One of the greatest claims that we have once we have been confirmed as members of Christ’s church is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. So long as we keep our lives in order, so long as we constantly strive to draw closer to our Savior, we have both the blessing and the right to claim divine inspiration as it is needed in our lives.
This month’s visiting teaching lesson focuses on how we, as sisters, can become an instrument in God’s hands as we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Many times in our lives, we come to God with questions. Few of us receive divine visions or hear the voice of God telling us the path we need to travel. For nearly all of us, the answer comes in the form of a still, small voice. We must seek out that voice, cultivate and develop our spiritual ears so that we are attuned to it.
My favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon – in all of scripture, actually – is 3 Nephi 11, when the Savior comes to America. I can still remember reading that passage for the first time – and then rereading it, thrilled by the strong feeling I had that the book I held in my hands was true scripture. I didn’t really pay much attention to how the people reacted when the voice of God spoke to them; only years after my baptism was my attention called to verses 3-7.
Although this was the more righteous part of the Nephites, they did not understand the call of God the first two times they heard it. Only when they “did open their ears to hear (the voice); and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came” were they able to understand the words spoken to them. It is the same for us. They had to focus their entire selves – ears, eyes, bodies – towards Heaven to be able to understand the “small voice (that) did pierce them that did hear to the center.”
The message contains some wonderful quotes on obtaining answers to our prayers. Very rarely do these answers come immediately. Elder Boyd K. Packer urges us to “Put difficult questions in the back of (our) minds, and go about (our) daily lives.” The answer will come to us slowly, line upon line, through scripture study, talks, prayers, experiences, and thoughts. (This, by the way, is another great reason to keep a spiritual journal, so you can review those inspirations and put them to use in your life, instead of forgetting them.)
I had never considered such an idea. Generally when I have a problem, I have knelt in prayer, and/or fasted. If I didn’t get an answer one day, I would try again the next. And the next. And the next. One of our greatest struggles as a family came when my husband was laid off for the second time (we were out of work for nine out of 18 months, beginning six weeks after my third child was born). I spent a lot of time on my knees, humbling myself and pleading for Heavenly Father’s guidance. Looking back, I can see that the answers that led us to the point we are at today –an employed point, and actually making almost double what we previously had made – came not all at once, but in drips and drabs. The inspiration came piece by piece, through constant prayer and pondering, through thoughts, sermons, scriptures, and conversation together.
So it is with all of us. On occasion, the Lord will give us the inspiration we need all at once. This might be because an immediate response – “don’t go there, don’t do that”, or the contrary, “call this sister, check on your children” – is required. At other times, we grow slowly towards the answer.
The Holy Spirit can be a powerful tool in our lives, a wonderful guider that will lead us down the path the Lord would have us take. We must be sure that our eyes are constantly turned towards God and Heaven so that we, like the Nephites, are able to understand all we hear.
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