Christian churches often dispute the idea that God speaks to mankind in our day – to us that live on the earth right now. Some believe He spoke to the people in ancient Bible times, but He will not reach out to us now – that is something just in the past and God does not do the same for His children any longer. I’ve often wondered where that logic or ill-logical thought originated. We are God’s children just as those in the Bible were God’s children, so why would He leave us on our own and not want to help guide our lives as He guided theirs? It makes no sense to me, logically or otherwise.
Who of us in this life that believes in a loving Father in Heaven doesn’t want more help as we navigate this earthly experience? Who of us doesn’t have some challenges that require soul stretching and extra heavenly help as we try and heal from sadness, depression or disappointment? We have each other which is a gift in itself, but sometimes we need more than our family or friends can provide. We need our God, who loves and cares about us and who has the ability to see the big picture of our lives.
I am a believer that God will “speak” to us individually…to give us answers to our prayers and to cause new thoughts and ideas to come into our minds that guide and help us. I believe His love for us causes Him to be mindful of us every day. Sometimes He waits for us to ask for His help, and He wants us to speak with Him and ask Him. I also believe God prompts us to do certain things and at times sends messages to protect us from harm. I guess I shouldn’t say I believe it, I should say that I know it to be true because it has happened personally for me.
The definition of Revelation in Webster’s Dictionary is: “The act of revealing; to make known. Something revealed, especially a striking or surprising disclosure.”
This definition brings clarity about what it means to have revelation for our own lives, in other words to receive “personal” revelation. It doesn’t mean that God will give me information or revelation for the entire human race, but it means that we can receive a personal response or guidance from the Lord for our own lives. We may receive direction or get an answer to a question. The Lord makes known to our heart or our mind something He wants us to know. He can and does reveal His will for us. The information we receive might be striking or surprising as the definition implies, or it might come as a silent feeling inside us (the information of which may still be surprising). We may receive an impression, a prompting or hear a voice that quietly speaks to our minds, or a voice that thunders though our souls. But what we receive are messages that are very personal and meant particularly for us.
I believe that revelation is truth coming from God. If we stay close to God in our lives, believing in Him and trusting Him, it will be easier for us to hear the personal messages He sends to us.
When we receive personal revelation, it is often because we are praying for an answer to a prayer. We desire for the Lord make known what we should do or provide us with an answer about what we should choose, how we can help someone else in need and thousands of other things. Personal revelation does not always have to come to us as an answer to prayer. It can come independent of any seeking on our part, and may come as a special message from the Lord at a time when He knows we need His assistance. If we are trying to know and do the will of God, personal revelation will come to us all along this journey in mortality. The Lord has messages He wants us to have, and He sends them to us each day. We must open our hearts and minds to receive them.
As I go through my days, I have many thoughts about my daily responsibilities and the tasks that need doing, and how I can accomplish them. Which ones do I put first? There are times I may think of moving toward accomplishing one thing, and a little thought in my head says, “No. Don’t do that right now. Do ____ instead”. I’ve realized that those small promptings are for my good. They are my own bits of personal revelation, that if heeded, my days go much better. Sometimes I receive a prompting to do something and I dismiss it. In my heart I know I’ve dismissed it, and I’ve learned that if I don’t follow the prompting, I am always sorry. Even in small things the Lord desires to help us. We need to listen and take notice of those little messages, because He is trying to help us every step of the way.
I can think of several times in my life when I have not recognized the promptings from the Spirit, or when I have ignored it. I received a thought, a nudge, or an idea of something I should do. Then because of a shortage of time or a desire to continue on with my own agenda, I ignore it and sluff it off as nothing, unimportant, or “I’ll get to that later”, and later never comes. As time passes, I have seen the results of my refusal to listen and follow the guidance. I may have been guided to call a friend and didn’t follow through, only to learn later that friend really needed someone at the time. Once I had a feeling that I should delay my arrival at my chosen destination, but I didn’t listen. I continued with my agenda and when I arrived at my destination I was confronted with a very difficult situation that could have been avoided all together if only I had headed the prompting.
Mistakes can teach us to behave differently in the future. There are a couple of good things that my carelessness and lack of listening to God’s voice has taught me. One is that the next time I had better listen, because the Lord was trying to use me as His instrument to help someone else. The second one is that He was trying to protect me from harm.
Fortunately I can think of occasions when I have listened to the promptings and followed through with the instruction I was given. So many times during my trial I was guided by Heavenly Father and blessed because I chose to listen and act upon what He sent. One day after taking my aged father to an appointment, the message I received was to go and visit a beloved teacher that was in an assisted living center. I asked my dad if he would like to go with me, and he eagerly agreed. Our visit with my dear teacher was sweet, and I had the chance to share my love for him, and him for me. It was a tender time, never to be forgotten and forever cherished. This visit would turn out to be a great gift and blessing, because it would be our last meeting on this earth. He passed away three days later. The Lord knew I would not have feelings of peace if I had not seen my dear teacher one more time before he parted from this earth. Listening and obeying the Lord’s beaconing voice far surpasses the ignorance of our possible reply.
Listening to and acting upon the personal revelation God sends to us often takes courage. Many of us want personal guidance from the Lord, but sometimes when it is sent we do not want to hear the answer. We may forget where the message originates, and lose sight of the value that the message contains. Our own stubbornness may keep us from completely receiving His divine guidance. If we are slow to harken to the revelations He sends or don’t act upon what has been sent, then we may put ourselves in a position where the Lord may be hesitant to send us more answers, more guidance. If we don’t truly want to know His will, He will stop sending it. The thought of that frightens me, because I need my Heavenly Father every day.
In my church, we all believe in revelation. Accepting revelation isn’t always easy, whether it comes through our leaders or directly to us. It is up to us to receive or reject it. Whether it is something personal for us, or a message from our church leaders, we need to know for ourselves that the message given is true. We are encouraged to think for ourselves and receive a confirmation that was has been spoken or felt is truly a message from our Father. We should seek our own, very personal direction from our Father in Heaven. We can do that by being obedient. Obedience makes it possible for the spirit to feel welcome to communicate with us, thus allowing Heavenly Father to feel confident that the message He sends will be heard. We teach children that if they want something, they need to behave in such a way as to receive the reward. The same applies to us. If we want the Lord’s guidance, then we must be obedient to His commandments in preparation for receiving and accepting His word. Heavenly Father can’t send us spiritual messages if we are not prepared to hear them. As we are obedient, then listening to and heeding His word, The Lord sends us more revelation. We prove ourselves to Him – that we can be trusted to listen and act upon His guidance. Obedience is a preparatory state to gaining knowledge, thus revelation.
God will not have us do anything contrary to the teachings of the gospel, because the gospel is His word and His truth. Satan however, also exists, and works in opposition to the Lords’ truths. He can also send messages, even things that may appear to be miraculous. Satan is the great pretender and imitator. He can mimic good things, so we must be careful that the guidance we receive is coming from the right source. If we are seeking an answer to a prayer and our answer feels full of light, then the Lord is in the answer. If it rings truth to our hearts and our minds, then we can trust that it has come from the Lord. Satan may send a message that is something we want to hear, so we must fine tune our discerning skills so that we will know the difference between an answer from the light, and an answer from the dark. Sometimes we want an answer so badly that we will take whatever comes into our minds without taking the time to think it through. Learning to listen with the heart takes patience and humility.
It is humbling to know that we can ask for guidance on our journey in life, and the “map” of instruction He sends is actually a message from “on high”. Do we think of personal revelation that way – that the guidance we receive is a holy message, sent from the highest realm? It is personal information, passed from heaven to all of us. It’s like the sun breaking through spaces in the clouds, showering down on us His rays of light and love.
Personal revelation is a gift from God. It’s not something He has to give us, but if we desire to have it, He will send His messages to us. Next to the importance of coming to this earth to gain a body, I believe one of the main reasons we were sent to earth was to learn to do Heavenly Fathers will. His will, not ours. We will be able to go back into His presence by doing His will. Seeking personal revelation is the key to our return to Him. Revelation can come to us every day if we are seeking for it. We are not alone in our trials. God is waiting to be our companion and walk with us through our trials and tribulations. Personal revelation is to know the Lord’s will, and then it is up to us to do it.
We can hear and know and see the divine guidance and blessings of our Heavenly Father in our personal lives. Recently I was in a church house seeking for an answer to my prayer, a problem that I needed the Lord’s help to solve. Life is never without its’ trials, no matter what stage of life we are in at the time. As I sat there, I was taught by the spirit and given specific guidance, and I received a sweet, simple message, my personal revelation from the Lord. While pondering about my concerns, a quiet but strong answer came in three simple words, “all is well”. My fears were calmed and I was reminded that the Lord is in charge, and I need not worry. I may not fully understand what that means, but what message can be better than that? All is well if we put our trust in the Lord.