I try to apply the scriptures in my life. When a prophet in the scriptures needs to know something, they ask our Heavenly Father in prayer. That is a great pattern that I have applied in my life, when I have a question I ask my Heavenly Father in prayer. However, answers for these prophets seem to commonly come in the form of visions, both of angels or the Lord himself. That’s miraculous and sacred for prophets, but it leads me to ask why have I never seen an open vision of angels or God? Does the Lord teach us truth through visions or by some other way?
I believe the answer to that last question is yes, both. To learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there are two steps. First, we have to hear the doctrine. When first being taught about the gospel that requires a teacher. A teacher can come in many forms: visions of angels, visions of God, Prophets or scriptures. Hearing or reading the doctrine is the first step to learning truth. The second part to learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ is understanding and believing. This part of learning the gospel is essential and requires the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost testifies to our mind and heart that what we have heard, seen or read is true.
A great example of this pattern of learning comes from the Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?). A young man named Nephi had heard his father Lehi (A prophet) preaching the gospel. In his own words he said,
“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…” (1 Ne 2:16)
Afterwards, Nephi shared his experience with his brother Sam. He said,
“And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.” (1 Ne 2:17)
This experience can be separated into four main parts:
- Nephi had a question or a desire to know more
- He prayed unto the Lord
- The Lord did visit him
- The Holy Spirit manifested the message to Nephi
The word “manifested” in verse 17 is key. The definition of manifest is to make clear to the mind. Even though the Lord “did visit Nephi,” (1 Ne 2:16) and taught him, that teaching was made manifest or clear to Nephi’s understanding, “by [the] Holy Spirit.” (1 Ne 2:17) This account is incredible to me! I guess I have always thought that an open vision of the Lord was the profound teaching moment for prophets like Nephi, but in fact it is still the Holy Ghost that makes the doctrine clear and impactful.
In our day, we are fortunate to have so many resources to learn about the gospel. If we have a desire to learn and know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can pray for that understanding. Next, we need to seek out the resources we have been given to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the scriptures containing words from ancient prophets and the Lord himself, as well as words from our modern day prophets. Lastly, as we continue to pray and seek for that understanding, the Holy Spirit will make manifest or clear to our minds and hearts what is and is not true.
I’m grateful for the Holy Ghost in my life that makes manifest the answers to my prayers, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
