Reverence and Revelation

                The Psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).  When we are still, we can “hear” the voice of the Lord better.  Reverence helps us to be more sensitive to the still, small voice of the Spirit and better able to receive personal revelation.  Heavenly Father insists that we treat sacred things with reverence; if we do, He will trust us and will give us more truths.

                Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how reverence invites revelation.  “When we meet to learn the doctrines of the gospel, it should be in a spirit of reverence.  It is about reverence and how it relates to revelation that I wish to speak.  Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings.  Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Comforter abound in the scriptures:  `Be still, and know that I am God.’  (Psalm 46:10; italics added)  And the promise, `You shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.’ (Doctrine and Covenants 36:2; italics added.) ….

                “No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration.  The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.”

                Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Quorumof the Seventy spoke about the importance of treating sacred things with reverence.  “As we seek answers from God, we feel the still, small voice whisper to our spirits.  These feelings – these impressions – are so natural and so subtle that we may overlook them or attribute them to reason or intuition.  These individualized messages testify of God’s personal love and concern for each of His children and their personal mortal missions.  Daily reflecting upon and recording the impressions that come from the Spirit serve the dual purposes of helping us (1) to recognize our personal encounters with the divine and (2) to preserve them for ourselves and our posterity.  Recording them is also a formal recognition and acknowledgment of our gratitude to God, for `in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:21).

                “With respect to that which we receive by the Spirit, the Lord said, `Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred’ (Doctrine and Covenants 63:64).  His statement is more than a reminder; it is also a definition and an explanation.  Light and knowledge from heaven is sacred.  It is sacred because heaven is its source.

                “Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect.  By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things.  Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence.  Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values.” 

                I make it a daily practice to listen for personal instructions from the Lord, and I try to remember the sacredness of all the instructions and loving “embraces” I received from the Spirit.  I love to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and try hard to stay worthy of his companionship.  I would be lost without the “lifeline” I have with Heavenly Father to help me in my personal decisions and family struggles.