President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on continually seeking inspiration from God

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (born November 6, 1940) served as a Seventy from 1994-2004, when he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve.  He has served as second counselor in the First Presidency since 2008.

"Unfortunately, we sometimes don't seek revelation or answers from the scriptures or the handbooks because we think we know the answers already.

"Brothers and sisters, as good as our previous experience may be, if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit. Remember, it was the questions young Joseph asked that opened the door for the restoration of all things. We can block the growth and knowledge our Heavenly Father intends for us. How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn't get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?"

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Acting on the Truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Worldwide Leadership Training, February 2012
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It's always dangerous to assume we know the answer to a question, the interpretation or application of a scriptural passage, etc. Our preconceptions or assumptions may be faulty and can prevent us from seeking a proper answer; or, at times, some underlying instructions that we properly applied under one circumstance, may have different applications in a different situation. President Uchtdorf encourages us to always seek revelation and understanding from both the scriptures and handbooks.

A fundamental premise of our faith is that God is eager to provide help and guidance to us, as long as we are willing to ask and seek for it. But when we cease seeking, the inspiration can also stop in most cases.

President Uchtdorf uses the imagery of a "massive iron gate" to show how we sometimes block the way to further insight and understanding, closing our minds to new interpretations or applications of something our Heavenly Father wants us to know. We would be well to always cultivate a spirit of learning and inquisitiveness, of eagerness to seek insight from the Spirit in every aspect of our lives.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)