23 And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.
(Helaman 11:23)
How often is God willing to give us knowledge and direction? Very often. In a revelation given through Joseph Smith, God told Oliver Cowdery that “as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit” (D&C 6:14-15). On another occasion, Joseph Smith wrote, “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints” (D&C 122:33).
In the passage above, we read that Nephi and Lehi, as well as their associates, were able to preach the gospel effectively because they understood the gospel and because they had “many revelations daily.” Full-time missionaries are taught that revelation is critical to their success: “You will succeed in your work as you learn to receive and follow personal revelation” (Preach My Gospel, Chapter 4: “How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit?”).
Just a little over a year ago, President Russell M. Nelson assured us that we can all receive revelation from God:
My dear brothers and sisters, you have as much access to the mind and will of the Lord for your own life as we Apostles do for His Church. Just as the Lord requires us to seek and ponder, fast and pray, and study and wrestle with difficult questions, He requires you to do the same as you seek answers to your own questions.
You can learn to hear the voice of the Lord through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. As helpful as Google, Twitter, and Facebook may seem, they simply do not provide answers to your most important questions!
My dear young friends, you can know the mind and will of the Lord for your own life. You do not have to wonder if you are where the Lord needs you to be or if you are doing what He needs you to do. You can know! The Holy Ghost will tell you “all things what ye should do” (“Becoming True Millennials,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, January 10, 2016).
Today, I will seek for personal revelation from my Heavenly Father. I will remember that He is eager to bless me and will answer my prayers. Like Nephi and Lehi, and like full-time missionaries, I will seek to receive and follow personal revelation.