“Eye Hath Never Seen” – 3 Nephi 17:16

During the Savior’s ministry on the American continent, He offered a prayer which was so sublime that it could not be written. The only record we have of this prayer is the testimony of those who experienced it firsthand:

The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

3 Nephi 17:16-17

The people who made this statement were paraphrasing a passage from Isaiah, in which he described the unimaginable blessings God gives to those who follow Him:

Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

Isaiah 64:4

The apostle Paul referenced this same passage as he testified of the extraordinary knowledge that he and other believers had received from God:

As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:10

These experiences were not only available to believers anciently. They are also available to believers today. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon introduced their vision of the kingdoms of glory with a reference to this same passage. Before describing their vision, they reminded us that God has promised to share extraordinary knowledge with all those who serve Him:

For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.

Doctrine and Covenants 76:10

After sharing the supernal experience of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9), Elder Neal A. Maxwell concluded, “To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!” (“Meek and Lowly,” Brigham Young University Devotional Address, 21 October 1986).

Today, I will be grateful for the generosity of God in sharing knowledge with His children. I will strive to listen and learn, knowing that He can share knowledge which transcends my current perception and even my current conception.