Learning to Pray

Often in life we are confronted with challenges or crises that cause us to fall to our knees and seek the peace and comfort that we hope will come from the Lord. At such times, though, we often don't know how to disentangle our own thoughts from the answers that come through the Holy Spirit. Then we are left wondering whether we have had our prayers answered, or not. And, at times when we are seeking guidance, we are not sure what answers we may be receiving.

Let me offer an insight from electronics. There is something called a signal-to-noise ratio. I first experienced this while driving across Nevada in a car with an old analog radio dial. The tuning display was not very accurate and it could be difficult to find the station you wanted to listen to. We would leave the Salt Lake City area on the way home from college and listen to KSL radio as we drove into the salt flats and the desert. At first the radio signal was easy to hear and easy to tune in. We could enjoy music or news broadcasts. Then, as the miles accumulated, we would hear roughly equal parts static (noise) and radio station (signal). Finally, the signal would get so weak that all we could hear was static. In fact, it became impossible to find KSL, if you were not already listening to it, when the signal was weak on that old radio with a knob for tuning. When the signal-to-noise ratio is high we can lock on to a strong signal because it dwarfs the static. When the signal-to-noise ratio is low, like when we are distant, it can be very difficult to tune in to the radio signal through the static. But, over time, I learned just where on the dial to find KSL, even when the signal was weak.

Life is noisy. The Spirit is a still, small signal that whispers through the noisy static of life. It is important to learn how to tune in to the Spirit even when the noise of life's challenges makes it difficult. The time to really learn to hear the voice of the Spirit is not during difficult times, but in times of peace and quiet and the spiritual signal-to-noise ratio is high. Then, we are prepared for the times in life that seem filled with static. I would like to suggest an approach to prayer in order to learn to hear the voice of the Spirit. Then, we will be better prepared for those times when we really need to be able to tune in to the Spirit through life's difficulties.

Pray to know the truth of the teachings of the prophets. Here are three examples:

Oliver Cowdery met Joseph Smith and heard the message of the restoration. It seems that he prayed to know if these things were true. The Lord said to Oliver (in section 6:22-23), "cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"

Nephi heard his father begin to cry repentance in Jerusalem and saw the people turn against his father. It seems that Nephi struggled to know the truth of the words of his father. He says (in 1 Nephi 2:16), "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers."

Regarding the Book of Mormon, Moroni invites us (in Moroni 10:4-5) to, "ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  

Notice the result of praying and asking God about the truth of His words. It is peace to your mind, a softened heart, and an increased ability to believe. And, by this you will know the truth. This is accomplished through the power of the Holy Ghost. This is an experiment that can be repeated as often as we like. Choose any principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask God if it is true, with real intent to accept and act upon the answer, and you will find that you will feel peace in your soul and a softened heart with an increased ability to believe. This is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Repeat this often enough and you will have a strong testimony of all of the principles of the Gospel and, importantly, you will know how to tune in to the voice of the Spirit in time of need.

Prayer is as simple as, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find." Let me just expand that to say, ASK God to manifest the truth of the words of His prophets and you will receive peace and a softened heart that will increase your ability to believe. SEEK in the words of the scriptures and you will find the next principle to ask about. Repeating this simple process during times of relative quiet will increase your ability to tune in to the voice of the Spirit in times of need.

His Hand is Still Upraised

Sometimes life seems overwhelming. Whether it be a class or a test at school that feels like more than we can do, or an illness, or an employment setback, life can be quite difficult at times. These are the times to remember God's covenant with His people. An oft repeated word in the Book of Mormon is "remember." We are encouraged to remember: the words of the Lord (1 Ne 4:14), our Redeemer (1 Ne 19:18), the greatness of the Holy One of Israel (2 Ne 9:40), to be grateful for the scriptures (Mosiah 1:3), that the Lord delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt and us from our own captivity (Alma 29:10-12), as well as the covenants the Lord has made with us (3 Ne 20:29).

I found a phrase in Isaiah that is, to me, quite inspiring, especially in difficult times. In 2 Nephi 19-20 (Isaiah 9-10), Isaiah is declaring the woes that will befall Israel. These include that Israel will be attacked by Syria and the Philistines, that they will be led to destruction by their leaders, that they will be as fuel in the fire, that they will be hungry, and that the tribes of Israel will turn against each other. He finally says that they will be captives. Then, Isaiah asks the question in Isaiah 10:3, "to whom will ye flee for help?"

Amidst all these woes, there is a phrase that is repeated three times in chapter nine and then repeated again a fourth time early in the next chapter. The phrase is:

For all this his anger is not turned away,
     but his hand is stretched out still. (King James Version)

I have long wondered what this stretched out hand signified. I gather from the first part of the phrase that the trials of life, some of our own making and some that happen because of the circumstances in which we live, will be allowed by the Lord to happen. But I have wondered what we are to understand from the hand that is stretched out. Recently, I looked at several translations of Isaiah and found that another reasonable translation of this phrase is:

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
     his hand is still upraised. (New International Version)

When I saw that the hand that is stretched out may be an upraised hand I flashed back to a recent experience where I had to testify in a legal proceeding. Before testifying I was asked to raise my right hand to be sworn in. My raised right hand was part of my signifying that I would tell the truth. Thus, a common gesture associated with being sworn in, or making an oath, is the upraised right hand.

This insight into the Lord's hand being upraised became more significant to me when I read the concluding verses of Nephi's extended quote of Isaiah. Nephi quotes twelve chapters of Isaiah that include condemnation of Israel for sinning against their covenant with the Lord, prophecies of the scattering of Israel, the coming of the Messiah, the scattering of Judah, and the restoration of the gospel. Finally, the destruction of the wicked leading up to the second coming of Christ is described. The final chapter describes the destruction of Assyria as a type of the salvation of the righteous at Christ's coming. In the context of the assurance that when we are surrounded by Assyria, and all seems lost, is the assurance that we will be delivered. In describing our salvation, the meaning of the outstretched (upraised) hand is given in 2 Ne 24:

  24 The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand—
  25 That I will bring the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
  26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations.
  27 For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

As verse 24 says, we are in a covenant relationship with the Lord. He has sworn, with his hand stretched out (upraised) that we will endure trials and that the faithful will be delivered. The Lord is telling us, through the prophesies of Isaiah, that his purpose for the whole earth is that when we trust in the Lord, he will ultimately deliver us. Life may feel as bleak as Jerusalem surrounded by the Assyrian army. But we have a covenant with the Lord that He will deliver us if we rely on Him. He has reminded us of that promise in our day in D&C 1:

  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.

I do not mean to suggest that life will be easy for the righteous. I do, however, suggest that there is reason for hope even during the most difficult times in life. I agree with Nephi's testimony when he says in 1 Nephi 22:

  30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
  31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.

Life can be difficult. Sometimes the trials seem overwhelming. While we are not promised that each and every trial will be taken away, our struggles have meaning when we understand that we are in a covenant with the Lord that will bring us back into His presence to dwell among the people of Zion. Life could be overwhelming without that sense of meaning. Trials are easier to endure when they are known to be part of our covenant journey.

Can I Have Joy ... Now?

I have been thinking a lot, lately, about the nature of happiness or joy. I have wondered if either of these can truly be had now, or if they are only available in some future time, place, or condition? I want to share a few thoughts with you that have been meaningful to me. Some of these come from scripture, others can be compared to scripture to see if they hold up. Ultimately, the Light of Christ and Holy Ghost are our guide for discovering truth.

First, consider what Lehi taught his family, in 2 Nephi 2:

  24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
  25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.  

I believe that we are to have joy. But, are we to have joy right now, sometime later, or can we even have it in this life?

Trusting the teaching of Lehi that we are to have joy, consider how the Psalmist adds some insight when he says in Psalm 146:

  5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

In this verse, the timing is a little less ambiguous. It says that a person IS happy WHEN their hope is in the Lord God. It seems, then, that if we can obtain a hope in our Lord God, then we can BE happy.

I recently read a book, "Light in the Wilderness," by BYU Religion professor Catherine Thomas. She compares our journey through life to the journeys in the wilderness of the Jaredites, Lehi and his family, and others who seek after a paradise or a promised land. She says: 

The Fall, as well as all things that pertain to the Fall, have somehow played into the Divine intention of Man's joy, not just in some distant, otherworld future, but now. Yes, Man was created to have a joy alive in himself even as he travels through straitened circumstances. Part of the purpose of the mortal probation is to turn Man's distracted consciousness from the outer world to the inner recesses of joy, to a Paradise, happier far."

Another book that I have read is, "The Power of Now," by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle had a moment of deep spiritual insight during a time when he was depressed and despondent. He found life overwhelming and  found himself saying, "I can't live with myself!" Then, in a moment of insight, he asked, "Who is the 'I' and who is 'Myself' that 'I' can't live with?" He was overcome with calm and felt the closeness of God. He realized that the "I" was the part of him that is connected to God. We might call it the Divine Spirit that is within us. He also realized that the "Myself" is the endless dialogue within our mind that is influenced by the outward influences we experience in life. We sometimes torture ourselves with memories of the past and we imagine a future that does not exist, yet causes us great worry. Tolle realized in that critical moment that, in reality, all we have is now. When we quiet the inner voice, and really live in the now, without reliving the past or inventing the future, we can feel the presence of God more clearly and we can feel joy. Here are a few quotes from Tolle:

The Now is precious. There was never a time when your life was not Now, nor will there ever be. ... What you think of as the past is a memory trace, stored in the mind, of a former Now. ... The future is an imagined Now. ... Realize that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life. ... The present moment is sometimes unacceptable, unpleasant or awful. ... If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. ... When the future comes, it comes as the Now. ... You cannot have the good without the bad. ... Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within. ... Now

I have found that one of the greatest blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ is the power He has to help us be healed from past hurts or offenses so that we can move forward from the past. We can leave those things in the past because what really matters is who we ARE now. We are not defined by past actions, whether successes or failures. Rather, we ARE the person we become as we learn lessons from past successes or failures. The miracle of the atonement is that Jesus Christ heals us of the pain caused by sin, sickness, or sadness. He makes it possible to live, now, at peace because we have come to know Him.

Likewise, as we come to know the love Jesus has for us, we also come to know that God has a plan for us. And, we learn to leave the future in God's hands. This is not to say that we don't plan, learn, grow, or prepare for the future. Sometimes the best use of Now is to invest in the future. Rather, we don't spend our energy in the now worrying about things that have not happened yet, and may never happen. If we live well Now, we will be ready for whatever Now we face as we live God's plan.

Finally, today I listened to President Uchtdorf, in his recent October conference talk called, "Of Regrets and Resolutions." He gives similar counsel to what I have related above. Joy and happiness are to be had now. He says:

So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.  

The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness. 

We do matter. We determine our happiness. 

You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness. ... 

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.” [1] 

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. 

Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts. I love the quote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” [2] 

We are commanded “to give thanks in all things.” [3] So isn’t it better to see with our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather than magnifying the negative in our current condition?  

The Lord has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold.” [4] 

Brothers and sisters, with the bountiful blessings of our Heavenly Father, His generous plan of salvation, the supernal truths of the restored gospel, and the many beauties of this mortal journey, “have we not reason to rejoice?” [5]

Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances.

I find that these insights have brought peace and joy into my life. I have found that when I give my full attention to what is happening now, I enjoy it more. I hope that some of these thoughts can be of help to you as you ponder how they might fit into your life and your search to know God.




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[1]  Psalm 118:24.
[2]  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, trans. Richard Howard (2000), 63.
[3]  Mosiah 26:39; see also Doctrine and Covenants 59:7.
[4]  Doctrine and Covenants 78:19.
[5]  Alma 26:35.

Is It Enough that Others Have Feasted?

With yesterday being Thanksgiving day, when we enjoyed a wonderful feast, this quote from Parley P. Pratt seems particularly appropriate. The core of this quote is the question of, "Is it sufficient to read of others who have enjoyed a feast, or do we need to feast for ourselves?"

The scriptures command you to covet earnestly the best gifts; but more especially the spirit of prophecy. Paul prays that you may be enriched with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. James says, “If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” Again, Jesus Christ declairs, that no man knows either him or his father, except it be revealed to him. He also declares that “to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, is life eternal.” Consequently all who enjoy eternal life must know God by revelation to themselves. ...

The scriptures are given for the very purpose of inviting and encouraging men to come unto the great fountain of light and truth where they may enjoy all the blessings which are recorded in them, as having been enjoyed by the Ancients. And those who are contented to enjoy the history of blessings instead of the blessings themselves, may be compared to a man on a desolate island who has nothing to eat or to drink. But while he is famishing, and ready to perish with hunger and thirst he pulls a book from his pocket which contains the history of a feast of things once enjoyed by his forefathers. He reads with rapture of delight of the delicious meets, the rich viands, the sweet fruits and sparkling wines which were spread upon the plentious board, and of the joys of those who feasted freely there. But these recollections only serve to whet his apetite, and to increase his cravings after food. In the anguish of hopeless despair, he exclaims: O that I were at my father’s house, O that I too might partake of the feast. At this moment a messenger appears before him in the attitude of an instructor, and kindly offers to relieve him. With a sudden ray of hope springing in his bosom and with an emploring look of confidence he enquires; what must I do to be saved from hunger and thirst and to feast as did my fathers? O friend, save or I perish. 

But judge his feelings of disappointment and anguish when he is gravely told by his instructor that he does not need food as his fathers did. That it was only given to them because they had no sacred record, no history of the past to feast their souls upon, but now the cannon of feasting is complete, the record is full, he need not eat as they did, nor drink as they did; but to read the history of their feasting and to believe it and rejoice in it would answer the same purpose, and that it was wicked and even presumptious to desire or ask any food other than that which the reading of their record afforded him. In short, that they had the feast and he had the history of it, which amounted to the same thing; and he must therefore be content. 

With these instructions he strives to restrain his apetite, he condemns himself a hundred times for feeling hungry and a thirst; the keener his desires for food and drink, the closer he pursues his study of the history of the feasting. He reads it over and over again, he commits it to memory, he presses it with fervor to his heart, he kisses it with reverence, he lays it for a pillow when he sleeps, and awakes but to read a new. But still finds no relief; in spite of himself his soul hungers and thirsts for food, such as his parents enjoyed and he pines out a wretched existence. But reading still the history of the past he discovers at last that he had overlooked an important sentence; a sentence which informs him that he must partake of the food for himself as they did for themselves or starve to death; and at the same time a messenger arrives with food, and wine in plenty, and kindly invites him to eat and drink; nay, says he, my instructor told me that this history was all the food I need, that it was enough for me to read and believe that my fathers ate that it was all the same as to eat myself. But says the kind instructor, that man was a deceiver, he has imposed upon you. Does not common sense teach you; does not experience teach you, and does not the history itself teach you that you must feast as well as they, or perish forever. The poor starving man is at last brought to his senses and is prevailed on to eat and drink and live. His spirits are then renewed, his soul is satisfied, and he looks with astonishment and wonder upon his former absurdity and that of his teacher and is surprised to think that such foolish ideas should have ever entered the human mind. 

So is the man, who, led by the vain traditions and precepts of men is made to believe that the gifts of revelation, vision, the ministry of angels, and prophecy, and all the keys of knowledge which the ancients did enjoy, are not now needed, or to be enjoyed; but that the Bible which contains the history of them is all that is necessary. 

O ye hungry, famishing souls who have thus been deceived, rouse from your slumbers, break off the shackles of your minds, burst through the thick darkness and gloom of ages with which you are surrounded, and emerge forth into the light and liberty of the gospel, that you may enjoy those great and glorious privileges which have been hid from ages and generations; but which are again made manifest in these last days, for the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets. * 

Elder Pratt was speaking to those who would reject the restored gospel based upon their belief that they had all they needed of revelation through reading ancient stories of God's revelations in the Bible. Could we fall into this trap today? Do we read of the spiritual feast during Joseph Smith's time and feel that reading those stories are sufficient for us? Do we read the scriptures of the restoration and feel satisfied with a broader array of testimonies of feasting? Or, do the added testimonies build within us the faith to feast for ourselves?

Joseph Smith taught, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor, Know ye the Lord; for all shall know Him … from the least to the greatest [see Jeremiah 31:34].” ** If we ask to be taught by the power of the Holy Ghost, seek in the scriptures, and knock in the temple, we can each enjoy a personal feast as we come to know the Lord for ourself.




*      Taken from Essential Parley P. Pratt, Chapter 8, http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=14732
**    History of the Church, 3:380; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on June 27, 1839, in Commerce, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards.

Hugging a Sign

I was out on the trail this morning when I came to a fork in the road and a sign to show the way. The sign says that the Big Springs Trail to Rock Canyon is to the left and that Big Springs is 1/2 mile along that trail. The last line of the sign is partially missing, because the sign has aged and is cracked, but you can just make out that Cascade Saddle is to the right. I took a picture of the sign for you to see. As you can see in the picture, I have run up to the sign and am excited to see that it points the way to where I want to go. Take a look at the enthusiasm on my face!

This next picture is a little silly. Imagine that, having found this sign, I just hug it and stay by the sign. Wouldn't it be strange to be content to stay by the sign as if being at the sign were the objective? Wouldn't it make more sense to follow its direction since it points the way to where I really want to go? If I stay by the sign, hugging it and celebrating the fact that I found the sign, I would never reach my destination. 

As strange as this silly hypothetical may seem, there is important insight to be gained. Recall Jesus' words in John 5:

  45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
  46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

The leaders of the Jews in Jesus' day had the law of Moses, filled with signs that pointed to Jesus as the Son of God, yet they missed the point. They were satisfied with the signs and failed to go on to receive the very Savior pointed to by the signs.

Do we fall prey to this in our day? Consider a few possibilities.[1] When we stand in the waters of baptism, we participate in an ordinance that represents our willingness to make a covenant to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The ordinance symbolizes death, burial and resurrection, which are yet future events (see D&C 128:12). As it symbolizes future events, baptism can not be the end objective but can be considered as a signpost that points the way. In being baptized we signify a willingness to be counted among the followers of Jesus Christ. Then, each week we partake of the sacrament and renew our commitment to take His name upon ourselves. Thus, both baptism and the sacrament signify a future willingness to take upon us a name.

Elder Bednar describes the path that is pointed to by baptism and the sacrament as follows:

In modern revelations the Lord refers to temples as houses “built unto my name” (D&C 105:33; see also D&C 109:2–5; 124:39). In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith petitioned the Father “that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them” (D&C 109:22). He also asked for a blessing “over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house” (v. 26). And as the Lord appeared in and accepted the Kirtland Temple as His house, He declared, “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (D&C 110:7).

Thus, baptism and the sacrament are like signs that point to the path that goes through the temple. The willingness to take upon us a name may be realized in the temple. Also, as described at the end of the quote from Elder Bednar, the temple is to be a place where the Lord is manifest to us.

Baptism and the sacrament happen in the ward house (chapel). These ordinances are performed under the keys of the preparatory gospel that are part of the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 84:26). Baptism and the sacrament are not the end objective. Rather, they are like signs that point us to the temple. They are part of the preparatory process of obedience, repentance and sanctification necessary to entering the temple. It would be similar to me in the picture, hugging the sign, if we were to be content to attend church each week partaking of the sacrament but not moving forward to the temple.

Similarly, the ordinances of temple that are performed under the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, are not the end objective. Rather, they are like signs that point the way to the Lord being manifest to us in the Temple (again, see D&C 110:7). In the temple we are to have the name of God put upon us. We learn the path back to God's presence. The Lord is made manifest to us. If we think that being in the temple, simply going through the ordinances, is the point, then it would be another example similar to me hugging that trail sign rather than moving forward in the direction that it points.

Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings us to baptism and the sacrament in the ward house. But, the programs and activities that take place in the ward house are not the end objective. Rather, they point us to the temple. Similarly, when we enter the temple, participating in the ordinances and observing the symbols that are presented is not the end objective. Rather, they point the way to having the Lord manifest to us. The ward house points to the temple; the temple points to Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ points to the Father; the Father is the objective (and the Holy Ghost is our guide and teacher, but that is for another post).

Let's not be found hugging signs. Rather, let's follow the signs that God has provided to us back into His presence.

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[1] These examples are drawn from two wonderful General Conference talks:

David A. Bednar, "Honorably Hold a Name and Standing":
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/honorably-hold-a-name-and-standing

Dallin H. Oaks, "Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ":
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1985/04/taking-upon-us-the-name-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

Patriarchal Blessing

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.

Obedience

Obedience to God's word is a fundamental expectation for followers of Jesus Christ. Baptism is an ordinance whereby we declare our intention to obey the commandments of God. When we partake of the sacrament we renew our commitment to obey His commandments. We also understand that we covenanted to be obedient to the law of God while in the pre-mortal world.

While this short blog post will not even come close to covering all that could be said about obedience, I recently found something that helps me to understand what the law is that I have covenanted to obey and to see how that fits in to my journey back to God's presence.

Consider the following verses in D&C 88:

  11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
  12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
  13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things [emphasis added].

Notice that the light of Christ is described as the law of God. Thus, one of the most basic interpretations of my covenant to obey God is that I will follow the light of Christ. Consider this idea in connection with these verses from D&C 84:

  44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.
  45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
  46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
  47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.
  48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.

We are told to live by (obey) every word that proceeds forth from God. And, that those words are the same as the light or Spirit of Jesus Christ. In essence, we are to obey the word of God, which is the light of Christ and which is the law of God. And, when we hearken to (obey) the light of Christ we are enlightened and come unto God the Father. The result of being brought to God the Father is that he teaches us of the covenant and confirms it upon us. This is echoed in D&C 88: 78 where the Lord explains that we are to "be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand [emphasis added];"

Every person ever born into this world is given the light or Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is the law of God. Every person who obeys the Spirit of Jesus Christ is enlightened and brought to the Father to be taught about the covenant, or law of the Gospel. What a blessing to have this assurance that every one of us is born with the gift of the first steps on the path back to God's presence so readily available.