Hear Him

. . . it is ever more vital that we do indeed hear Him.

As I mentioned on the program last week, I wanted to save the monthly return to Conference for September until this week for the program just before Conference as a means of preparing more for it.  Frankly, with as hectic as 2020 has been, I've been ready for Conference for quite some time now.  I'm eager to hear more from those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators, and particularly from the current Prophet, President Nelson.

That anticipation has prompted me to look back.  Just as we were counseled to prepare for Conference six months ago by looking back to the events of the glorious Restoration, I feel prompted to prepare for this next Conference by looking back to what the current Prophet said six months ago.

As is characteristic of the prophets we've seen thus far in the 21st century, President Nelson spoke multiple times this past Conference.  But one address stood out to me as I considered the focus for the program today.  President Nelson's address entitled "Hear Him" focused on the Savior in a way that addresses the craziness which now seems to engulf the world.  And in light of recent reflections regarding the Savior and what makes the good we bring to the world truly matter, it is ever more vital that we do indeed hear Him.

Hear

President Nelson specified four ways that we can all hear the Savior.  The first of these ways is the scriptures.  President Nelson taught,

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Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.

That sounds a lot like what he said in his first Conference address as President of the Church.

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Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

So it shouldn't surprise us that President Nelson mentioned the Holy Ghost as a way to hear the Savior.

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It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord.

I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.

Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary.

When I think of a place to receive revelation and feel the influence of the Spirit, the temple comes quickly to mind.  Although the pandemic has restricted most of us from being in the house of the Lord, President Nelson looked ahead to when they will one day reopen.

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When these temporary COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, please schedule regular time to worship and serve in the temple. Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can. Take time to ponder what you hear and feel when you are there. Ask the Lord to teach you how to open the heavens to bless your life and the lives of those you love and serve.

While worshiping in the temple is presently not possible, I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him.

"And, finally," President Nelson declared, "we hear Him as we heed the words of prophets, seers, and revelators."  With that opportunity just a few days away, I'm glad it won't be long now to hear from our inspired leaders as they point the way to the Savior.

Hearken

But notice that President Nelson didn't say we hear the Savior as we hear His servants.  No, he said we hear the Savior when we heed His servants.  To heed means more than just to hear.

President Nelson also used the word hearken.  He observed that "the very first word in the Doctrine and Covenants is hearken" and then defined hearken to mean "to listen with the intent to obey" before declaring

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To hearken means to “hear Him” —to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. In those two words —“Hear Him” —God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!

As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.

I like that idea of being more intentional about hearing the Lord.  Making conscious choices and acting with intention is key to unlocking much of the joy that surrounds us every day.  Our best life comes to us not be accident but by design when act with the intention to have it.

Likewise, we hear the Lord more clearly when we act with the intention of hearing it.  Listening with that desire to obey whatever we receive is key to having that right and proper intention.

Heed

Of course, listening with the desire to obey makes the next step obvious once we actually do hear.  We must obey and heed what we have heard.  We must apply our newly acquired knowledge.  We must act and obtain the results possible only through action.

President Nelson was quite clear what some of those results would be.

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What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.

I don't think I've ever been more eager for Conference to arrive than I am after experiencing what 2020 has offered.  And a good portion of that eagerness comes from faith that hearing, hearkening to, and heeding the Lord's voice as spoken through His anointed servants will bring the blessings President Nelson has promised and so much more.  And that will bring us more joy in our journey.

You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here and continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Find more information about this episode, including how to listen to the entire episode, by going to the show page for this episode.