Ask Thee a Sign.

The scriptures are filled with examples of individuals who have sought after signs.  I have utilized these stories regularly in my life to provide reinforcement to the weakened portions which exist within me.  As I have pondered on these various accounts, two specific situations have provided great enlightenment regarding cries for manifestations of truth.

The first is a compilation of chapters regarding the Pharisees who placed continuous targets on Christ to prove that He was the Savior.  These stories fill the pages of the New Testament.  The Pharisees were consumed with receiving validation that Christ was actually who He claimed to be.  They taunted, harassed, and pestered Him with questions, which had been designed to deceive Jesus.  Time and time again, they were convinced that He could not provide a sign, and labeled him a blasphemer and by their societal power, nailed His perfect hands to the cross, ending His mortal existence.  As He hung in agony, they sat below His feet, seeking to dispel the heaviness, which I do not doubt, burdened even their rigid hearts.  Justifying their actions, they asserted that if He truly was the Christ, He could have utilized His power to bring Himself down from the cross.  Again, they lacked a sign that He was the promised Messiah, and that defended their decisions and actions.  Indeed, these men concluded that because there was a void of discernable indications matching their prayers, Christ could not be recognized for who He declared Himself to be.

The second is the story of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  A miraculous account of a young boy, only fourteen years of age, who desperately cried unto the Lord for a sign.  He was surviving in a world were mass confusion regarding religion was rampant.  New beliefs were emerging continuously, each one promising to be the true church of God.  However, Joseph could never feel settled.  When I think of this boy, in these circumstances, my heart is overwhelmed.  He sought for truth among a perplexing world, but his innate spirit, which resided within his heart, could never let him rest with what he discovered.  He was conflicted, in the most complex of ways.  Seeking for a sign of what he should do, Joseph asked of God.  Joseph received an answer in a miraculous way. He was given individualized guidance and solidified evidence with the visitation of the Father and of the Son. 

So, what is the difference between these two events?  Why did Heavenly Father not send a remarkable sign to the Pharisees when they sought to know if Jesus was actually the Christ, but allowed a phenomenal experience to occur to a young boy who was hunting after the true church of God?  There are a multitude of reasons, but maybe the greatest lies within the intentions of the heart. 

Wicked intentions filled the hearts of the Pharisees.  Their objective was not to discover if Christ was the Savior, but to prove that He was not.  They were obsessed with revealing Christ as a fraud, and it was built around desperation.  They fiercely wanted to refute Christ because He simply wasn’t what they wanted Him to be.  They held to their manmade philosophies, which had been created through the generations, and cherished them more than God.  Most importantly, to follow the Lord they had to sacrifice in ways they were unwilling to. 

Joseph’s heart was filled with pure intentions.  He was humble and contrite.  He desired to know of truth, and had no motives to prove or disprove anything.   To locate an answer, Joseph turned to the words God had provided to hear His voice, the scriptures.  There he found a response, and he followed the revelation received, and asked of God.  He was diligent, he arrived in a teachable state, and he sought after God’s will.

Now, these are not the only explanations relating to these contrastive events, nor I am declaring that if we ask of the Lord with a heart equal to Joseph that He will appear before us.  However, these stories can provide immense insight relating to the acquisition of our own revelations when we seek after confirmation. 

Testimonies Require Exertion

To know of Christ, to obtain a testimony, to have a witness of truth, we must labor.  If we are waiting for a testimony to be delivered to us on a golden platter, we will be sadly disappointed.  No.  Testimonies are results of exertion.  We are required to place forward spiritual effort to receive personal revelations.  A testimony is not a blessing which is endowed, but instead, a gift that is presented as we endeavor to secure our spiritual foundations.   How much more do we learn, how much more do we understand, how much more do we appreciate when we have worked to gain something?  There is no comparison.  What we toil to achieve, we treasure differently.

I distinctly recall sitting in the audience of the General Women’s Meeting a few years ago.  As I listened to the words of testimony that left these incredible women’s mouths and felt the magnitude of the Spirit, I craved to have understanding and conviction such as them.  I remember thinking: I wish I could have a testimony and interpret the gospel in the same manner as these women.  Immediately, the Holy Ghost assured me: You can.  Seek after such a testimony, and you will find it.  That experience forged me on a different path, one that I am still traveling today.  As I learn more, and as my testimony strengthens, my desires intensify.  My soul hungers for the truth, and as insight is gained, I yearn for more. 

We must consider if there would be any purpose to this earthly dispensation if our testimonies were supplied in an immediate manner.  No.  The objective of life would be void.  If testimonies were provided from our Father in such a way, we could have remained at home, receiving a fullness of knowledge and understanding within the bounds of heaven.   However, what we would have lacked would be our experience, and our own opportunity to become competent in the principles of the gospel.  We know from the example of our Savior, that experience is essential in achieving perfection.  We must work, with sincerity of heart, to acquire a testimony.  We absolutely have to experience life to learn.  It allows us to build upon concepts.  It provides an opportunity for us to utilize our supernal abilities to become worthy of entrance into a celestial sphere.  How grateful I am for a Father who trusts me, and permits me to absorb, memorize, master, and experience life, that I may become as He is.  What wondrous love is this!

We live in an instantaneous world.  We have become comfortable, and are fond, of expeditious results.  We must leave this approach with the world, and never advance with such a mindset regarding our spiritual advancement.  Perhaps, we have asked, we have looked, or we have sought after an indication of truth in a particular area of the gospel, or maybe in determining if the church is true at all.   After our specified timetable has expired we may exclaim: I searched!  I did not receive an answer.  I cannot believe what has not been confirmed to me.  We cannot, and should not, expect answers to arrive on our agenda.  The Lord’s ways are not our ways, they are perfected.  Our Heavenly Father, and Savior, Jesus Christ, build a testimony, they do not deliver one.    

This quote from Dieter F. Uchtdorf summarizes this reality flawlessly:

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.

The key word in that entire quote: diligent.  We have to be diligent and persistent in finding our testimonies.  We must apply ourselves, and be willing to sacrifice, especially worldly pleasures and desires, in order to obtain.  This means immersing ourselves in spiritual things.  How can the Spirit ever witness truth to us if we exist in an environment where He cannot be heard, or where He cannot reside.  Indeed, our exclamations regarding the absence of an answer are correct!  We have not received an answer, because we have not provided a passageway in which it can be delivered.  When you read of people, or speak to people, who have had a true conversion to the gospel, it has been accomplished by surrendering distractions, and placing their full heart into the hands of the Lord.  This means pouring out your heart in prayer, studying, not reading, but studying the scriptures, and refusing to participate in any activity or engagement that strangles the presence of the Spirit.  If you truly want a testimony, your actions must witness the pure intentions of your heart. 

There is no greater way to receive answers than through the scriptures.  I have such a burning testimony of this!  Prayers, upon prayers, upon prayers have been answered for me through scripture study.  This is where I hear my Father’s voice as clear and tangibly as if we were speaking face to face.  My testimony of this truth is so overwhelming I can hardly contain myself from shouting it aloud.  The Lord has provided His words, left them, secured them, protected them, through all of these ages, that we may have evidently personalized answers to our heartfelt cries.  It is good to read His words, but most importantly, we must study and ponder His words.  If we merely skim the pages, or read our scriptures in a ritualistic manner to fulfill our responsibility, we will miss the answers that exist within the pages we review.  Submerge yourself in the blessing of scripture study.  I promise, you will find answers there.

Are We Seeking to Disprove?

There are similarities that exist today regarding the way the Pharisees sought for a sign, and the way we may search after own convictions.  If we are constantly seeking to disprove, we will never find truth, only verifications of what we are hoping.  For anything we find that complements and coordinates with our comforts, will become our confirmation of truth.  We must be careful, Satan has the power of deception, and is a frequent user of methods of deceit.

The interesting thing about the Pharisees is that the Lord delivered a multitude of signs demonstrating His power as the Savior.  He healed lepers, He gave vision to the sightless, the crippled walked by way of His restorative hand.  The Pharisees were not blind to these events.  They saw the miraculous healings that took place, and were constantly made aware of all other miracles that Christ provided.  However, they did not see them for what they were, the response to their requests for manifestation. 

Perhaps, they did not interpret these signs because they were too distracted in proving that He was an impostor.  They did not want Christ to be the Messiah, because He restricted them.  Following after Jesus necessitates sacrifice.  These individuals held esteemed political positions, were wealthy, and experienced comforts of life.  Accepting Jesus as the Christ would require them to let go of worldly possessions, titles, and accepted philosophies.  These things stood as their idols, what they cherished above God.  They would do anything to sustain them, including rejecting the One that came to atone for their sins. 

Christ will never be what we imagine Him to be.  He will be more.  When we find Him, we will discover matchless mercy, but it will also be coupled with requirements of work, sacrifice, and abandonment of worldly trends and treasures.  He is worth it.  Forsake all for Him. 

Can we liken this to ourselves in our quest for truth?  Are we not receiving confirmation because we simply don’t want it to be true?  Do we not want the responsibility of following the commandments?  Do the sacrifices we must make to acquire truth rid us of our mindless comforts, or adored hobbies?  Do we feel enticed by the world and wish to experience the “happiness” that it displays by engaging or accepting things that the gospel prohibits?  If our intentions are made up of these things, we will assuredly, never find truth.  It does not mean that signs are not being provided, but instead, we are turning a blind eye because we are hoping the answer is no.

Running After Signs

Persistently running after signs, leaves God behind.  We become caught up in logically confirming God’s existence, and search the world for proof.  We will never find truth when we seek among society.  We must remember, this is a telestial sphere, He reigns in a celestial kingdom.  It must be stated that the gospel will not always appear rational or sensible with a temporal outlook.  But isn’t that what is so great about it?  If it was parallel with worldly ideologies and principles, it would lose all divinity.  At first glance, it will not seem natural to our mortal minds.  However, with my experience, as your testimony enhances, it becomes apparent how perfectly correct it is, and the world’s definitions begin to defy logic.  Opinions of man cannot replace the outlines, objectives, and promises of our Father.  Stay with God.  Do not forge ahead seeking for more enlightenment than He is willing to provide at the present moment, nor lose faith because we do not understand everything within this instant.    

Do we require miraculous events to occur in our lives before we are willing to accept the gospel, or to take the steps towards obtainment of testimony? This is a dangerous.  Astounding visitations and manifestations rarely occur.  This does not indicate that we hold a lesser importance to our Heavenly Father, for didn’t Christ say that blessed are those who believe without seeing?  If we are waiting for an angel to arrive, a voice to sound through the night, or a shock to be sent from the heavens, we may be lodged there, permanently, throughout our mortal existence.  The most tragic thing about this mentality, signs are being continually provided, in equivalently miraculous ways. 

Signs Are Being Delivered

Frequent signs are released from our Father, which have been constructed for us individually.  However, they will hardly arrive in an ostentatious fashion.  If we are requesting or awaiting such a display, we will be dissatisfied.  The Lord seldom, if ever, works in this way.  Our signs may not perfectly correspond to our expectations of appearance, but our Heavenly Father, and our Savior, do release evidence of their existence and actuality, as well as answers to our prayers.  Our responsibility is to be spiritually in tune to recognize them.  We must pray for discernment, that our eyes may be opened, and that our hearts by be tender to these exceptional moments of confirmation. 

Living a life of gratitude is an exceptional way to best identify our indications sent from above.  When we approach life with a thankful heart, we more easily recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives, for He truly provides us with miracles.  Do not overlook these blessings.  If you struggle seeing how He assists you, write down your day, you will find them.  Follow the example of Henry B. Eyring and detail the Lord’s hand in your life, every single day.  You will be amazed at the protection, magnification, and strength that He has provided to you, so intensely that your heart will swell from your very chest. 

Failure to notice our individual wonders delivered from our Father, is driven by pride.  Pride is the destroyer of a grateful heart.  When we forget to acknowledge the Lord in our lives, we begin to believe that we attain and acquire things or experiences because of our own talent or abilities.  Indeed, we forget that behind all our strength is our Father.  Pride is the quickest mode of entry for Satan, and is a gateway for all other types of sin.  It is the greatest of all evils.  We must fiercely avoid it.  Nothing is accomplished, achieved, or obtained without the Lord. 

If you are constantly searching after wondrous events before you allow your heart to convert, you will be left seeking.  If you require gospel truths to match worldly perspectives and reason, you will find yourself on a path that is not divinely constructed.  Satan does have the power to counterfeit the things of God, and he leads many away by doing so.  Although our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, do not need to prove their existence to us, for they already live, they provide indications and customized answers to our prayers because their love is endless.  We should not require evidences to demonstrate faith.  However, we must not forget that our Father understands our hearts individually.  He knows that we need to hear His voice and that we need manifestations of truth to solidify our testimonies. 

Ask Thee a Sign

Many within the church, and outside of the church, struggle with faith because they feel like having a testimony means never asking questions.  Perhaps, they view it as being required to follow with blind obedience.  This is not the case, actually it is far from it.  Just as all knowledge is not instantly delivered, the Lord does not require us to immediately recognize and acknowledge all aspects of the gospel.  He sent us here to learn, and He is omnipotent.  He understands that learning involves questions.  He is not instructing us to never ask, but only that when questions arise in our hearts that we allow Him to answer them.  That we fall at His feet to receive insight, and not seek it in the world.  This is truth, for He utilized Isaiah to speak His will concerning this:

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God…the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Isaiah 7:11,14 

We should not fear approaching our Father with questions, concerns, or current uncertainties.  That is where He wants us to come when we feel unsure.  To Him.  After all, He is our Father.  Our loving, attentive, affectionate Father.  He wants to answer our questions.  He wants us to grow and develop.  He wants us to become like Him, because He aches for us to be back home.   But we must remember that confirmation comes in His own ways, and in His own time, and that it may not be identical, nor as astounding, as experiences that exist within scriptural accounts.  However, it will be so superbly personalized it will entirely overwhelm our souls.  Above all, we must never lose the remembrance that recognition will not be gained without our eager and energetic exertion, nor with impure intentions.  After all, our manifestations, they depend on our heart.