THE VOICE OF THE LORD
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\u201cThe voice of the Lord is unto all men\u201d (D&C 1:2).
\nUNTO ALL MEN
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The opening lines of the Doctrine and Covenants begin with a commandment and then a declaration, both of which refer to the voice of the Lord:
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Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, . . . listen together. For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men (D&C 1:1\u20132).
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In that one simple yet stunning statement, the Lord sets forth one of the defining characteristics of His relationship with mankind. God speaks to men!
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It is a theme oft repeated in the Doctrine and Covenants. Here is but a brief sampling:
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\u2022 \u201cThe voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear\u201d (D&C 1:11).
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\u2022 \u201cListen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful\u201d (D&C 27:1).
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\u2022 \u201cMine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts\u201d (D&C 29:7).
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\u2022 \u201cI [will] gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice\u201d (D&C 33:6).
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\u2022 \u201cAnd every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father\u201d (D&C 84:47).
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\u2022 \u201cAnd whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me\u201d (D&C 84:52).
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THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD
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During His mortal ministry, the Savior likened Himself unto a shepherd who cared for His sheep. This was more than just a passing metaphor. He explored the imagery in some depth.
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
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But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
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To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
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And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
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And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. . . . I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. . . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:1\u20135, 14, 27).
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Even today in the Holy Land, it is a common sight to see a shepherd leading a flock of sheep across a hillside or through a narrow valley. Unlike in other areas of the world, shepherds in the Middle East do not drive vast flocks of sheep with horses and dogs. The typical flock is small, numbering in the dozens more than the thousands. The shepherd is usually found at their head leading them, rather than behind driving them.
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The following description from a Christian minister who spent many years in the Holy Land helps us better appreciate the richness of the Savior\u2019s parable of the Good Shepherd:
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[The shepherd] depends upon the sheep to follow, and they in turn expect him never to leave them. They run after him if he appears to be escaping from them, and are terrified when he is out of sight, or any stranger appears instead of him. He calls to them from time to time to let them know that he is at hand. The sheep listen and continue grazing, but if any one else tries to produce the same peculiar cries and guttural sounds, they look around with a startled air and begin to scatter. . . .
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As he is always with them, and so deeply interested in them, the shepherd comes to know his sheep very intimately. Many of them have pet names. . . . One day a missionary, meeting a shepherd on one of the wildest parts of Lebanon, asked him various questions about his sheep, and among others if he counted them every night. On answering that he did not, he was asked how he knew if they were all there or not. His reply was, \u201cMaster, if you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring me any sheep and only let me put my hands on its face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not.\u201d1
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SO MANY VOICES
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The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, \u201cThere are . . . so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification\u201d (1 Corinthians 14:10). In modern English, signification suggests \u201csignificance,\u201d \u201ca distinct sound,\u201d or \u201chaving meaning.\u201d
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President James E. Faust of the First Presidency explained why we must learn to distinguish the voice of the Lord from all other voices:
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The Spirit\u2019s voice is ever present, but it is calm. . . . The adversary tries to smother this voice with a multitude of loud, persistent, persuasive, and appealing voices:
\n\u2022 Murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices.
\n\u2022 Whining voices that abhor challenge and work.
\n\u2022 Seductive voices offering sensual enticements.
\n\u2022 Soothing voices that lull us into carnal security.
\n\u2022 Intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority.
\n\u2022 Proud voices that rely on the arm of flesh.
\n\u2022 Flattering voices that puff us up with pride.
\n\u2022 Cynical voices that destroy hope.
\n\u2022 Entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking.
\n\u2022 Commercial voices that tempt us to \u201cspend money for that which is of no worth,\u201d and/or \u201clabor for that which cannot satisfy\u201d (2 Nephi 9:51).2
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So how can we know which voice is the Lord\u2019s? How do we come to recognize the voice of the Shepherd? We know that the Lord will never lead us astray or give us untruth, but how can we learn to distinguish His voice from the banging clamor all around us?
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SO MANY QUESTIONS
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It is abundantly clear that God has promised to speak to His children. He has given the faithful the promise \u201cthat they may always have his Spirit to be with them\u201d (D&C 20:77). That seems like such a simple and straightforward concept. And yet even those who have spent a lifetime in the Church sometimes wrestle with questions about personal revelation. Almost always the questions boil down to one issue: How do I know for sure when it is the Lord speaking to me?
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Clearly it is not enough just to receive revelation, we must also learn to recognize it, so we can then respond to it.
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Here is a sampling of \u00adreal-life examples that illustrate the uncertainty, and sometimes the downright confusion, that we have about the voice of the Lord.
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\u201cI Think I Left the Stove On.\u201d Many families have had an experience similar to this. It\u2019s vacation time and the family is ready to leave. The children have all been sent to the bathroom one last time; the luggage is stowed in the car; the house is carefully secured. But then, just a few miles from home, \u00adsomeone\u2014often the \u00admother\u2014gets this worried look and says, \u201cI think I left the stove on (or the oven or the iron).\u201d There is a short debate, but the risks are too great and so they return home. Sometimes they find that the stove was indeed left on, and a serious tragedy has been averted. But just as often, when the mother comes back out, she reports that all was well. Then, looking a bit sheepish, she admits that not only was the stove off, but now she remembers checking it a couple of times earlier in the day.
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Questions: How can we tell the difference between a premonition from the Spirit and just our own natural tendency to worry? Can Satan give us false revelation? When he seeks to deceive and confuse us about the voice of the Lord, what does it feel like? How can we discern when it is his influence and not the Lord\u2019s?
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The Most Important Decision of My Life. \u201cI\u2019ve been dating this wonderful young man,\u201d a woman in her \u00admid-twenties reports. \u201cHe wants to marry me. I feel like he would make a wonderful husband and father. But I have prayed and prayed. I have fasted several times as well, but I can\u2019t seem to get an answer. For something this important, I need more than just some good feelings. I need a clear, unmistakable answer that this is what Heavenly Father wants me to do.
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Questions: Are her expectations too high? Is she looking for something more dramatic when the feelings she is having about this young man are actually the Lord\u2019s answer?
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I Was So Sure! When I was serving as a bishop some years ago, a colleague and I were talking about giving priesthood blessings and the importance of staying in tune. He then shared an experience he had had when he was a young bishop. He said he had received a call in the middle of the night to go to the hospital. A woman in the ward had collapsed into unconsciousness as she was preparing for bed. Now she lay in a coma. The desperate husband asked the bishop to come and help administer to her. When the bishop arrived, the man was so distraught he asked the bishop to give the blessing. \u201cIt was a deeply emotional moment,\u201d my friend said. \u201cThis couple had five children still in the home. The doctors weren\u2019t yet sure what was wrong, but her vital signs were dropping steadily. As I began the blessing, suddenly I had this overwhelming feeling of peace and light come over me. I stopped for a moment and looked into my heart. Was this really from the Lord or just me, I wondered. I had never experienced anything so powerful before, and I decided the feeling was truly from the Lord.\u201d
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Relieved to have such clear direction, he proceeded with the blessing. \u201cI promised her that she would be healed, that she would be raised from the bed of her afflictions, that she would have the privilege of raising her children to adulthood in this life.\u201d The former bishop stopped, searching my face. \u201cIt was a wonderful experience. I wept for joy. The husband did as well.\u201d Then, in a very soft voice, he concluded. \u201cBut I had been home for only a few hours when the husband called to tell me that his wife had passed away without regaining consciousness.\u201d
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Questions: Did those powerful feelings just come from his own emotions, from his \u00adearnest\u2014and \u00adrighteous\u2014desire to bless a family in crisis? Or was the experience real, but in his eagerness to help, he put his own interpretation on what the feelings meant? Is it possible that we can have true spiritual experiences and yet misinterpret them?
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Experiences such as these are commonplace. The questions about personal revelation roll on and on. Here are just a few others:
\n\u2022 What does it feel like when the Lord is speaking to me?
\n\u2022 What is a stupor of thought, and what does it feel like? Can I really just forget something I have been struggling over for months
\n\u2022 What is the burning in the bosom? What does it feel like when it comes?
\n\u2022 Am I entitled to get revelation for my adult children after they are married?
\n\u2022 Who is entitled to receive revelation for me?
\n\u2022 What if I receive a revelation for my family, but my spouse \u00addoesn\u2019t agree with me?
\n\u2022 Why do some people get premonitions that miraculously save them from danger or death, while others who seem equally faithfully are caught in such tragedies?
\n\u2022 My boyfriend has received a revelation that we are to marry. I don\u2019t feel like he is the best person for me, but if it is a revelation, am I obligated to accept it?
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HOW DO WE LEARN TO RECEIVE, RECOGNIZE, AND THEN RESPOND TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD?
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President Boyd K. Packer, speaking to a Church Educational System fireside for young single adults, said that every young Latter\u00adday Saint \u201chas not only the right but the obligation to understand what the gift of the Holy Ghost is.\u201d He noted that Latter-day Saints typically \u201cuse [the gift] so little and so infrequently, but it is ours, and if we prepare ourselves, that voice will speak to us.\u201d3
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Brigham Young also felt that members of the Church did not fully capitalize on this marvelous gift, which is given to all those properly baptized and confirmed in the Church.
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There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God\u2019s people, he may have the Spirit of the Lord to signify to him his will, and to guide and to direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises. I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges.4
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President Packer concluded his address with this promise: \u201cTake hold of that supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. Learn to be taught by it. Learn to call upon it. Learn to live by it. And the Spirit of the Lord will attend you.\u201d5
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That is the task that lies before us. The voice of the Lord is unto all \u00admen\u2014so has the Lord boldly declared. What can we do to capitalize as fully as possible on that marvelous gift of a member of the Godhead to be our personal Companion, Guide, Teacher, and Protector?
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The purpose of this book is not just to define the process we call revelation, or even to state its importance in both our temporal and spiritual lives. What we will attempt to do in these pages is to answer the questions we have about how revelation works, what it feels like, and what we can do to make sure we receive it, as well as to recognize it when we do receive it.
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What we want to know is: How does all of this work for me? To help us more fully explore that question, the book is divided into sections that will seek to answer the major questions about the voice of the Lord. The hope is that when we have completed this study, we will better know what to do so we are included with those of whom the Savior said: \u201cMy sheep know my voice.\u201d\n\t