Personal Revelation from Scripture Study

When the Learner is ready, the Teacher appears. 

As a parent, I have tired myself repeating teachings that seem never to be really heard---and later been flabbergasted to hear my child rejoice to "figure it out" on his own, or with the help of another teacher! 

This leads to several conclusions, including the awareness that people must learn things for themselves, though we rarely figure them out by ourselves: the reality is that teachers have been there all along, trying to share needed messages; we internalize lessons when we are ready and we offer those messages to others both to prepare them to become ready and to be the messenger if they happen to be ready to learn something in that moment.

This applies to scripture reading and to spiritual maturity, too: the Holy Ghost is the best Teacher of all. He is ready to help us learn, but we learn best when the answers He would give address the questions we are asking. 

Are we asking?

Several months ago I attended a presentation given by Sylvia Allan, a retired elementary school principal from Lindon. Sylvia shared many life experiences to demonstrate ways a scripture study program, learned in a fireside years before, had changed the course of her life, helping her to better get answers to her questions and help her face and overcome her challenges. I have tried following the principles she outlined, and know from experience that it is effective.

Orem Stake President and researcher Vern Sommerfeldt presented the original fireside, sharing patterns he had learned from his study of the scriptures and the counsel of prophets. Sylvia said that she almost did not attend---and that she at first heard President Sommerfeldt's suggestions with skepticism. An abandoned single mother trying to provide, raise four young sons (one with radical disabilities), and get an education, if anyone had Lack of Time as an excuse, she did! Hearing about her experiences showed my feeble excuses for the sham they are; the miracles she shared from her challenging life offered hope that God would do the same for me in mine. 

And He has.

In 1979, Howard W. Hunter counseled: 

"It is certain that one who studies the scriptures every day accomplishes far more than one who devotes considerable time one day and then lets days go by before continuing. Not only should we study each day, but there should be a regular time set aside when we can concentrate without interference....It would be ideal if an hour could be spent each day; but if that much cannot be had, a half hour on a regular basis would result in substantial accomplishment. A quarter of an hour is little time, but it is surprising how much enlightenment and knowledge can be acquired....The important thing is to allow nothing else to ever interfere with our study....We should not be haphazard in our reading, but rather develop a systematic plan for study....It is better to have a set amount of time to give scriptural study each day than to have a set amount of chapters to read. Sometimes we find that the study of a single verse will occupy the whole time."

This quote shares several important principles about Time, with regard to scripture study: 

Make a daily appointment with God and keep it. 

Study scriptures at the same time each day. 

Study for a set amount of time each day, using a systematic plan. 

Ask; Seek; Knock. Again, from President Hunter: "There is nothing more helpful than prayer to open our understanding of the scriptures. Through prayer we can attune our minds to seek the answers to our searchings." The Five-Element Strategy starts and ends with prayer, though we will classify these prayers more specifically. Remember that these are not really "steps" to be done in order: we can do any part multiple times along the way. The important thing is that we are reverent in our worship and in seeking personal revelation from God, and that we include all of the elements in our quest. Sylvia mentioned that people will sometimes complain to her that "it is not working"---and it invariably comes out that they are neglecting one or more of the essential elements. 

1. Ask. Ask God a specific question in prayer. Kneel down and pray out loud. Asking "with real intent" implies that you intend to act on the answer you receive. When I kneel down and pray aloud, it focuses my thoughts and demonstrates that I am already acting on the question I ask, making me already accountable to myself and to God. Answers come, too---and not just to doctrinal questions.

2. Study. When I simply "read the scriptures," I get a lot of what I have called Asteroid Belt Thinking: There is a Lot of Nothing, moving around fast, and getting nowhere! Study is different: it is a big part of Seeking. It is focused reading on a topic in a place where one is likely to find---or is directed to look for---the answers to the questions he asks. The Index and Biblical Topical Guide often are the first places I start my search---and the Spirit helps me know which references to read in my quest for answers. Webster's original dictionary (1828) often casts new light on topics and General Conference talks also help me understand God's truths, though this is primarily a time designated for scripture study. 

3. Ponder. President Hunter gives many examples of this in his talk, saying, "The reading time" of a scripture may be "short and uncomplicated....But as we spend time in thought and contemplation, a great depth of understanding and meaning comes to us." This pondering can extend on into the day, widening our awareness as the Spirit guides us to apply principles from the scriptures in our lives. Sylvia encouraged us to "listen to the way your mind wanders," to better understand the nature of our own questions and to hear the answers. Taking time to ponder means we need quiet time. Time unplugged.

4. Journal. Yep. Write it down. Writing is thinking. Writing helps us process and be committed. It helps us remember and rejoice. Don't stress about being a talented author, but clearly record God's dealings with you: that is what the scriptures are. Prophets have long counseled us to journal, and here is a great way to receive the blessings of obedience and faithfulness (along with the great benefits of journaling).

Who is your audience? Mostly you. There may be benefits later for others, but this journal is primarily for you to be accountable in your quest to become who God wants you to be. My friend Kimberly, whose mother died when Kim was young, found comfort in her mother's extensive journal collection, where she "heard Mom's voice" through reading. This is one blessing that can only come as we keep a personal record, but it is not the only blessing!

Here are some systematic ways Sylvia suggested for using a scripture journal:

~ Choose a journal style and stick with it, making yourself a "matched set" of volumes. This seems a little OCD, but it has helped her to prioritize and treasure these journals. It has also helped in other ways.
~ Give each page a unique number. Sylvia started with page 1 in the first volume, page 201 in the second volume, page 401 in the third volume, and so forth. As she journals, she writes the corresponding journal page number in the margin of each scripture reference, marking the date it becomes significant in answering her life questions. This has made giving talks easier: as she opens her scriptures to various verses, she may have a variety of experiences to turn to for examples to share from her own life.
~ Write the entire date atop each journal entry, including the year.
~ Write the question you are asking that day.
~ Copy down all the words of the entire verse or passage in which you found your answer, including its reference. When you work to record it right, you imprint it even more powerfully in memory and also prepare yourself to notice more details.
~ Record your impressions and the ways you feel about your experience. The other parts of this writing process have been fairly systematic; take the opportunity to make this personal by writing your witness of what you have learned and how it is significant to you. Include other events that put the experience in context.
~ Record follow-up experiences from previous days' questions and answers.
~ Remember that sometimes answers come as you write! Recording is one way you "Knock," or physically act on the promptings you expect to receive. The scriptural promise to those who "knock" is that "it shall be opened unto you." Watch for eternal openings!
~ Look for all you are thankful for and write this down, too.

5. Thank. A closing prayer, expressing only gratitude, is an important aspect of receiving answers. Again, kneel down and pray aloud. In Doctrine and Covenants 59:7 we are told: "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." 

And here is Section 46:30-33:

"He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh.
"And again, I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;
"And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
"And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen."

Our gratitude to God is worship. As we joyfully thank Him in all things, we worship Him in all things. He has promised (also in D&C 59): "Verily I say that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours;" God's promised "reward" is "peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come."

The strategies I have mentioned here are not really mine, nor are they Sylvia's or President Sommerfeldt's---or even President Hunter's. They work because they are part of God's pattern, and He keeps His promises. Whether the question pertains to a struggling family member, a doctrinal issue, a perplexing life course choice, or resolving a relationship pattern, I have seen that the answers are in the scriptures and that God helps us find and rejoice in those answers.