Alright, sorry, its been a brace of fortnights since I've updated this blog, I think. Anyway, I was talking about revelation, why its important, etc. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about how to prepare oneself to receive personal revelation.
First of all, one must desire to receive divine direction. Revelation is serious information, and it will always relate to your personal salvation or exaltation, for "I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal..." (D&C 29:34). So if you really want an answer from God....you gotta really want it. I love the example of Enos in the Book of Mormon. He is one of my favorite characters in all of scripture because he is a man who realized that something was missing in his life. He recognized that something just wasn't quite right, and he decided to consult with the Lord and change it. But Enos did not just casually offer a trite, offhand prayer. He didn't assume that the Lord would reward a mediocre effort with an astounding solution to his problem.
His soul hungered.
"And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." (Enos 1:4)
Earlier in the chapter, Enos tells us that he had a "wrestle" with the Lord. If we really want to receive answers to our prayers, we have to be willing to sweat a little bit. We have to be willing to get a little uncomfortable. We can't wrap ourselves up in a protective covering of half-truths when we talk with God. We must go to Him with our souls bared, in complete honesty and humility. And we need to wrestle for the answer.
"Prayer is so essential a part of revelation that without it the veil may remain closed to you. Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees....Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil." (Boyd K. Packer, Oct. 1994).
So desire is step #1.
Next is preparation. And it starts with worthiness. A person cannot receive revelation without first being clean. Thankfully, we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ in order to repent of our sins and become clean by making and keeping our baptismal covenants. But in order to have the constant companionship of the Spirit, we have to live worthy of our covenants. I have noticed in my own life that when I am being exactly obedient to the commandments (Word of Wisdom, chastity, tithing, daily scripture study, frequent prayer, church attendance, etc.) I am exponentially more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. And the Spirit is the medium by which our prayers are most often answered. So in short, if you want to receive an answer, repent.
Another thing one must do to prepare himself for revelation is to study and ponder. When Nephi desired to have the vision of the tree of life explained to him, he knew that he needed to do his homework beforehand. "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord..." (1 Nephi 11:1).
The incredible vision of the degrees of glory that was given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon did not come until after much study and prayer. "And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened." (D&C 76:19).
And once again, when Oliver Cowdery failed to receive the spiritual gift that he was seeking, the Lord bluntly told him, "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" (D&C 9:7-8).
To sum up, I would like to bear my testimony that the Lord recognizes and honors the efforts of those who prepare themselves to receive answers to their prayers. I have made the mistake in my life of offering quick, cheap prayers that have had no previous preparation. They usually never work. I have learned that as I put in my own sweat and bookwork beforehand, the experience of searching is a lot more....well, spiritual. I know that as you and I desire revelation and prepare ourselves to receive it, Heavenly Father will give it to us. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8).
