“Thou Hast Been Enlightened”

Sometimes, we receive an answer before we realize that we have received an answer.

In an April 1829 revelation, the Lord explained to Oliver Cowdery that he had already received many answers to prayer:

As often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.

Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth.

Doctrine and Covenants 6:14-15

Later in the revelation, the Lord provided a specific example:

If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?

Doctrine and Covenants 6:22-23

Elder Mark L. Pace shared his experience of gaining a witness of the Book of Mormon. When he was eleven or twelve years old, he made a commitment to read from the Book of Mormon each night and pray about what he had read. Here’s how he described the process of receiving an answer to this prayer:

From the time I started reading the Book of Mormon, I felt that Heavenly Father was aware of my efforts. And I felt that I mattered to Him. As I read and prayed, comfortable, peaceful feelings rested upon me. Chapter by chapter, the light of faith was growing brighter inside my soul. In time, I realized that these feelings were confirmations of truth from the Holy Ghost. I came to know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

“It Is Wisdom in the Lord That We Should Have the Book of Mormon,” General Conference, April 2024

I find his description fascinating. He was able in retrospect to recognize that his prayers had been answered from the very beginning, but it took time for him to recognize that the peace he had felt was a message from God.

After the destruction which coincided with the death of Jesus Christ, a group of people in the Americas heard His voice. He promised them that they could be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, “even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3 Nephi 9:20). This is likely a reference to an extraordinary event which had happened about 64 years earlier. While surrounded by thick darkness, a group of Lamanites had prayed for deliverance. In response, the cloud was dispersed, they were each surrounded by a pillar of fire, and they were filled with joy. (See Helaman 5:42-44.)

How could they not know that they had been baptized by fire and by the Holy Ghost? They knew that something miraculous had happened, but they likely didn’t yet have the gospel context to fully grasp its meaning. After all, they didn’t even know what to call the angels they saw, and they didn’t realize that they had just heard the voice of God. (See Helaman 5:38-42.) But that understanding came quickly, as the church of God was established among them. (See Helaman 6:3-4.)

Today, I will remember that the reception of an answer may precede the recognition of that answer. I will strive to be open to the revelation God is willing to give me and to be more aware of revelation which I may have already received.