Listen, Listen

Listen to the still small voice. Listen, listen; when you have to make a choice, he will guide you always. We have learned since we were in primary that there is a little voice that will tell us what to do. We begin to recognize it as a conscience; we feel it tell us that sneaking a cookie before dinner might actually be a bad idea. Then as we get a little older, we try to ignore that pressing feeling that says you should probably tell Mom and Dad you failed your math test. Then, when we get a even older, we begin searching for that voice, needing help in making vital choices that will affect the rest of our lives. It is that point in life that I would like to talk about. How is it that we can recognize the Spirit of the Holy Ghost? How can we recognize that an arbitrary thought didn’t just pop into our head, but that we are receiving divine revelation?

Prophets in both the latter-days and ancient times have given council concerning listening to the Spirit. Each has told us how important it is, and they have told us different ways that we can recognize the voice of the Spirit. Brigham Young said, “Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it.” President Monson also referred to opening your heart “…even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice that testifies of truth.” These men of God have testified that this isn’t exactly a voice we will directly hear, but a voice we will feel.

We learn in Third Nephi and throughout other scriptures, that the voice of the Spirit is not a voice of thunder, it is not loud or harsh, but rather as still and small, of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it can pierce even the very soul and cause the heart to burn. (Boyd K. Packer, 1991) The Nephites in Third Nephi have to hear the voice of the Lord multiple times before they realize what it is, how applicable this is to our day and age. With the world prying at our thoughts from every angle, it is so easy to forget to search for those promptings that are so vital to our every day lives. We must have a desire to hear the words of the Spirit.

In Moroni 10:4, we are told the requirements to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost. The first thing is that we need to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ. Ask is an action word, beginning with an action will result in a response or result. The second requirement is that we ask with a sincere heart, and real intent. The third requirement is having faith in Christ. I have learned that faith is vital to existence and to receiving revelation via the Holy Ghost. Everyone has faith, from my 2-year-old nephew to President Obama. Our Savior had faith in his father and His plan, and without that faith, there would be no point in ours.

Writing this paper has been an interesting experience for me. Usually when I receive an assignment like this, where we need to put our heart and soul into it, I can fake it very well. But, with this assignment I felt I could actually get something out of it. I have never been good at recognizing the Spirit. I always heard the stories of people who heard a voice tell them something, whether it was “slow down at this stoplight” or “go see Sister Smith”, but, I never had those experiences myself. I made right choices, and I definitely knew my conscience. But, my mind is a like a train station, where thoughts are coming and going, rushing in and out all day and all night, so it’s hard for me to distinguish between a random thought, and a prompting from the Spirit. As I began to ponder the topic I chose, I started to really try to recognize these promptings. I didn’t know what I was waiting for, a whisper from an unknown voice? Maybe something sounding like it was in the wind? I had no idea what to expect, but I was ready with a sincere heart, having real intent. I went to the temple to try to clear my mind of everything else, I prayed earnestly and waited for answers after my prayers. I didn’t have any specific questions or problems, but I knew the Spirit would still have something that I needed. It wasn’t until this past Sunday that it happened. I was fasting about the same subject, that I could recognize a prompting from the Spirit. I paid close attention to all of my lessons, and then in testimony meeting I couldn’t ignore a feeling in my heart to get up and bear my testimony. I stood at the pulpit and bore a simple testimony of the gospel. I did not get emotional or tell any stories, I just said what I knew. I sat down and took a deep breath, my mind was clear. I then had a thought, “you need to serve a mission”. This wasn’t a new voice, or something whispering through the wind. It was my own voice in my own head. It was an arbitrary thought, but I didn’t put it there. It was at that moment that I realized I was truly vulnerable to receiving that direct line of revelation because I wanted it so bad. It made me question how many promptings I have missed out on in my lifetime because I wasn’t trying my very hardest to have that line of communication with the Spirit.

This assignment has truly been a blessing in my life. It is my goal to be able to keep that channel open, to continue to be worthy of receiving promptings from the Holy Ghost. Through a still small voice, the Spirit speaks to me to guide me, to save me from the evil I may see. If I try to do what’s right, he will lead me thru the night. Direct me, protect me and give my soul his light. It is simple primary knowledge, if we can revert to a primary state of mind and clear out the world, that channel is open and available to all who desire it.