From Larry W. Tippetts book ‘Receiving Personal Revelation’:
“The prompting that goes un-responded to may not be repeated. Writing down what we have been prompted with is vital.” ~Neal A. Maxwell
Despite their good intentions, some people have a difficult time with writing because it requires greater focus and concentration than casual study and prayer. True study and prayer take every bit as much mental exertion as writing does; the problem is that we have learned to pray and even to study without real intent, without investing the time, concentration and mental energy required. We often pray without thinking, we read scripture while our mind wanders, and we wonder why it doesn’t seem to make any difference in our lives. Spiritually maturing Saints discover that writing, done effectively, enhances the quality of our prayers and their personal study. This little-known truth becomes self evident once we experience for ourselves how all three go hand in hand with hearing the voice of the Lord. One of my students wrote, “When I studied knowing that I was looking for specific guidance to record in my journal, my ability to concentrate on the scriptures increased.” The following cautions or obstacles to journal writing may help you avoid some of the pitfalls associated with it. Some of them deserve much more attention than I can give in this book, but I want to at least alert you to these potential roadblocks.
Time Constraints: A major obstacle for many, perhaps most, is lack of time. Life is demanding, especially at certain times of life, such as when combining school and work, raising small children, or work demands are excessive. Add in the time it takes to fulfill Church callings and home responsibilities, and very little time is left for seeming luxury of these spiritual exercises. That is why deep spiritual conversion is essential to a follower of Jesus Christ. Prayer, study, and writing have to become a high enough priority to merit setting aside some activities of lesser eternal importance. It’s like paying when you haven’t sufficient money for other necessities: prayer, scripture study, and writing may require a great act of faith on your part. Engaging in any spiritual activity requires hope and faith just to begin. Knowing what we know about the purpose of life, doesn’t it make perfect sense to carve out a sacred time each day to keep the spiritual foundations firm and ever deepening?
Our modern, fast-paced culture does not lend itself to personal introspection. The busyness and constant bombardment of noise through ever-present media make it even more essential that we find time to draw closer to God. Prayer, scripture study, and writing in our journals need not take large chunks of our day. The twenty or thirty minutes we spend each day communing and renewing our relationship with God will pay ongoing dividends throughout the day. We will be more effective. We will enjoy a greater portion of God’s Spirit to assist us in all the temporal and family matters. Once we begin to experience the rewards of writing and establish it as a holy habit in our lives, it will be easier to find the time. “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven” (Hymns, no. 2.) It may be that we will have to give up something less important, such as some television time, some time meant for hobbies, or even a bit of sleep. ~Larry W. Tippetts, Receiving Personal Revelation (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, Inc., 2017), 169-70
