Upon returning home on that glorious spring morning of 1820 and after having experienced the heavens being opened and having the Father and the Son appear to him, Joseph Smith in answering to his mother’s inquiring about him replied, “All is well … I have learned for myself.” [1]
All throughout Joseph’s life he teaches the people to find out for themselves.
How does this work for us? How can we learn for ourselves and what has been available to us in order to be able to say, “All is well … I have learned for myself.”
There is much we can learn from Joseph’s experience that could help us in our journey.
Let’s look at the Joseph Smith History and find some things that could help us. In verse 10, we learn about the “war of words and [the] tumult of opinions.” [2] There is no different in our world and how are we going to navigate through all these differences of opinions.
In verse 11, Joseph learns about the book of James first chapter, verse 5 which reads, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” [3]
“Any” means all men who lack wisdom and not only for Joseph Smith.
“Liberally” means it will be given in a generous manner and in large amounts.
“Upbraideth not” means that God won’t criticize us for our lack of wisdom if we go to Him asking for wisdom.
We learn that this opportunity to ask God for wisdom had to sink in with Joseph and that he at length came to the determination to ask of God. [4]
For Joseph, it was the first time that he was going to pray vocally or out loud. [5] That is something you might want to remember when you are in need for the heavens to open to you.
Once he retired to a place, he had previously selected and started to offer up his prayer we see that he was seized upon by some power who wanted to bind his tongue. [6]
Don’t let your tongue be bound by fear that Heavenly Father is not willing to listen to you, or that you are not good enough.
And don’t let your tongue be bound by listening to the voices of those around you telling you that religion is no longer popular and that it does not matter to sin a little since all will be saved in the end.
Do you remember Alma’s encounter with Nehor [7] who was teaching the people these false ideas, and he had many followers? His followers began to be lifted up in their pride and started wearing costly apparel, seeking for riches, and loving the vein things of the world. Many of those who followed Nehor even after his passing used to be members of the church in those days.
Well, not much has changed. When we go back to April 2011 when the then-Elder Russell M. Nelson explained why we need to be resilient in our faith, he shared, “Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord ‘shall suffer persecution.’ That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.” [8]
Seven years later, in 2018, President Nelson stated that “in [the] coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” He pleaded with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation.” [9]
I believe that the day has arrived that we can no longer discern what is true or not without the influence of the Holy Ghost. Think about what artificial intelligence can do in these days.
President Nelson teaches in that same general conference address that “Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon, and regular time committed to temple and family history work.” [10]
While visiting with young adults in a devotional in Las Vegas, in that same year of 2018, President Nelson answered the question on how the rising generation can live more happy and meaningful lives. He answered with a parable describing the importance of avoiding distraction and temptation.
On a beautiful summer evening, a bee was buzzing over the delicious butter at the Nelson's dinner table, wanting to indulge. Sadly, the bee ignored the many warnings from President Nelson waving his napkin and found out that after indulging in the butter, he was no longer able to use his wings. President Nelson used this parable to emphasize that “your ultimate safety in this life lies in never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.” [11]
“The prophet explained that as human beings we all have appetites necessary for our survival. ‘These appetites are absolutely essential for the perpetuation of life. So, what does the adversary do? He attacks us through our appetites. He tempts us to eat things we should not eat, to drink things we should not drink, and to love as we should not love!’” [12]
President Nelson has said that “…immorality is one of the quickest ways to lose [a] testimony” and that it can complicate life quickly. He has also said that “many of the adversary's most relentless temptations involve violations of moral purity.” [13]
When my wife and I were serving in the Europe East Area Presidency living in Moscow, Russia during the COVID-19 period, we had more time to ourselves than before. Not knowing what more could happen during this crazy time, we made sure we had some extra food in our home that would last us for several months. Part of this modest storage was chocolate, and especially these Merci boxes with small sticks of many different flavors. They were often on sale in the supermarket close to our home, so we stocked up!
At the end of each day, that usually would be filled with Zoom meetings, we would play a few games of Skip-Bo and eat some of the chocolate. We quickly learned that we needed to bridle our passions and restrict ourselves to just a few sticks of chocolate instead of eating the whole box.
In his April 2020 “Hear Him” general conference address, President Nelson shared the following:
“The Book of Mormon chronicles the classic rise and fall of two major civilizations. Their history demonstrates how easy it is for a majority of the people to forget God, reject warnings of the Lord’s prophets, and seek power, popularity, and the pleasures of the flesh. Repeatedly, past prophets have declared ‘great and marvellous things unto the people, which they did not believe.’
It is no different in our day. Through the years, great and marvellous things have been heard from dedicated pulpits across the earth. Yet most people do not embrace these truths—either because they do not know where to look for them or because they are listening to those who do not have the whole truth or because they have rejected truth in favor of worldly pursuits.
The adversary is clever. For millennia he has been making good look evil and evil look good. His messages tend to be loud, bold, and boastful.” [14]
Going back to the account in Joseph Smith History, we read in verse 17 that when he was delivered from the enemy that held and bound him, a light rested upon him and he “saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above [him] in the air. One of them spake unto [him], calling [him] by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” [15]
We have received the exact same invitation from God through our beloved prophet, President Nelson. He explains what it means to hear Him:
“The very first word in the Doctrine and Covenants is hearken. It means ‘to listen with the intent to obey.’ To hearken means to ‘hear Him’—to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. In those two words—‘Hear Him’—God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!” [16]
When we follow this pattern throughout our lives, we will find that “however, messages from our Heavenly Father are strikingly different. He communicates simply, quietly, and with such stunning plainness that we cannot misunderstand Him.” [17]
I invite you in all the business of your life and in preparing for your future to spend sufficient time to those things that are of eternal significance.
It is so easy to think you can put aside your time spent on scripture studying because you have a big test coming up. But please, make your daily time with the Lord a sacred and special time, and have your Sacred Grove experiences on occasion. Live your life in such a way that you can hear Him.
One thing that will help you in the process to hear Him is to get to know Him better.
Last October, President Nelson encouraged us to make our discipleship our highest priority. He said: “Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority. In a world filled with dizzying distractions, how can we do this?”
And then he mentioned that “regular worship in the temple will help us,” and he promised that “every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple.” [18]
He also urged us “to devote time each week—for the rest of [our lives]—to increase [our] understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” [19]
When I look at my life and my visits to my sacred grove, I can say that my understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ has brought about the most remarkable changes in me and helped me to be able to say that “All is well … I have learned for myself."
This process is ongoing, and I have yet to discover a lot more on this subject. I have found that my daily study of the Book of Mormon and my daily prayers have been the greatest help in my journey.
When we come to know our Savior Jesus Christ and gain a better understanding of His Atonement, we change, and we will continue to change, and we will be able to hear Him, having learned for ourselves and being able to say that... all is well.
Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes:
[1] Joseph Smith—History 1:20
[2] Joseph Smith—History 1:10
[3] Joseph Smith—History 1:11
[4] Joseph Smith—History 1:13
[5] Joseph Smith—History 1:14
[6] Joseph Smith—History 1:15
[7] Alma 1
[8] Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2011, 36
[9] Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2018, 96
[10] Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2018, 95
[11] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Advice From the Prophet of the Church to Millennials Living in a Hectic World” [address given at a young adult fireside in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 18, 2018], newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
[12] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Advice From the Prophet of the Church to Millennials Living in a Hectic World” [address given at a young adult fireside in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 18, 2018], newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
[13] Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!,” Ensign or Liahona, October 2023, 118
[14] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2020, 89
[15] Joseph Smith—History 1:17, emphasis added
[16] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2020, 89
[17] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2020, 89
[18] Russel M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Ensign or Liahona, October 2024, 121
[19] Russel M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Ensign or Liahona, October 2024, 122