requires that we study it out and act in faith, he doesn’t expect us to do it alone. He wants us to use our agency, but he will counsel with us and inspire us to know his will.
Miracles follow revelation
So what does revelation have to do with miracles? First, let’s consider what President Nelson has said recently about miracles.
“Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”20
“Moving your mountains may require a miracle. Learn about miracles. Miracles come according to your faith in the Lord. Central to that faith is trusting His will and timetable—how and when He will bless you with the miraculous help you desire. Only your unbelief will keep God from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life.”21
“Seek and expect miracles. Moroni assured us that ‘God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.’ Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord.
“In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing.’ Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ ‘giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.”22
We can actively work miracles
In the Book of Mormon, we read that not many years before the coming of the Savior, the prophet Nephi “was baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might know that the Christ must shortly come.”23
Nephi wasn’t just looking for miracles, or noticing miracles, but he was actively “working miracles.” We can work miracles as we “study it out,” are “anxiously engaged,” and “counsel with the Lord.”
The example of Moses and the Children of Israel
As we consider these principles of revelation in the example of the parting of the Red Sea, we can see how living these principles will help us to work miracles.
After the children of Israel left Egypt and arrived at the banks of the Red Sea, they realized that the Egyptian armies were coming after them. Pharoah had changed his mind.24 The children of Israel did not react well to learning of this, and they complained to Moses:
“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”25
The Israelites were blind with fear. They couldn’t see any solution, they couldn’t imagine any way out. They had the Red Sea in front of them. They couldn’t run, and they couldn’t fight. So in their mind, they were dead.
I try to imagine what might have been going through Moses’ mind at the same time. Did he worry about the Egyptians? Did he wonder why the Lord had worked all those miracles to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, just for them to die in the wilderness? Did he think through possible solutions? I imagine him looking toward the Egyptians pondering what could be done, then turning to look at the Red Sea, and perhaps thinking to himself, “God worked all these wonders in Egypt, couldn’t he also help us pass through the sea?”
Revelation is problem-solving. It is working with the Lord to help us find solutions. And quite often, the solutions that will come to us through revelation will be something only the Lord can accomplish. And so when we have these ideas, these flashes of inspiration, if we feel confident through the Holy Ghost that it is possible, we need to act on it. Only then will we see miracles.
The example of Nephi
In the first several chapters of the Book of Mormon, we see Nephi living the example of what it means to “study it out,” be “anxiously engaged,” and “counsel with the Lord” as he worked miracles.
When Nephi tried to get the brass plates, their effort to “study it out” resulted in two failed attempts (casting lots, then giving him their riches).26 When neither of those efforts worked, Nephi went into the city, seemingly without a plan, but knowing that the Lord would guide him: “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.”27 After multiple failed attempts, Nephi acted anyway, knowing that the Lord would help him accomplish what the Lord had commanded.28
After Nephi broke his bow and the family was unable to obtain food, Nephi made a new bow, and he said, “I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with stones. And I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?”29 He made the bow before having any instructions about where to go.
When the Lord instructed him to build a ship, his first question to the Lord was, “Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?”30 He took the process a step at a time. He knew he would have to make tools, so his first question to the Lord was where he could go to find ore to start making the tools. Nephi is an example of what it means to act in faith.
We need to “think celestial”
President Russell M. Nelson has counseled us to think celestial: “Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So, think celestial.”31 In other words, we cannot allow our thoughts to simply linger on the mortal, temporal aspects of our lives. We need to elevate our thoughts and imagine what might be possible with God. The Savior said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”32
In an instruction to an early missionary, the Lord said, “And these signs shall follow him—he shall heal the sick, he shall cast out devils, and shall be delivered from those who would administer unto him deadly poison; And he shall be led in paths where the poisonous serpent cannot lay hold upon his heel, and he shall mount up in the imagination of his thoughts as upon eagles’ wings. And what if I will that he should raise the dead, let him not withhold his voice.”33
What does it mean when the Lord says, “he shall mount up in the imagination of his thoughts as upon eagles’ wings”? I believe it’s the same thing as President Nelson’s counsel to “think celestial.” We need to elevate our thoughts. We need to “let virtue garnish” our thoughts unceasingly.34 When we “study it out,” and solutions come to our mind that may seem impossible, we need to consider whether those solutions are in accordance with God’s will, and if so, we need to have the faith to move forward and assume that God will provide a way.
Revelation will lead to miracles
As we study out our problems, and move forward with our solutions, always counseling with the Lord and seeking to do his will, we will see the Lord work wonders in our lives.
What if we study out a problem, and have a thought cross our mind where we imagine a sea being parted? What if we imagine the Lord touching a stone and causing it to shine? What if we imagine someone being raised from the dead? Do we have the faith to move forward, anxiously engaged, trusting that the Lord can work those miracles? Or are we more like the children of Israel, who were blind with fear and saw no way out?
God is a god of miracles.35 He wants us to participate in those miracles. So he gives us the opportunity to think for ourselves and move forward in faith as we are guided by the Spirit. If we will follow those principles, studying out solutions to our problems, being anxiously engaged and moving forward in faith, always counseling with the Lord and seeking to do his will, we will be the means of working God’s miracles.
References
- Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3. ↩︎
- Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, “Prayer and Personal Revelation,” 132, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-10?lang=eng&id=p24#p24. ↩︎
- Russell M. Nelson, “Grow into the Principle of Revelation,” Liahona, January 2021, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/01/grow-into-the-principle-of-revelation?lang=eng. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-9. ↩︎
- 2 Nephi 2:11. ↩︎
- 2 Nephi 2:15-16. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-28. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, Religion 324-325, “Chapter 21: Doctrine and Covenants 57-58,” 2018, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual-2017/chapter-21-doctrine-and-covenants-57-58?lang=eng&id=p42#p42. ↩︎
- David A. Bednar, “Consider the Wondrous Works of God,” BYU Speeches, January 23, 2024, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/consider-the-wondrous-works-of-god/. ↩︎
- Some of these changes include the combining of elders and high priests into one elders quorum, and the introduction of ministering to replace home teaching. See D. Todd Christofferson, “The Elders Quorum,” and Russell M. Nelson, “Ministering,” Ensign, May 2018, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/05?lang=eng. ↩︎
- Alma 37:37. ↩︎
- Alma 34:20-27. ↩︎
- 3 Nephi 19:24. ↩︎
- Ether 2:19. ↩︎
- Ether 2:20. ↩︎
- Ether 2:23. ↩︎
- John 6:38. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 95:1, “Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you.” ↩︎
- See Doctrine and Covenants 9:10, where the Lord told Oliver, “if you had known this you could have translated.” Why didn’t the Lord give Oliver this information before he tried to translate? There could be many reasons, but it seems clear to me that the Lord asks us to move forward, and sometimes he may withhold vital information so that we can learn from our own experience. ↩︎
- Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018, 96, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/05/sunday-morning-session/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng&id=p37#p37. ↩︎
- Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Ensign, May 2021, 103, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/05/49nelson?lang=eng&id=p20#p20. ↩︎
- Russell M. Nelson, “The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” Ensign, May 2022, 99-100, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/05/47nelson?lang=eng&id=p29-p31#p29. ↩︎
- Helaman 16:4. ↩︎
- Exodus 14:5. ↩︎
- Exodus 14:11-12. ↩︎
- 1 Nephi 2:10-27. ↩︎
- 1 Nephi 4:6. ↩︎
- 1 Nephi 3:7. ↩︎
- 1 Nephi 16:23. ↩︎
- 1 Nephi 17:9. ↩︎
- Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!” October 2023, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/51nelson?lang=eng&id=p8#p8. ↩︎
- Matthew 19:26. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 124:98-100. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 121:45. ↩︎
- Mormon 9:11. ↩︎