Continuing from a previous post, (He Knows Us Personally’) Ardeth G. Kapp wrote, :
The Holy Ghost Communicates with Us in Many Ways
In the Doctrine and Covenants we read these words that give us clarity to this divine line of communication with our Heavenly Father. He tells us: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2).
I think the mind has to do with our thoughts and the heart encompasses our feelings. I have learned that if we remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, keep His commandments, and take upon us His name, His promise to us is that we can always have His Spirit to be with us. What more could we ever want? As we learn to listen, the message may come to us from what we see, what we hear, or what we feel or recognize its promptings.
What course correction or change are we willing to make? What things might we be willing to give up or change so that we can have that companionship always?
Communication Involves Talking, Listening, and Remembering
We are anxious to know the answers to our questions and receive guidance, but sometimes we fail to take our specific questions to our Father in Heaven. Over and over in the scriptures we are encouraged to ask. “Ask and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63). President Packer (deceased) told us, “No message appears in scripture . . . more ways than, ‘Ask and ye shall receive’. What might be different if, in our prayers, we were to ask for help in receiving the promptings that would guide us throughout the day, every day?
The Bible states that there are “blessings that God is already willing to grant, but they are made conditional upon our asking for them” (Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Prayer.” 753). Is it possible that some blessings are being withheld because we fail to ask or because we don’t take time to listen or to follow through on the impressions we have received?
Can you remember the number of times you have been prompted to make a call, write a note, or visit a friend? Perhaps something occurred that you may have thought was a coincidence, not realizing that you are an instrument in the Lord’s hands in answer to another’s prayer. Remember the times when you took a turn in the road only to realize the decision was of significant importance, maybe changing a job, selling your home, or moving to a new location? Or perhaps the time when you received a calling and felt overwhelmed and then a quiet peace filled your whole soul? Remember when you asked in earnest prayer and went forward in faith, and then, looking back in days or years later, you could see how the Lord’s hand had guided or directed your life when you may have felt you were on your own? There are many times when we must walk by faith as far as the light shines and then even take one step into the dark.
Often if we are to receive personal revelation, we have a part to play. We may need to study it out in our own mind and then take it to the Lord in prayer. Sometimes we feel that is right, or we feel unsettled, or sometimes we may not feel anything. Maybe that choice doesn’t really matter. I take comfort in the words of Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “When a choice will make a difference in our lives . . . and we are living in tune with the Spirit and seeking divine guidance, we can be sure that we will receive the guidance we need to attain righteous goals. The Lord will not leave us unassisted when a choice is important to our eternal welfare” (The Lord’s Way, 38). ~Ardeth G. Kapp, Doing What We Came to Do (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2012), 99-102
