Wednesday, April 6, 2022

President Spencer W. Kimball on the blessing of ongoing revelation

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was ordained an apostle in 1943 and served as President of the Church from 1973 to 1985.
"In our day, as in times past, many people expect that if there be revelation it will come with awe-inspiring, earth-shaking display. For many it is hard to accept as revelation those numerous ones in Moses' time, in Joseph's time, and in our own year—those revelations which come to prophets as deep, unassailable impressions settling down on the prophet's mind and heart as dew from heaven or as the dawn dissipates the darkness of night.
"Expecting the spectacular, one may not be fully alerted to the constant flow of revealed communication. I say, in the deepest of humility, but also by the power and force of a burning testimony in my soul, that from the prophet of the Restoration to the prophet of our own year, the communication line is unbroken, the authority is continuous, and light, brilliant and penetrating, continues to shine. The sound of the voice of the Lord is a continuous melody and a thunderous appeal. For nearly a century and a half there has been no interruption."
- Spencer W. Kimball, "Revelation: The Word of the Lord to His Prophets," Ensign, May 1977, p. 78
Click here to read the full talk

I love President Kimball's expressive use of language almost as much as I love his deep and reassuring testimony! Revelation comes as "deep, unassailable impressions settling down on the prophet's mind and heart as dew from heaven or as the dawn dissipates the darkness of night." His voice is clearly the voice of experience in this area; and he is teaching us about a process that we can all follow as well.

President Kimball bears a powerful witness of his own experience in Church leadership, and the divine involvement in its ongoing administration and direction:


We sometimes find ourselves "expecting the spectacular" as well in our personal searching, and forget that there is a "constant flow of revealed communication" in our own lives as we learn to listen and heed.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2022)
August 3, 2013

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