Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 5
“This Is
the Spirit of Revelation”
Introduction
Before we start in on this week’s lesson, I just wanted
to clarify something we talked about last week. Mary Musselman Whitmer, wife to
Peter and mother to David was, as far as we know, the only person to be shown
the individual plates outside of the Three and Eight Witnesses. Emma only saw
them covered and felt them through the covering; Lucy Harris, like Oliver
Cowdrey, saw them in a vision or dream.[1] The
next two weeks the lessons are on revelation, specifically working through the
process as Oliver Cowdery experienced it. This week we will examine how to
receive revelation, and next week how to recognize it. It follows very well on
everything we learned from Br. Jordan and Br. Stout in Sacrament meeting last
week, Sis. Stout in Sunday School, and, for the sisters anyway, Sis. Black in
Relief Society. As always, at the end of this post are links that hopefully
will enrich and enhance your study of this lesson. Several popular television
programs from both side of the pond feature life in this era of history, both
pioneer America and England on the verge of the industrial revolution. The role
of school teacher was vital, and teachers often came from outside the
community. Oliver Cowdery came to Palmyra New York in 1828 to teach there.
Customarily a teacher would board with the parents of his pupils, and so we
find Oliver living with Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith.[2]
1. Our need for personal revelation
When you think of personal revelation, what impact does
it have on your life. The Bible Dictionary defines revelation:
“Divine revelation is one of the
grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it,
man could not know of the things of God. … Continuous revelation from God to
his saints … makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the
faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom. …
Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion” (Bible
Dictionary, “Revelation,” 762).
Elder Packer said:
“No one of us can survive in the world
of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration”
(Ensign, Nov. 1991, 23).
We know that the Prophet receives revelation for the
whole Church, that sweeping, wide-ranging revelations have been received that
last for time and eternity, but as individual members of the Church, heads of
families, and just ourselves, we too can receive revelation to aid us in our
daily struggle to be disciples of Jesus Christ. From the child who has lost a
beloved toy, to the parents whose beloved child has gone astray, revelation is
our blessing and our gift.
True to the Faith tells us
Quiet spiritual promptings may not
seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are more
powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost makes an
impression on the soul that is more significant than anything you can see or
hear. Through such revelations, you will receive lasting strength to stay true
to the gospel and help others do the same.
2. Understanding what we should do to receive revelation
If for any reason you feel you are not able to receive
revelation, please work through these steps that the lesson manual outlines for
us. And if you are able to receive revelation, this is a good review. Remember
what we learned from Elder Devn Cornish in last week’s Relief Society/Priesthood
meeting (here I am hoping the brethren covered it!)
Let me be direct and clear. The
answers to the questions “Am I good enough?” and “Will I make it?” are “Yes!
You are going to be good enough” and “Yes, you are going to make it as long as
you keep repenting and do not rationalize or rebel.” The God of heaven is not a
heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game. He is our
perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all of His
children come back home and live with Him as families forever. He truly gave
His Only Begotten Son that we might not perish but have everlasting life!1
Please believe, and please take hope and comfort from, this eternal truth. Our
Heavenly Father intends for us to make it! That is His work and His glory.[3]
And that includes the vital gift of revelation without
which, as the Bible Dictionary said, “all would be guesswork, darkness, and
confusion.”
Let’s look at these scriptures to see what the process is
to receive revelation:
Study
Ponder and Meditate
Inquire of the Lord in Faith
Doctrine and Covenants 6:5, 14; 8:1; 42:61; 88:63–64
Be Obedient and Serve God
Doctrine and Covenants 63:23; 76:5–10; 93:1, 28; 101:7–8
Be Meek and Humble
Doctrine and Covenants 5:24; 19:23; 112:10; 136:32–33
Focus on the Things of God, not of the World
Doctrine and Covenants 25:10; 30:2.
This is a lot. But then the gift is a lot also. How do we
teach children? Let me put it in terms of Lego. You start a child of with very
simple building blocks that perhaps only make one thing. You progress to Duplo,
maybe a couple of kits so that the end result is a variable of two or three
things, finally you graduate to Lego and as they get older suddenly everything
is Awesome. The gift was never the end result, but the building blocks to
achieve that end. Revelation is the gift that becomes increasingly more complex
as our ability to receive it grows. The child finds its lost toy, but the
parents regain their Prodigal Son.
One of my personal mentors for receiving revelation was
Elder Scott. And I am ashamed to say I have not very often followed his advice,
so posting it here is a reminder to me to repent. And a renewal of commitment
to follow it.
When I am faced with a very difficult
matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and
understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start
reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for
inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord
wants me to do. . . .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. Another principle is to be cautious
with humor. . . . A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does
not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life. . . .On the
other hand, spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices.
Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our
capacity to receive and understand revelation. . . . Revelation can also be
given in a dream when there is an almost imperceptible transition from sleep to
wakefulness. If you strive to capture the content immediately, you can record
great detail, but otherwise it fades rapidly. . . . When it is for the Lord’s
purposes, He can bring anything to our remembrance. That should not weaken our
determination to record impressions of the Spirit. 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.
- “Oliver
Cowdery’s Gift”: This article gives context for the revelations
now found in Doctrine and Covenants 6–9.
- “Time
Line: Palmyra, Fayette, and Harmony”: This time line lists
significant events in early Church history by location and helps show how
Oliver Cowdery’s translation work fit into the longer Book of Mormon
translation process.
- “Your Passion, the Lord’s
Purpose”: This excerpt is from an article by Evan Stephens, a hymn
composer and former Tabernacle Choir director, on how the Lord has guided
the development of music in the Church.
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