3/28/2017 - Section 8:1-12

March 28, 2017

Section 8:1-12

Revelations, Spiritual Gifts, Faith, Faith To Act, Personal Revelation, Heavenly Father’s Reality,

In section 6, both Joseph Smith & Oliver Cowdery had been given the gift to translate the records. Joseph wrote: “Whilst continuing the work of translation, during the month of April, Oliver Cowdery became exceedingly anxious to have the power to translate bestowed upon him, and in relation to this desire the following revelations were obtained: [D&C 8-9].

The Lord is speaking directly to Oliver--and to me—“Olive Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge….” This concerned ‘knowledge concerning the engravings of old’ but it applies to any knowledge we desire. That’s what Joseph did when he went to the grove to pray about which church to join. I think it’s important to note that the word ‘desire’ is used 8 times in these 11 verses. We have to really want the information we are seeking—and we have to be determined enough, and courageous enough, to act on that information once it is received. Revelation is not for curiosities, it is for keeping us growing…and that is growth that brings us closer to the Lord. Christ emphasizes that in v 4: “Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it, and blessed art thou.”

In v 2 the Lord describes the process: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you, and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground…”  In v 10 the Lord gives further teachings: “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith.” There seems to be a definite relationship between our prayers and our faith. When I worry about the strength of my faith, I always think back to the man who came asking Christ to save his daughter. When Jesus asked if he believed that could be done, his answer was “yea Lord, I believe….help thou mine unbelief”. This man had faith. That faith caused him to leave his home and his dying child to go find Jesus, but he worried about the strength of his faith and deeply desired more depth. That is what he asked for. When Jesus said that his faith was sufficient, he had the faith to take leave of Christ and return to his home with great hope.

George Q. Cannon was speaking on the gift of revelation when he said: “ The apostles of this Church have all the authority, they have all the keys,…all the spirit of revelation necessary to lead this people into the presence of the Lamb in the celestial kingdom of our God….You will find it so to your entire satisfaction if you will listen to their counsels and be guided by them.” (Journal of Discourses 21:270-71)  Before I start the strenuous process of having an important question answered by the Lord, I first study the scriptures and all writings from the prophets and apostles that I can find on the topic I am worried about. It is only when I still have questions that I go directly to the Lord.

I wonder if –in this process- the Lord feels like I did as a mother. When I was cooking dinner, I would have all six children coming to me at different times asking only “What’s for dinner tonight?” They were not there for discussion. All they wanted to know was what is for dinner. So I let them know that from that point on I would only answer the question “What’s for dinner?” one time a night. If I shook my head, they would know someone in the house had the answer and it was up to them to find the answer. I assured them I would be happy to carry on any other discussions that didn’t involve what was—at that point—public information. I loved talking with them, but I was too busy to deal with pestering.

There is at least one difference between my answering questions of my children and the Lord answering questions of His children. I have found that there are times the Lord needs to help me learn more before I receive an answer. Sometimes I have thought it may be humility, or possibly He knows that I need to ponder possibly a greater question. But I do know that when I have continued to study, continued to ask, and continued to talk with my Father about my progress—or my lack of progress—and assure Him that I have exhausted my avenues for finding the exact answers I am seeking—that is when I have received undeniable revelation. My most critical  question took almost a year to answer. And at that time my questions were answered more fully than I had ever expected. It had been so important to me to have those answers, and I was so thankful for the thoroughness of my answer. But the even greater result is that I will never doubt that the Lord knows ME, and wants to tutor me and that my life-changing--but not earth-changing-- questions are important to Him. My answers came with such love that I cannot doubt His being nor His commandments nor His love.

1/27/2021 – D&C 8

I have never before noticed that the possibility of Oliver Cowdery actually translating the scripture come before this time of trying and failing. I have always thought that Oliver was trying to do an amazing task which belonged to the Prophet Joseph. BUT back in section 6, the Lord had promised Oliver that “even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you” and told him, “I grant unto you a gift, if you desire of me, to translate, even as my servant Joseph” (D&C 6:8, 25) That tells me that Oliver was giving his all to this task, and the Lord was pleased with him. So at the time of section 8, Oliver is ready to claim his ‘gift’. 

I always think of spiritual learning as I think of our educational schooling here on earth. So here, in section 8, Oliver has done so well in his work, and thoughts, and understanding as a scribe that he is now ready to go to the next grade. He accepts his progress and is ready to translate. He just doesn’t realize that as we advance to the next grade, the homework becomes a little more difficult, more involved, and possibly taking more time for us to figure it out. 

The Lord certainly loves to give us gifts, but we have to have the spiritual education to handle those gifts. It would be unwise for me to give a car to my very smart 4th grader, even though it would be nice if he could drive himself to school. He’s not tall enough to allow his feet to reach the pedals. He’s not tall enough to see out all the window. He hasn’t read the driver’s handbook—so while he understands what a stop sign is, he does not understand how to negotiate a 4 way stop….

In this section, the Lord is telling Oliver he can go ahead in his desire to translate. He explains how this gift works: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, [some of our enlightenment comes via our mind—whether thoughts coming in or whether we finally figure out how to study it out on our own--, and some comes directly into our hearts]by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it, and blessed art thou…” (v’s 2-4). Oliver is ready to tackle harder homework—he believes he is and the Lord believes he is. But the Lord continues to prepare him with more instruction: “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things….” (v 10) These gifts are precious. We are to handle them with great care, and I think, with thanksgiving. Gratitude is an important part of our relationship with Heavenly Father. The neatest thing is that President Nelson has given us all a blessing, that as we increase our efforts to Hear Him, we will be blessed to become better at this. But just as Oliver discovered, we have to put  our effort 

Into this amazing process.

The Lord always WANTS us to progress. He tells Oliver: “Ask that you may know the mysteries of God, and that you may translate and receive knowledge from all these ancient records…which are sacred; and according to your faith [and I think also according to our efforts] shall it be done unto you.” The Lord ends this section verifying who He is and that his laws are the same throughout all time.

I read this and wonder how it applies to me. Right now, one of my great efforts is genealogy. I spend long hours looking for records to put families together. Several weeks ago I was stuck in the middle of the 1800’s on Bob’s third great- grandfather. I found a record that referred to his wife as M. M. Wood. It wasn’t long until I found that Matilda M Reeves in his area and I thought the chances were very good that she was his wife. But as I studied further trying to find children from that union, I hit a brick wall. I prayed about this couple, asking for help. I always worry that I might put families together with the wrong people—and I pray about that—a lot. This is how I was struggling with John and Matilda until I finally put them aside and started on another line. Then weeks later…just yesterday, I had come back to my inability to go further with John D Wood and Matilda M Reeves. I started to search again. I continued to search as the afternoon wore on and to search for different records, and yesterday afternoon I found proof of John D Wood’s marriages….and Matilda M Reeves was not involved. I now have Martha Elizabeth Myers, his first wife, AND Mary Mariah Warren, his second wife who is the mother of Mary Elizabeth Wood—Bob’s 2nd great grandmother. That part of the puzzle is now complete!

I worked, I prayed, I asked in faith, I continued to work for many days…and now I have three adults and thirteen children who will be sealed together. I ended my day yesterday, and began my day today with tremendous gratitude for the records that are so available on the internet, and for the guiding spirit of my Heavenly Father. 

1/28/2021 – D&C 8

In v 4 the Lord tells Oliver “…this is thy gift; apply unto it, and blessed are thou, for it shall deliver you…”

That made me wonder what my gift is. I don’t think I’ve ever felt, or been spiritually impressed, that I have a specific gift. But as I thought about that today, I thought about all the things I so often express my gratitude for in my prayers: 1) Bob, whose love and tender care I feel so often that it’s no longer a surprise;

2) my children, who impress me more with each year of their lives; 3) the gospel that continues to warm and shape my life each day. Those are the major things I am thankful for, but each day I find so many small things for which I thank Heavenly Father.

I just went back to my patriarchal blessing – for it reminds me of things I should not neglect. I keep it in the top drawer of my desk, which is within my arm’s reach. It encourages me to “live close to the Holy Spirit and at all times be receptive to the promptings of the still, small voice that you can be guided…” THAT is a gift! And that is something that I am attuned to, and that I work each day to “hear Him”—and most importantly to respond to what I hear or feel.

It encourages me to “seek friends who are choice, that you can influence their lives for good”. And in attempting to do this, I have found that THEY influence my life for good. Now I just need to be more bold, and seek out more friends.

It tells me to “spread joy and happiness among my associates…these find qualities will come back into your own life to bless you and make your life whole and complete.” As I look back at the past 70 years, I can certainly remember difficult times, and sorrowful times, and uncertain times, and unexpected setbacks. But I also remember the comfort and the help and the peace I found as I poured my heart out to the Lord during those times. And I think it is because of that, that I can look back on my now 70 years and the memories that fill my mind and heart are good and sweet and wonderful to remember. 

It tells me to “seek the records of your ancestors…and the time will come when you will be the one who can open the door” for them. I love this time of retirement, for I can now devote whole days in seeking the records of my ancestors and of Bob’s ancestors. There are few things that bring me such frustration, and such happiness!

And it tells me to “pray frequently for those things that will be helpful to you and our Father in Heaven will be close by and He will walk by your side and help you to accomplish the righteous desires of your heart.”  I do feel this! How can I think I have no specific gift, when my life is so full of gifts?