To teach about the importance of revelation to guide the Church, George
Albert Smith told of an experience he had on an airplane flight from Los
Angeles, California, to Salt Lake City, Utah.
He tells of severe fog and his anxious worrying about getting over the mountains and finding the airport safely. He questions the pilot...
“In my anxiety I went up into the space that was occupied by the pilot
and the co-pilot to see how they knew where we were going. I could not
tell whether we were a hundred feet, a thousand feet or ten thousand
feet above the ground and I did not know how they could tell, except
approximately. I noticed that the pilot had a little device over his ear
like operators in telephone offices use to receive with. I inquired of
the co-pilot how they could tell whether we were flying in the right
direction or know if we were off course. He replied, ‘When we cannot see
we are guided by the radio beam.’ "
He was comforted that the pilot was receiving that constant information. The plane descended and they landed safely.
I've never heard a radio beam from the early days of flying, have you?
President Smith compared that radio beam to guidance from the prophet for the church and by the whisperings of the Holy Ghost to us personally.
I love an analogy...
What are the fogs in our lives?
Media images and messages; distracted by busy-ness, TV, social media, gaming; information overload, confusion about gender, families and marriage, truth in politics, and more.
What are the radio beams?
Scriptures, words of the prophets, the Holy Ghost guiding us personally, going to church every week.
What is the clicking that tells us we are "off-beam"?
Moods; increased crabbiness or complaining; confusion; more "bumps" in life than usual; feelings of rebellion.
President Smith expresses gratitude for these principles
The Lord guides His people through revelation to the President of the Church.
"My soul is filled with gratitude
this day to know that as we continue our membership in the Church we do
have a pilot who knows the way, and if we will follow his direction …
we will not meet the spiritual disasters that the world is meeting but
we will go about doing good, blessing mankind, and rejoicing in the
companionship of those we love."
We are each entitled to personal inspiration from the Holy Ghost if we obey the commandments.
"I
stand here today profoundly grateful for the knowledge that has come to
me. I am thankful that I am not dependent upon any individual for the
testimony that I possess. Of course, I am grateful for the encouragement
I received from others who possess light and truth, and who give
encouragement by lives of righteousness, but I do not depend on any of
them for a knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer
of mankind and Joseph Smith is a prophet of the Lord. These things I
know for myself.
"…
I rejoice to testify that I know the gospel is true, and with all my
soul I thank my Heavenly Father that he has revealed it to me."
The Holy Ghost is a safe guide along the pathway of mortal life.
"The companionship of [God’s] Spirit … is a safe guide along the pathway
of mortal life and a sure preparation for a home in his celestial
kingdom."
It could be that what we need to do to follow this prophet is as easy (or difficult) as it was for King Haman to follow the prophet when guided to bath in the Jordan river seven times to be healed of leprosy!
Listen to the entire talk and pick out the concepts that speak truth to you. Follow that prompting!
Increase your capacity to receive revelation
If you take time to study this talk you'll find that he tells us what will increase our capacity for revelation and what will decrease our capacity.
If you feel like your prayers are not being answered consider what you need to increase or decrease to improve your capacity.
What is holding you back? Choose one of these to work on this week. Tell us in the comments below.
For me, just plain asking more and praying to find helpful scriptures is at the top of my list.
Testimonies
George Albert Smith:
"The companionship of the spirit of the Lord is an antidote for
weariness, … for fear and all those things that sometimes overtake us in
life."
Richard G. Scott:
"Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a
sacred privilege. It is based upon eternal, unchanging principles. We
receive help from our Father in Heaven in response to our faith,
obedience, and the proper use of agency."
Julie B. Beck:
“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is
the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. … It
requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the
spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and
persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. …
When we have done our very best, we may still experience
disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can
feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working
through us.”
From our RS history, Eliza R. Snow:
She said that the Holy Ghost “satisfies and fills up every longing of
the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that
Spirit,” she continued, “my soul is satisfied, and I can say in good
earnest, that the trifling things of the day do not seem to stand in my
way at all. But just let me lose my hold of that spirit and power of the
Gospel, and partake of the spirit of the world, in the slightest
degree, and trouble comes; there is something wrong. I am tried, and
what will comfort me? You cannot impart comfort to me that will satisfy
the immortal mind, but that which comes from the Fountain above. And is
it not our privilege to so live that we can have this constantly flowing
into our souls?”
Ellen King:
The principle of personal revelation sustains me. It quiets my fears. It still amazes me when it comes. It is very personal and tells me that God cares about me in the small and big things in life. It is a comfort to know that I can seek to know God's will for me everyday and that He will give me the power to carry it out. After studying this lesson, especially Sister Beck's testimony (above), I want every day to seek to increase my capacity to receive revelation.
