Seeking A Witness (&why it's important)
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Art Credit: James Coates. His beautiful artwork can be found here:
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Seeking A Witness
(& why it’s important)
In the very first
chapters of the Book of Mormon, Lehi’s family goes through a major upheaval
when everything about their life changed overnight. This, as we know, didn’t go
over very well with Laman and Lemuel. The difference in attitude
between Nephi and these brothers is explained in the following verse.
1 Ne. 2:16 "…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; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my
brothers."
I had always assumed Nephi was 100% on board with his father from
the beginning. But through this last, careful reading, I noticed an
important statement I hadn’t before: [He] “did soften my
heart”. This caught my attention, because, for something to be
“softened”, it first has to be “hardened” or at least somewhat so.
This was a new insight for me in this story and one that makes all
the difference. It shows that Nephi was also struggling with this
dramatic change in their lives, but as he took his questions directly to the
Lord, he gained a personal witness that his father was truly being directed by
the Lord. This gave him complete confidence that the Lord would
indeed provide a way for them to accomplish all that He was asking of them,
even when their journeyings seemed riddled with roadblocks.
We, in our day, have our own struggles as our church leaders work
to guide a world-wide church, and corporation, through the many social,
political and spiritual issues of this complex day and age.
Because we have so much access to information and opinion, we all,
more than ever before, see things from a variety of differing perspectives, and
so, it can be challenging to fully accept some of the stances our leaders
take.
We’ve seen how this has caused much contention and division within
the members of the church, just like within Lehi’s family. It seems the following scripture could have been written about our day:
Nephi 15:2 “….they were disputing
one with another concerning the things which my father, the prophet,
had spoken unto them. 3. For he truly spake many great
things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should
inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they
did not look unto the Lord as they ought.”
Here is where following Nephi’s example of inquiring of the Lord
can help us keep the faith, despite how we might feel about certain
issues.
Another example in Lehi’s story gives even more reason to follow
Nephi’s lead: When the Lord asks Lehi to send his sons back to get
the plates of brass, the four brothers encounter much difficulty in obtaining
them, causing a delay in returning to their parents in the wilderness. Their
mother Sariah fearing the worst for her sons, began to lose faith in her
husband’s revelations even to the point of giving up all hope:
1 Ne. 52 For she had supposed that we had perished in the
wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he
was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our
inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.
This response tells me that she had not yet sought, nor received,
a deep, personal confirmation from the Lord that Lehi was
really doing the Lord's will. I'm sure that she trusted him completely and, at
first, trusted that the Lord really was guiding him, but when push came to
shove, she began to doubt and move into a space of fear and hopelessness.
These scriptural examples taught me that just because we love and
deeply respect someone and their spirituality, even a Prophet, we should always
seek a witness from the Lord. Doing so will give us
understanding, help guide us personally within that counsel and KEEP
US IN A STATE OF FAITH when what we are being asked to do (or the stance
they take) becomes tough to live, gets called into question later on or maybe
doesn’t make sense to our minds in the first place. Seeking this witness and
understanding will help us move forward trusting that the Lord can guide and
support us individually, despite how hard it looks or becomes.
When the “Church” does something that goes against the way we
think or feel about a certain issue, I have come to see that we should not just
automatically assume that we are wrong in what we are feeling. Our
instincts should not be ignored as this can be discernment (i.e. the Spirit)
talking. To know for sure, we can follow the pattern outlined in Doctrine and
Covenants 9:7-9 to “study it out” in our mind and then take it to the Lord.
I believe the Lord wants us to use our God-given, problem-solving
minds to work through the issue and then take our conclusions (and any
continued questions) directly to Him for either confirmation or correction.
In such instances (as questioning a stance of the church), it is
also good to remember that this is a world-wide church and corporation,
and one which has to work within the complexities of not only our land and
government, but of every land & government, and that any non-doctrinal counsel
from the church should be viewed through that lens.
It is also good to remember that the Prophet and Apostles cannot
personally oversee every single thing that is done in the Church including any
institutions affiliated with the Church such as church schools, Deseret Book,
etc. And as some who work, or have worked, for the church will tell you,
it is not a perfect place (as I always thought it was, or should be, anyway)
free of "jockeying" and politics, nor is every single thing that
makes it on the "official" website of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints personally approved by the Prophet or even a General Authority (as most of us mistakenly believe).
Sometimes things are done that are not necessarily in alignment with True
Doctrine, even if done with the best intentions.
When things happen that we may not agree with, we might start to
question the truthfulness of “the Church” and be tempted to "throw
the baby out with the bath water”.
Remembering that “the Church” is not the same thing as “the
Gospel” can be helpful here. "The Church" is a necessary
temporal, administrative part. It is the needed "scaffolding"
that provides the preparation and opportunity for us to make sacred
Covenants with the Lord, but it cannot be expected to be
"without flaw" (as I had personally believed most of my life),
because even its leaders, though prepared by the Lord, are still human and
therefore, imperfect ,and they, as are we all, influenced by their environment,
their life experience, and their learning: secular as well as spiritual.
Unfortunately, it is our culture, as members of the
church, to put our leaders on a pedestal and see them as infallible, but I
believe doing so is spiritually dangerous. In order to keep our testimonies
intact, we must understand this distinction between "the Church" and
"the Gospel".
I have also come to understand that sometimes the Lord uses His Prophets
to test His people to see who they will ultimately be obedient to, the Lord or the Prophet. The following scriptural
examples of this role of a Prophet, are found in Jeremiah 35 and the Inspired version of 1 Kings 13.
(the Joseph Smith Translation of V. 18, in particular, is paramount to this story) Most people are unaware of these two stories because they are unfortunately not included in our Sunday School lessons (Probably because it would be a difficult discussion-one that goes against the highly taught, and accepted-as-absolute-truth guidance of "following the Prophet".
We might ask why the Lord would allow such flaws, imperfections and occasional “misguidance”. After much pondering and discussion on this topic, I believe that it is so we will not become too dependent on “the Church” but instead learn to develop a personal relationship with the Lord as we take our questions directly to Him. Remembering that there must be "Opposition in all things" can help us understand the Lord’s position on this. - 2 Nephi 2:11 "For it must needs be, that there is an aopposition in all things...."
These challenges are to turn us to the Lord. Some might conclude, then, that they don’t need the church, but as mentioned above, that is the furthest thing from the truth. I expand upon some of these issues in another essay: See the post “Building Barges” for further pondering.
But what if we have questions about doctrinal issues?
I testify that we can and should seek understanding directly
from the Lord. If we are humble and meek before Him, He will bring insight
and understanding to our souls, and align us with His Truth in a way that only
He can.
“But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which
the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness
of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation,
doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be
seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of
men; for some are of men, and others of devils.” -D&C 46:7
This process takes effort, but the world is at a point now, where
it is not only a good idea, but we have been warned that it is absolutely
necessary for our spiritual survival. The question is: Are we willing to
put forth that effort?
In pondering that, it might be good to remember that the children
of Israel were cursed to wander for decades in the wilderness because they
refused to learn to "be taught by the Lord, Himself". (D&C
84: 23,24,25)
23“Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the
wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold
the face of God; 24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his
presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against
them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness,
which rest is the fulness of his glory. 25 Therefore, he took Moses out
of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also”
The Lord desired(s) ALL His people to seek His face, and, as
it shows in the following verse, that they, themselves, become “prophets”
(or to develop the kind of relationship with Him, that He can guide us
personally).
“And Moses said unto him… would God that all the LORD’s people
were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” - Numbers 11: 29
It is clear from the quotes below that President Nelson does too,
and that he does not want us to follow his counsel blindly, but now more than
ever, to learn to be led by the Spirit of the Lord. (Side note: when
searching for a word with a better connotation than “blindly”, only one synonym
caught my attention: “without vision”. I thought that expressed
perfectly what I am trying to say. Only the Lord can give us a
complete “vision” of His Truth for us individually amidst the uncertainty of
our times, and oh, how we need that insight and understanding!)
This new understanding and witness from the Lord helped keep my
faith intact even though the road I felt guided to chose was still hard to walk.
Knowing the perilous challenges that still lie ahead, and the
difficult positions the Church may need to take (as a world-wide church AND
corporation) our Prophet has been urging us, over and over, to develop a
personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and gain our own personal
witness (and understanding) concerning any non-doctrinal guidance of the Prophets as well as any
stances the church (or institutions connected to the church), take. I believe the current Prophet, President Nelson is trying to prepare us to seek guidance directly from the Lord and to have courage to follow His guidance especially if it looks different than what might come down from "the Church".
I know... this might sound like I'm on a slippery slope here, but consider these many words direct from our Prophets mouth:
In 2016, in a World-Wide Address, he said “You may not always
understand every declaration of a living prophet, but… you can approach the
Lord in humility and faith and ask for your own witness about whatever His
prophet has proclaimed.” -Pres. Nelson, “Becoming True Millenials”.
“Diligently [seek] to be taught by the Lord Himself”-
Pres. Nelson April 2016 General Conference.
In April, 2018 he encouraged us to “Pray in the name of Jesus Christ
about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your
heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record
your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As
you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you
will “grow into the principle of revelation”.
In this same talk, he said, “I urge you to stretch beyond your
current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has
promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon
revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and
peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”
And later, in the same, he warns that “in coming days, it
will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing,
comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost”. (Interesting
side note: this warning was quoted FOUR different times in our last General
Conference!)
“Take your questions to the Lord… Allow the Lord
to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery.”- Pres. Nelson April, 2021
In April, 2020, he dedicated a whole talk that initiated a
church wide effort to help us learn to hear the Lord for ourselves. He
said, “our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more
intentional”…. “Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by
uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His
Son. Because when we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do
in any circumstance.”
He goes on to teach us that amidst the constant bombardment of
voices in the world it can be hard to hear the still small
voice. So, “Where can we go to hear Him?” he asks. He
reiterates to us several ways:
1. “We can go to the
scriptures… Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for
spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval.
As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell
us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.”
2. “We can also hear Him in the temple.
The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There the Lord teaches in His own
way. There each ordinance teaches about the Savior. There we learn how
to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. There we learn
how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to
strengthen us and those we love.”
3. “We also hear Him more clearly as we refine
our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. It has
never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now...
He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He
testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word
of the Lord. I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to
increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.”
4. “We hear Him as we heed the words of
prophets, seers, and revelators... They point the way as we make our way
through the heart-wrenching maze of our mortal experiences.” (But he also
counseled us, in this last General Conference, Oct. 2022, in speaking
about what we will hear from the pulpit, to: “…Prayerfully ask
the Lord to confirm that what you have heard is true.”)
We have been told over and over in a multitude of ways that the
Lord’s Second Coming is nigh and that “the adversary is quadrupling his
efforts…”. The mists of darkness are getting thicker and darker and it is
becoming more and more difficult to stay on the “straight and narrow”
path.
We’ve experienced things within and without the church that are shaking us and our testimonies of the church, its leaders and even of the Lord Himself. We’ve been warned that these will continue to increase! Again, I believe this is needful, and part of the test to see where we are truly aligned: with Jesus Christ or with the “arm of flesh”. Will I throw in the towel when something rocks my testimony, or will I seek understanding from the Lord?
As we keep His word “as a lamp unto
our feet”, it will always light our path (Psalm 119:105). This is the Peace the
Lord offers and it will keep us safely in the eye of this great storm we call
“the Last Days”, not as “chaff driven before the wind” as in this warning in
Mormon 5:17-18
“17They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for
their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.
18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is
driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without
sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is,
so are they.”
As we strive to be taught by the Lord, Himself, He will help us
stay in a state of peace and rest and even come into a space of Charity for ALL
amidst the turmoil of present-day issues. I am eternally grateful
for my Savior Jesus Christ and for His living gospel and living Prophet to help us navigate this chaotic, ever-darkening world.
Blessings on your day,
Nikki
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