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Follow the Prophet Joseph Smith: Seek Personal Revelation
God has promised that if we seek, we shall find.
Do you ever feel like you aren’t receiving answers to questions that weigh you down?
You’re not alone.
I’ve struggled with questions and worries for years and have turned to God for answers. But sometimes I feel like the heavens are closed to me. As I continue to wrestle with life questions, I don’t always receive clear answers. But I still turn to God.
The reason is simple: that’s what the Prophet Joseph Smith did.
As a young man, Joseph Smith read in the Bible that if you lack wisdom, you should ask God for answers (see James 1:5). He later went to the woods, prayed, and received an answer in the form of a heavenly vision (see Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20). This might make it seem like he received revelation quickly, but here’s an important part of this story: Joseph worried and thought a lot about faith and religion before seeking answers.
In an 1832 account of the First Vision, Joseph was about 12 when he became preoccupied with “the all-important concerns for the welfare of [his] immortal soul.”
He wrestled with these feelings in his heart and mind for two or more years, searching for answers, attending different churches, and reading the Bible (see Joseph Smith—History 1:3–10). Then he decided to seek an answer through prayer.
When he did, at age 14, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared, and Joseph asked this question: “Which of all the [churches] was right”? (Joseph Smith—History 1:18). His answer from the Lord was not to join any church (see Joseph Smith—History 1:19).
This search wasn’t an isolated experience. After God answered his prayer, Joseph spent the rest of his life seeking answers from the Lord, and he received them. Many are now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants as Church canon.
President Russell M. Nelson said: “One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind … is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will. The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.”
I take that message, and Joseph’s example, to heart. So can you. Don’t lose hope if you feel like you’re not receiving the answers you need. God has promised that if we seek, we shall find (see Matthew 7:7). Just keep searching and, like Joseph Smith, God will reveal answers to you.