Revelation

Revelation is a vital part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (9th Article of Faith).

What sets the LDS Church apart from other churches is our belief in latter-day revelation. We believe that our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, communicates with God and then reveals God’s will to us.

In 1978, our prophet at the time, Spencer W. Kimball, received revelation that all worthy male members of the LDS Church were entitled to receive the priesthood. Up until that time, not all male members could receive the priesthood. The matter weighed heavily on the mind of President Kimball so he prayed to receive an answer. The Lord revealed to President Kimball that the time had come for all male members to receive the priesthood and be able to perform the ordinances of the gospel. As members of the Church, we had the opportunity to not only see modern-day revelation in action; we also had the opportunity to raise our hands in support of this revelation.

The Doctrine and Covenants records latter-day revelations to Joseph Smith as well as other prophets. In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn about the three degrees of glory, that revelation comes by the power of the Holy Ghost, that revelations for the world come only through the one appointed to receive such, that the law of tithing is instituted by God, and that we are commanded to forgive one another. We believe that the Doctrine and Covenants contains revelations given directly to the prophets from God.

Just as God spoke to and taught Adam, Abraham, and Moses, we believe that He continues to speak to us today. Heavenly Father is as interested in His children today as He was in the children of Israel. God wants each of His children to return to Him and for this reason continues to reveal His will to man.

While the prophet is entitled to receive revelations for the world, each one of us is entitled to receive personal revelation. We have the ability to know what the Lord wants for our own individual lives.

Next to the decision to be baptized into the Kingdom of God, marriage is the most crucial decision we will make in mortality. The person we decide to marry will influence our lives more than any other individual will. While I was contemplating marriage, I remember studying it out in my mind. I asked myself if the young man I wanted to marry would be a faithful husband, a good father, and willing to provide for his family. I felt the answers to these questions were affirmative, but I knew I needed to kneel down and ask Heavenly Father if this was indeed the young man He wanted me to marry.

I can still remember the overpowering witness I received as I knelt by my bed in my college apartment. I could not deny that Heavenly Father wanted me to marry this young man. Now, 23 years and 10 kids later, I am still certain he is the man for me and I love him even more now than I did as a young BYU student.

Not only can we receive revelations about our lives, we must receive them so that we know we are on the right track. Heavenly Father still speaks to His children and will continue to do so; it’s up to us to receive His revelations.

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