I was reading my patriarchal blessing this evening because a passage in the scriptures caused me to think about some specific language in my patriarchal blessing. I have learned, over the years, that the two (scripture and patriarchal blessing) are connected. My blessing suggests topics that I am to study in the scriptures. Similarly, there are times when promises in the scriptures become mine in a more personal way because a patriarch, by the authority of the priesthood, pronounced that promise on me.There are two scriptures, in particular, that help me to trust the words of my patriarchal blessing. The first is in D&C 68:4 and defines scripture:
4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.The other is a reminder that the Lord will honor the words of his authorized servants. In D&C 1:38 the Lord tells us that we can trust the words of his servants:
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.There are two thoughts that occurred to me this evening. The first is that a patriarchal blessing, like the scriptures, can provide words that the Lord may use to speak to us through the Holy Spirit. The words of our patriarchal blessing may take on new or deeper meaning as we grow and learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, the Lord can communicate new insight, direction, or understanding through the words of a patriarchal blessing even though we may have already read it many, many times.
The second thought is that the patriarchal blessing only necessarily includes a lineage that applies all of the blessings of Israel to us. Other words of comfort, counsel, or direction are a blessing and a tender mercy given by God through a patriarch. The patriarchal blessing is not, however, the last word from the Lord. My blessing indicates that it includes "blessings which our Father desires to bring to your attention at this time." I infer from this, that there may well be things that He would like to bring to my attention at other times. It has been my experience that he will, in fact, teach us more as often as we ask, seek and knock. To continue to teach us, God has provided the Holy Ghost that speaks to us through the scriptures and the Temple, as well as through prayer, pondering and personal revelations. I have also learned that we can received inspired counsel through other priesthood blessings. I have sought blessings at important crossroads in my life and have received the word of the Lord, through the power of the Holy Ghost, by means of the words of those blessings.
The patriarchal blessing is a wonderful gift from God. It is one of many ways that God is speaking to us as He draws us back home to Him.
A great motivation for me to read mine again. It's been awhile. I think it's interesting to look at passages and particular promises in my patriarchal blessing and watch for ways that they are being fulfilled, or come to pass, which are different than you would have first guessed. Prophecy is often like that in the scriptures as well. Meanings and fulfillment are many times not as you would expect. Often I find, at least for me, a need to open my heart and mind to what I'll call the "ahaa" factor. An openness to seeing things from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts are well received. I almost hesitate to respond with some limiting comments, but because of experience with the two scriptures not being used carefully by others, I feel that it is helpful to remind readers of the limitations. I'll take the second scripture first:
ReplyDelete38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
The key to the application of this scripture is to consider carefully the premise. It is "What I the Lord have spoken..." Some people assume that whatever His servants speak is of the same force as what the Lord has spoken. But He does not say that. Rather, He says that it is of the same validity when His servants speak what He has spoken. A lot of servants speak on their own recognizance, and such statements should not be taken to be of equal force to those statements they make that are directed by the Lord.
The second scripture has a similar limitation and is often misapplied:
4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.
The responsibility to ascertain when something spoken was precipitated by the Holy Ghost remains with the listener, just as the responsibility to ascertain whether the Lord has spoken through his servants vs. whether they are merely "freelancing" remains with the listener. I doubt that we will ever be ecclesiastically "off the hook" by blindly assuming that the leaders always speak for the Lord or that they always speak what they are moved to speak by the Holy Ghost. We must never abrogate our responsibility to be attuned to the Holy Spirit ourselves.
-Dave
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comments. It is ultimately each individual's responsibility to take the Holy Spirit as their guide (see D&C 45:57) lest we be deceived. I recently watched Elder Christofferson's talk called "The Doctrine of Christ." He describes the process of identifying the true doctrine of Christ in some detail. In fact, he helps us to know when the words of God's servants are, in fact, the words "spoken by the Lord." Here is a link to the talk:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ
Thank you for the thoughtful comments!