Ministering Angels

As I looked through the material in the Come, Follow Me manual this past week, there was one phrase that stood out to me that I wanted to learn more about: "the keys of the ministering of angels". Two concepts profoundly impacted me. One is a concept from a a talk given by Elder Holland entitled "The Ministry of Angels". In his message he talks about two kinds of ministering angels - heavenly angels and earthly angels. Of heavenly angels he said: "From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children....in times of special need, He [sends] angels, divine messengers, to bless His children, reassure them that heaven [is] always very close and that His help [is] always very near." And of earthly angels he said: "when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with--here, now, every day." 

The second important concept for me was discussed in a podcast (Book of Mormon Central) I listened to this week as they taught that ministering angels act as the "go-betweens" for heaven and earth.  This concept really resonated with me and helped to give me a new understanding about the work of a ministering angel. As I thought about a "go-between", it became apparent that both mortal angels and heavenly angels can do that work. Section 13 is the record of John the Baptist' visit to ordain Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. He acted as the angelic "go-between" as he delivered God's heavenly priesthood keys to worthy earthly servants. We can be ministering angels and serve as "go-betweens" by responding to the personal revelation we receive from our Father in Heaven that can help His children on earth. One of the most significant ways we can do this is through temple work. In our earthbound temples we act as the "go-between" by receiving heavenly ordinances for deceased people so they will be able to return to the presence of God.

Angels can come as answers to prayers. Elder Holland taught: "Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times." Sister Michelle D. Craig gave a wonderful example of this principle when she shared this story from the Old Testament during her Oct 2020 General Conference address: "I love the Old Testament story of a young man who served the prophet Elisha. Early one morning the young man woke up, went outside, and found the city surrounded by a great army intent on destroying them. He ran to Elisha: “Alas, my master! how shall we do?” Elisha answered, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them...and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (Eyes to See)

Not only should we expect to have angels come to our rescue, but we need to look for opportunities to be ministering angels to others. I've always loved the quote by Pres. Kimball that encompasses this principle..."God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." Ministering angels are real, and both heavenly and earthly angels are here, all around us. May the Lord do for us as He did for the young man in the Old Testament story and open our eyes that we might see them.

Winning the Waiting Game

In Section 11 of the Doctrine and Covenants we read a revelation that was given to Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith's older brother. Hyrum was anxious to be involved in the work so he petitioned Joseph to ask God what he should be doing to help. God answers this question by saying: "I want you to share my gospel but the time is not quite right and so I need you to wait. However, while you're waiting, there are some things you can be doing." (v. 1-16)

Because of the pandemic, I think we all can relate to Hyrum's dilemma of feeling anxious to be involved in the work but instead being told to wait. The pandemic has felt like a period of waiting. So what should we do while we're waiting? The Lord doesn’t expect us to sit passively while we’re waiting for our work to begin again. We can look at what the Lord told Hyrum to do while he was waiting for his work to begin and apply those same principles into our life.

1. Pray (v. 5)
2. Seek/Study my words (v. 7, 16, 21-22)
3. Continue having righteous desires (v. 8, 17, 21, 27)
4. Continue exercising faith (v. 10, 17)
5. Keep the commandments (v. 6, 9, 18, 20)
6. Hold your peace (v 18, 22)
7. Be patient (v. 19)
8. Cleave unto God with all your heart (v. 19)
9. Seek the kingdom of God (v. 23)
10. Build upon my rock (v. 24)

It is comforting to know that there are always things we can actively be doing even when we have been asked to "wait a little longer" (v. 16). There are still ways to continue to lift others and grow spiritually, even if it's not by doing something we're accustomed to. I think one of the blessings of the pandemic is that it has given us opportunities to find new ways to help others and to put more effort into our own personal and family spiritual growth. Being pushed out of our comfort zone really forces us to rely more fully on the guidance of the spirit as we pray to have the spirit "enlighten our mind(s)" (v.13) about how to keep moving forward despite the restrictions in place. 

All of us can look back on our lives and remember times when we've had righteous desires but we've had to wait (or are still waiting) for those righteous desire to come to fruition. The same principles can be applied to those situations as well. And each time we apply the same counsel that was given to Hyrum, the promised blessing from verse 27 is the same for everyone: "to them will I give power to become the sons (and daughters) of God." (v. 30). And that's how we all can win the waiting game😊.

Here’s a quote by Elder Bednar that explains this principle. It was given in February 2020 at a seminaries and institute training meeting...

“Many times what to do is pretty clear but it’s the timing and the when to do that we struggle with,” Elder Bednar said. “. . . We have to wait upon the Lord. He delivers it. We don’t demand it. We have to be aware of and responsive to His timing, not our demands about timing."

Righteous Desires

In my study of Come Follow Me this week, I was really intrigued by D&C 7. Sections 6, 8 and 9 all have similar themes regarding prayer and revelation, but Section 7 has a different lesson for us to learn. One lesson I learned from Section 7 is that the Lord accepts all of our righteous desires to help in His work and that we need not compare what our work is to the work assigned to someone else. The more that I thought about this lesson, the more I wondered if it actually does relate to the other sections. In the section 8 heading, we learn that Oliver Cowdery also wanted to be endowed with the gift of translation. The Lord seems to be okay with this request (8:11), but we learn in Section 9 verse 1 that it didn't work out for Oliver to translate and the Lord asks him to continue his work as a scribe for the time being.

As I compared the story of Peter and John from Section 7 with that of Joseph and Oliver, I saw some similarities:

• Peter and John had different desires which would lead each of them to a different work, but both were good and acceptable to the Lord (7:5-7)
• Joseph and Oliver both had different gifts (Joseph to translate 5:4, Oliver to scribe 9:4) which would enable them to accomplish different work, but both were good and acceptable to the Lord (9:12-14). 

The work that Oliver is called to do is to be a scribe for Joseph (9:4). He wants to translate but the Lord tells him that “it is not expedient that you should translate at this time” (9:3). The word expedient  means convenient, practical, suitable or appropriate. That makes me think that it just wasn’t practical to have Oliver blessed with that gift at that particular time. Instead, the Lord needed Oliver to use his gift as a writer. The Lord will also use our spiritual gifts and righteous desires to help further His work. There will be times when we desire to be endowed with more spiritual gifts, but we need to remember that it will take a lot of faith (8:11) and effort (9:7-8) on our part in order to receive those gifts. 

We all have different gifts and desires. The Lord is pleased with all of our righteous desires. A quote by Jeffrey R Holland that I love says:

"[God] doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other."("The Other Prodigal")

We shouldn't compare what our work is to someone else's work because God needs everyone's work to be a little different from that of their neighbor. Our gifts and desires are not meant to compete with each other but to compliment each other. No matter the work we are called to do, the promise is the same for each of us: "Stand fast is the work wherewith I have called you, and a hair of your head shall not be lost, and you shall be lifted up at the last day." (D&C 9:14)

Becoming a Witness

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 5 we read about Martin Harris wanting to become a witness to the golden plates. I thought it was interesting that the Lord gave Martin some specific instructions of what he needed to do in order to prepare himself to be a witness...

• humble himself in mighty prayer and faith (v. 24, 28)
• have a sincere heart (v. 24)
• prepare to bear testimony that they are true (v. 25, 26)
• make covenants (v. 27)
• repent (v. 28)
• keep the commandments (v. 28)
• exercise faith in the Lord (v. 28)

Obviously we aren't needing to prepare ourselves to be witnesses of the golden plates, but we are expected to be witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and there are other things in our day that we need to be prepared to be witnesses of.  Some of the things I can think of are...

• The life and mission of Jesus Christ. 
• The importance of marriage and family. 
• The prophet Joseph Smith and his role in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So how do we gain a witness of these things? The same spiritual instruction that Martin Harris received from the Lord applies to us as well. In order to be a witness of the Book of Mormon (or any aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ ) we have to do some preliminary work in order to prepare ourselves to receive that sure knowledge. Just like Moroni says in Moroni 10:4, we have to have a sincere heart and real intent if we want to know the truth of all things. By doing those things listed above, we are showing the Lord our sincere hearts and our real intent to become a witness of the things we need to know.  

It's also good to note that the Lord warned Martin Harris that if he did not receive a witness then he would fall into transgression. (v. 32) The lesson we can learn here is that by participating in the process of preparing ourselves to be a witness we are also participating in the same process that offers us protection against falling into transgression. As we work to improve in one area of life, God multiplies our efforts and we are given greater rewards than we expect. (Mosiah 2:22) So as we qualify to become witnesses we are also given the blessing of increased protection from the adversary.

A Great Work

As I began to study the Come Follow Me Lesson this week, there was a phrase that immediately grabbed my attention. In Joseph Smith-History 1:33 it states that "God had a work for me to do." As I read those words, I was deeply impressed by the meaning that they have for me as well. One of Angel Moroni's responsibilities was to inform Joseph Smith what his work would be.

• v. 34-35 translating the Gold Plates
• Malachi 4 restoring priesthood and sealing keys
• Isaiah 11 gathering of Israel
• Acts 3:22-23 becoming a prophet of the restoration
• Joel 2: 28-32 opening of heavenly communication/building up of Zion

Hearing all of this must have sounded overwhelming and impossible to Joseph, but it's instructive to read what Joseph did after receiving this mountain of information. He went to work doing the first thing he was commanded to do..." [leave] the field and [go] to the place where the messenger had told me the plates were deposited" (v. 50). He started his great work by taking one small step in the right direction. The unfolding of his work would come little by little throughout his life. 

So how are we supposed to know what our work is without a heavenly visitation? I think our patriarchal blessings are as close as we're going to get to a heavenly visitation, so that's probably a good place to start. I like the parallel that Joseph received his instruction for his inspired work as a teenager, and our youth are usually given their inspired instructions (patriarchal blessings) as teenagers as well. So here's a challenge: read your patriarchal blessing with this question in mind: “what is my great work?”

As I took this challenge myself, I was amazed at what was revealed to me through words that I’ve read hundreds of times. There were several phrases that answered my question of "what is my great work?" It has been so enlightening and motivating to understand what Heavenly Father expects me to be doing in order to accomplish my great work here on earth. I sometimes struggle with thoughts of inadequacy and feeling like I'm not living up to my potential. But as I've come to understand more fully His work for me, the urge to compare myself to others has decreased. I can more easily focus on my role in this great work and cheer for others as they accomplish the great work they have been given to do.

One other reason the phrase "God had a work for me to do" stood out to me in this reading is because it's the new youth theme for 2021: "A Great Work." The theme is actually taken from one of my favorite scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 64:33 which states, "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." The principle we can apply to ourselves is that the work we've been given to do might also feel impossible and overwhelming, but as we move forward "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30) the Lord will help us accomplish the work we've been given to do. As I've started working to learn the new 2021 youth theme song, the words of the first verse have been continually going through my mind...

"There is a work to do 
That's been prepared for you
Long before the world was made.
You have the strength you need
to cross the stormy seas

that you will find along the way."

(A Great Work Music Video)

What powerful words of strength and comfort for the youth (and us, too). I think we gain a different perspective of what Joseph was asked to do when we remember that he was still only a teenager when all of these heavenly visitations began happening to him. He was still discovering and learning things about himself (like his standing before God-v 29) when the Lord asked him to lead out in this great work. I love how Josephs' story teaches us to look at our youth differently...If God trusted a teenager to restore His gospel, then we should trust our youth to carry out the responsibilities that they've been given. It might be a bit messier than we'd like, but they will eventually learn "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." And we're expected to do the same with our great work as well.

Power of Pondering

There are so many lessons we can learn from the story of the First Vision. As I studied the account again this week in Joseph Smith-History 1:1-26, some of the lessons I learned were about the power of pondering, and the role it played in the story of the First Vision. Joseph’s pondering played a key role in this revelation and he continued to realize the value of pondering throughout his life.

Here are the pondering phrases I found that proceed his reading of James 1:5

“My mind was called up to serious reflection” (v. 8)

“My feelings were deep and often poignant” (v. 8)

“In process of time, my mind became somewhat partial to” (v. 8)

“I often said to myself” (v. 10)

Before he even goes to the scriptures, he’s already been pondering for some time and he has questions: What is to be done? Who of all these parties is right...? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? (v. 10)

Lesson: If we’re seeking revelation, it is helpful to define and think about the questions we are seeking answers to.

After reading James 1:5, he again references pondering. In verse 12 we read “I reflected on it again and again”.

After reflecting on this scripture “at length”, Joseph concludes that he must do as James directs, which is to “ask of God”.

Lesson: as the scriptures speak to our hearts, we must ponder upon their words to receive additional inspiration. Joseph might not have “asked God” if he had not pondered upon that scripture.

Pondering is something that has increasingly become more and more difficult to do in our day. Our time seems to be torn between many good things as well as distractions that unnecessarily occupy us. So how do we create an environment where we can ponder? The scriptures teach that the Spirit speaks in a still, small voice (1 Nephi 17:45), accordingly, I have found that it helps me greatly if I can find a quiet place. I’ve also found that it helps if I write things down. Sometimes thoughts come in the middle of a busy day and if I write them down then it shows the Lord I’m aware of Him and grateful for His inspiration, and I can go back to them later if I need to.

When Jesus Christ visited the Nephites, he invited them to “ponder upon the things which [he had] said...that [they might] understand” (3 Nephi 17:3). I know that as we take time to ponder we too will be able to better Hear Him.

Scripture Study Increases Revelation

Shortly after President Nelson was called to be the President of the Church, he gave a talk entitled "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives" in which he talked about the importance of learning how to receive revelation "if we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth". In this same address he said "my beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation." This is a plea he repeated two years later in his April 2020 talk entitled "Hear Him". Our prophet is pleading with us to do the work necessary to receive revelation because he knows that "in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."

As I studied lesson material for D&C 1 this week, one of the podcasts I was listening to was giving an overview of the Doctrine and Covenants and mentioned that if you look at the time frame in which most of the revelations Joseph Smith received, it corresponds with the time frame in which Joseph Smith was also translating the Book of Mormon and Bible (April 1829-July 1833). The take-away lesson we can learn from that example is that when we deeply immerse ourselves in the study of the scriptures our capacity to receive revelation will increase. This is something we've been taught a lot about recently, but I thought it was neat to see a connection of how this really worked in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. For me, this example really reinforces the need to include daily scripture study in my life if I want to qualify for personal revelation.

We also know that in order to receive revelation, scripture study has to be coupled with other important practices. Pres. Nelson has taught "nothing open the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting of the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work... Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your fears, your weaknesses-yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take." (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)

As we start this New Year and think about setting goals, focusing on one of these areas will help us better answer the plea of our prophet to increase our spiritual capacity to Hear Him. And as D&C 1:38 tells us, whether we hear instruction from the voice of the Lord or from the voice of his servants, it is the same.

President Nelson leaves us with a promise as we heed his prophetic counsel. The promise is this... "that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord's timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you-even miracles-will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you." (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)

*Another great article on this topic, written by Pres. Nelson, is in the January 2021 Liahona Magazine "Grow into the Principle of Revelation"