Digital Only: Young Adults
Finding Answers to Gospel Questions
Five things to remember for seeking answers in the Lord’s way.
Questions are essential for our learning and growth. And how we ask these questions will make a huge difference in our learning—and in our lives. Questions can either increase our faith or increase our doubt. In today’s world, we need to be able to know how to seek answers to our questions with faith so we can grow and draw closer to the Savior. He taught, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). Here are five ways to seek answers in the Lord’s way.
1. Look at Questions as an Opportunity to Grow
We are naturally curious people, so questions will always come. Questions help us grow and learn. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed or unworthy if you have questions.
I once thought my questions meant that I was lacking in testimony. I thought I should already know these answers, and that made me second-guess my faith in the gospel. I was so concerned about my questions that I was embarrassed to ask anyone about them until I attended a Sunday School class where they mentioned that it was OK to have questions. I learned that we should look at questions as an opportunity to learn and grow. We should seek to find answers to our questions and remember that answers will come in the Lord’s time, which might require some patience on our part.
2. Hold On to What You Already Know
When struggling with unanswered questions, don’t forget the simple truths you already know. Rely on your testimony no matter how small you think it may be. Do you remember the times when you felt your testimony was strong? What experiences led to that moment? You knew it once, so why are you questioning it now?
Elder L. Tom Perry (1922–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging.”1 The Lord’s gospel never changes. Policies and procedures may be adjusted, but the doctrines are the same and always will be. Rely on the testimony you have. When you have questions, seek for answers with faith.
3. Learn by the Spirit
In the world today, you need to be able to discern what truth is. One way you can do that is by seeking answers to questions with the help of the Spirit. The best way to seek answers is by following the teaching found in Doctrine and Covenants 9:8–9: “You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you. … But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong.”
You need to study and diligently seek for answers. Then, once you come to a conclusion, ask the Lord if what you found is right. If it is right, the Spirit will confirm to you that it is true. If not, you will feel uncertainty about the answer. When that happens, keep studying and searching for the truth. It will come in its own time.
4. Move Forward with Faith
As you study and learn more about the gospel, more complex questions might begin to surface. You may want to seek answers to hard questions, but don’t let these questions get in the way of the simplicity of the gospel. While you work on finding answers to hard questions, you can keep choosing to believe and grow in faith.
President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, taught, “When we are uncertain about some gospel principle or future event, it is usually best to act on what we do know and trust in a loving Heavenly Father to give us further knowledge when we really need it.”2
If you have hard and seemingly unanswerable questions, pray for the faith to continue on and hold on to hope that someday all questions will be answered, whether in this life or the next.
5. Trust That Answers Will Come in the Lord’s Time
The most important thing to remember is that all answers will come in the Lord’s time (see Doctrine and Covenants 101:32–33).
We can practice patience and trust that He will answer our questions in His time and His way. Sometimes we may not find the answers to our questions right when we want them, or we may need to gain more knowledge before we’re ready for them. But regardless, He will give us the answers when we are prepared to hear them.
This life is a time for learning and seeking the Lord. We can learn more by asking faith-based questions and pressing forward with hope that answers will come. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “Because the Restoration reaffirmed the foundational truth that God does work in this world, we can hope, we should hope, even when facing the most insurmountable odds.”3 If we do this, our relationship with the Lord and our faith in Him and the blessings we receive will continue to increase.