Pillars and Rays

Elder Alexander Dushku described the First Vision as “an explosion of light and truth.”

A teenage boy in upstate New York, with the very ordinary name of Joseph Smith, enters a grove of trees to pray. He’s worried about his soul and his standing before God. He seeks forgiveness for his sins. And he’s confused about which church to join. He needs clarity and peace—he needs light and knowledge. …

A “pillar of light” brighter than the sun gradually descends upon him. One personage appears, and then another. Their “brightness and glory defy all description.” The first, our Heavenly Father, speaks his name, “pointing to the other—[Joseph!] This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

“PIllars and Rays,” General Conference, April 2024; see Joseph Smith—History 1:16-17

An extraordinary event, and an appropriate beginning for the ongoing Restoration of the Gospel. But this event is not representative of the way we usually receive light from God.

Elder Dushku distinguished between “pillars,” dramatic and rare experiences like Joseph Smith’s First Vision, and “rays,” smaller events in which we receive light from God in less spectacular ways. Here are some examples of rays that he provided:

• Feeling peace about something that had previously troubled you
• Having an impression that you should serve someone
• Hearing a testimony which touched your heart
• Sharing a testimony and feeling that your words were true
• Reading the scriptures and finding a passage that speaks directly to you
• Remembering prior experiences in which God has blessed you

“There are many ways to receive heavenly rays of testimony,” said Elder Dushku. “As we recognize, remember, and gather these rays ‘together in one,’ something wonderful and powerful begins to happen. … The reality and power of one ray of testimony reinforces and combines with another, and then another, and another. … Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a full testimony, but together they can become a light that the darkness of doubt cannot overcome” (“PIllars and Rays,” General Conference, April 2024).

The prophet Alma described a similar gradual process when he compared the development of faith to planting a seed. “Ye cannot know of … at first, unto perfection,” he said. So plant the seed and nourish it, and then pay attention to what begins to happen. If it begins to enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding, and even be delicious to you, then you know that it is a good seed. “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good” (Alma 32:35).

Today, I will be more aware of the rays of light which God is constantly sending me. I will be grateful for guidance, understanding, and promptings to do good, even when they happen on a relatively small scale. I will remember that the combined effect of these rays can be as powerful as a pillar of light.