"Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege," Elder Richard G. Scott recently published in the June 2014 edition of the Ensign. "It is based upon unchanging principles."
What are those unchanging principles?
Elder Scott shared one immediately after the statement above: "When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency."
What is "the proper use of agency?" What is "agency," anyhow? These are great questions to ponder, and there are a number of great sermons which seek to address them. I'll include a few of them below, and invite you to read and watch so that you can come up with your own answers.
A great starting point would be the following three-part video series including thoughts shared by Elder David A. Bednar.
So, Elder Bednar has a pretty clear understanding of when he is receiving communication from heaven and receiving wisdom and knowledge beyond his own. Did watching those videos help you get sense for how that would feel?
Really, the only way to truly learn the lesson this blog post is intending to help with is through practice. Like Elder Bednar said in one of the videos, we need to act. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once wisely taught that learning the Gospel is about 10% classwork and about 90% lab work - meaning you need to get out there start testing it out, mixing it up, trying it on, making mistakes and building upon successes. If we are attentive and humble as we constantly employ ourselves in the Lord's service, by the time we're Elder Bednar's age, we'll have a better idea too of what it feels like to receive inspiration.
Meanwhile, consider a couple more landmark talks on the topic.
First, here's one to underscore the relevance of this topic for teenagers. In the following discourse you'll hear Elder Robert D. Hales teach a congregation of Aaronic Priesthood holders about preparing to enter what he calls "the decade of decision" - your 20's. His advice is equally applicable to young women. The third decade of one's life is the one in which they make many of life's most significant decisions. The second decade of one's life - the teen years - is the time to prepare for those crucial decisions. Elder Hales calls the teen years "the internship of life."
As you enter "the decade of decision," one of the most important choices you'll make - arguably the very most important - is who you will marry. Way back in 1973 Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave a great talk on this topic at BYU. Universities are predominantly filled with students living their own decade of decision, so the topic of using revelation to know who to marry is always relevant and as such is often addressed in university devotionals. I'm including a link to this talk here not only because it is awesome, but also because he uses the example of Oliver Cowdery as one of his case studies to teach the principles he is trying to help us understand regarding agency and inspiration. Unfortunately there's no video for this one, but you can read and listen to it here. Don't miss this one! It truly is a classic.
Now, another one that is associated to our scripture block by means of citation: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's classic talk, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence. As you either read or watch this talk, you'll hopefully now have a greater appreciation for his reference to Oliver Cowdery and D&C 8:2-3, since we've now studied that in class. What does this talk teach you about how to respond to revelation, once received?
Awesome talk, huh?
Finally, let's circle back to Elder Scott, where we began.
When Elder Scott eventually passes on I think his legacy, for me at least, will be his consistent teaching of this very topic. It seems to me that the majority of Elder Scott's teachings are on how to receive answers to prayers, how to receive revelation and learn from the Holy Ghost. So, in closing, here's a smattering of talks from one more great apostle.
First, another recent New Era article.
And now for the videos.
Talk in 1989
Talk in 1995
Talk in 2007
Talk in 2009
Talk in 2012