A pilot operates withing the capacity of his aircraft and working the framework of the directions of air traffic control.…
We receive and implement personal revelation within the framework of the doctrines and revelations for the church.
We each have a runway of our personal responsibility. Within that runway we make the decisions and have a right to the revelation.
I really want to study this. I think it will inform my efforts to receive more guidance.
The elements of the framework for personal revelation are overlapping and mutually reinforcing.
Well-trained airplane pilots fly within the capacity of their aircraft and follow directions from air traffic controllers regarding runway use and flight path. Simply stated, pilots operate within a framework. No matter how brilliant or talented they are, only by flying within this framework can pilots safely unleash the enormous potential of an airplane to accomplish its miraculous objectives.
In a similar way, we receive personal revelation within a framework. After baptism, we are given a majestic yet practical gift, the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we strive to stay on the covenant path, it is “the Holy Ghost … [that] will show [us] all things [that we] should do.” When we are unsure or uneasy, we can ask God for help. The Savior’s promise could not be clearer: “Ask, and it shall be given you; … for every one that asketh receiveth.” With the help of the Holy Ghost, we can transform our divine nature into our eternal destiny.
The promise of personal revelation through the Holy Ghost is awe-inspiring, much like an airplane in flight. And like airplane pilots, we need to understand the framework within which the Holy Ghost functions to provide personal revelation. When we operate within the framework, the Holy Ghost can unleash astonishing insight, direction, and comfort. Outside of that framework, no matter our brilliance or talent, we can be deceived and crash and burn.
It’s not that any of this is particularly new but it’s very clear and understandable the way he is stating it.
The scriptures form the first element of this framework for personal revelation. Feasting on the words of Christ, as found in the scriptures, stimulates personal revelation. Elder Robert D. Hales said: “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures.”
The scriptures also teach us how to receive personal revelation. And we ask for what is right and good and not for what is contrary to God’s will. We do not “ask amiss,” with improper motives to promote our own agenda or to fulfill our own pleasure.
Feasting on the words of Christ, as found in the scriptures, stimulates personal revelation.
A second element of the framework is that we receive personal revelation only within our purview and not within the prerogative of others. In other words, we take off and land in our appointed runway. The importance of well-defined runways was learned early in the history of the Restoration. Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, claimed to be receiving revelations for the entire Church. Several members were deceived and wrongly influenced.
In response, the Lord revealed that “no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith … until I shall appoint … another in his stead.” Doctrine, commandments, and revelations for the Church are the prerogative of the living prophet, who receives them from the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the prophet’s runway.
Years ago, I received a phone call from an individual who had been arrested for trespassing. He told me it had been revealed to him that additional scripture was buried under the ground floor of a building he tried to enter. He claimed that once he obtained the additional scripture, he knew he would receive the gift of translation, bring forth new scripture, and shape the doctrine and direction of the Church. I told him that he was mistaken, and he implored me to pray about it. I told him I would not. He became verbally abusive and ended the phone call.
I did not need to pray about this request for one simple but profound reason: only the prophet receives revelation for the Church. It would be “contrary to the economy of God” for others to receive such revelation, which belongs on the prophet’s runway.
Personal revelation rightly belongs to individuals. You can receive revelation, for example, about where to live, what career path to follow, or whom to marry. Church leaders may teach doctrine and share inspired counsel, but the responsibility for these decisions rests with you. That is your revelation to receive; that is your runway.
Not only do individuals not receive revelation for the church but church leaders cannot receive revelation for choices in our personal lives.
A third element of the framework is that personal revelation will be in harmony with the commandments of God and the covenants we have made with Him. Consider a prayer that goes something like this: “Heavenly Father, Church services are boring. May I worship Thee on the Sabbath in the mountains or on the beach? May I be excused from going to church and partaking of the sacrament but still have the promised blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy?” In response to such a prayer, we can anticipate God’s response: “My child, I have already revealed my will regarding the Sabbath day.”
When we ask for revelation about something for which God has already given clear direction, we open ourselves up to misinterpreting our feelings and hearing what we want to hear. A man once told me about his struggles to stabilize his family’s financial situation. He had the idea to embezzle funds as a solution, prayed about it, and felt he had received affirmative revelation to do so. I knew he had been deceived because he sought revelation contrary to a commandment of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith warned, “Nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit, when they think they have the Spirit of God.”
This is a good reminder that we should check the framework when we seek revelation. “Has his already given an answer on this? If so, I don’t need to ask for a new answer.”
Some might point out that Nephi violated a commandment when he slew Laban. However… let me highlight some aspects. The episode did not begin with Nephi asking if he could slay Laban. It was not something he wanted to do. Killing Laban was not for Nephi’s personal benefit…And Nephi was sure that it was revelation—in fact, in this case, it was a commandment from God.
The fourth element of the framework is to recognize what God has already revealed to you personally, while being open to further revelation from Him. If God has answered a question and the circumstances have not changed, why would we expect the answer to be different? Joseph Smith stumbled into this problematic scenario in 1828. The first portion of the Book of Mormon had been translated, when Martin Harris, a benefactor and early scribe, asked Joseph for permission to take the translated pages and show them to his wife. Unsure of what to do, Joseph prayed for guidance. The Lord told him not to let Martin take the pages.
Martin requested that Joseph ask God again. Joseph did so, and the answer was, not surprisingly, the same. But Martin begged Joseph to ask a third time, and Joseph did so. This time God did not say no. Instead, it was as though God said, “Joseph, you know how I feel about this, but you have your agency to choose.” Feeling himself relieved of the constraint, Joseph decided to allow Martin to take 116 manuscript pages and show them to a few family members. The translated pages were lost and never recovered. The Lord severely rebuked Joseph.
Joseph thought he was being careful in outlining parameters for Martin to take the pages.
- Feasting on the words of Christ, as found in the scriptures, stimulates personal revelation.
- We receive personal revelation only within our purview and not within the prerogative of others.
- Individuals do not receive revelation for the church.
- Church leaders to not receive revelation to make decisions for individuals.
- Personal revelation will be in harmony with the commandments of God and the covenants we have made with Him.
- Recognize what God has already revealed to you personally, while being open to further revelation from Him.
- God may have further insight and detail to offer after an initial revelatory answer but unless circumstances have changed the answer will remain the same.
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