Hearing God’s Voice: The Lord’s Pattern for Making Decisions, Finding His Will [Video & Transcript]

Summary: God, Please Just Tell Me What to Do: Agency & Inspiration Have you ever said to God, verbally or silently, “I don’t know where to move, or if I should go to school A, B, or C, or marry this guy or not; can you just tell me?” Have you ever just wanted the answer straight out of the sky with God’s signature on it, without any due diligence? God is a loving Father who wants to help us, but not dictate our lives in advance. He has an amazing template or pattern for discovering and receiving His will. Without this template, I think we can easily fall into extremes in anticipating prayer and answers to prayer. On one end of the spectrum, we could trust only in intellect and so feel little need to call upon God in the name of the Savior, and head on a wrong, completely self-determined path. On the other end of spectrum, we could pray but without much previous thought or analysis and catalog any thought that then comes to us, assuming it is from God. God’s Pattern for Making Decisions, Knowing His Will: Study It Out & Ask I absolutely love the fact that God has given us a pattern in His word on how to make decisions and discern His will for our lives, which accounts for and allows a balance between both agency and inspiration. And some decisions are left to us to make without having to be led every inch. If God made all our decisions for us, there would be no purpose to our lives, no growth. Here’s the pattern and a few reflections. You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right …you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought. Modern Revelation: Book of Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9. Recognizing God’s Answers Through His Spirit I love this pattern for us. Study it out--map it out on paper, pros and cons, costs, benefits, losses--think through the possible consequences of an idea or plan the best we can. Then, make a decision and ask God if that tentative one is right. He promises He will answer. He says if it's right, we'll feel it; His voice comes as a thought-feeling, entering both mind and heart. An idea expands or grows in our minds when it is right, and our sense of urgency or rightness about moving in a given direction also expands in our hearts. In other words, it occupies our mind and presses in on our feelings. It tastes delicious--you're able to proceed with what you were thinking and grow more satisfied and complete in your understanding of how that might be best When it's wrong, for me, it's like a thundercloud over me; there is confusion, disharmony, the inability to proceed with that thought. I'm distracted, or even forget the idea that seemed so marvelous. The next day it's just not as exciting or promising or right. That’s the stupor. You'll recognize it in your mind and heart. I'm describing it for me to help you. In that sense, and what I so love, is that there are always two inner witnesses of truth or the correct major course of action—one that comes to the intellect, and one that comes to the core of feeling, the heart. Neither alone is dependable enough alone. Sometimes, we may have a sense in our mind of one way to go about doing something, and be pursuing it when we find another way is edging into our hearts and minds in a way that seems to settle in, covering us in quiet conviction. Then we need to let go of our previous design, no matter how reasonably sound it appears, and make room for the Spirit’s restraint or re-direction, however different it looks from our original design. We can ask for confirmation of that second plan pressing in on our spirits. God will confirm it, if we’re willing to go that direction once He does. Enlightenment Enlightenment comes as voice or sentences or ideas in mind. My daughter, when young, after saying something that was clearly inspired to me, said, “But Mom, those were just my thoughts.